Home made ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt

[madbrain]

I just started making my own foods. This is motivated not just by frugality but also by the fact that I recently moved to the hills, and my favorite grocery stores are not close to home. Trader Joe's and Costco are both 12 miles.
I am not sure if making my own foods will ultimately save money or not, but I hate driving and enjoy cooking and I prefer healthier homemade foods. Ultimately I think fewer grocery trips will likely mean fewer temptations and saving money.

Last june, I started making my own sorbets, ice creams, and frozen yogurts. I keep them in a dedicated freezer at extremely low temperature, such that they usually need a good 10-15 minutes on the countertop before they can be eaten (or some time in the microwave...). I put the date I made them on each batch. I now have quite a few batches of various flavors. Most of them have been made with organic ingredients and don't really cost less than store brands, but they are certainly a lot healthier and taste better.

My main question is - how long can I reasonable keep them and expect them to still be good ?
And second question, are there any inexpensive preservatives, preferably natural, that I can add to them to extend their life ?

 

[freemotion]

The key is to keep air away from them. I'd bag the containers in ziploc freezer bags and don't make so much ahead. The beauty of homemade food is the freshness as well as the health benefits. Or you could use a vacuum sealer to keep the air out. Forget preservatives. Make what you can eat in a reasonable amount of time....it is a tough job, but somebody has to do it! I'm sure you could get some volunteers here to help out. We seem to be very willing that way. Someone bring pie!

Hey, sounds like you could use a goat or two......

---Free, Goat Enabler Extraordinaire

 

[sunsaver]

I don't know of any natural preservatives other than salt, vinegar, or smoking, and those might not taste good in ice cream. In an extra cold freezer like yours, they should keep for a year, maybe longer. Keep a box of baking soda in there with them to prevent any off-flavors or odors.

 

[wsmoak]

I just started making my own foods. This is motivated not just by frugality but also by the fact that I recently moved to the hills, and my favorite grocery stores are not close to home. Trader Joe's and Costco are both 12 miles.
...
Last june, I started making my own sorbets, ice creams, and frozen yogurts.

The nearest CostCo is hours away from me, and I haven't seen a Trader Joe's since I left civilization a year and a half ago.

But, do tell, how do you make frozen yogurt and sorbet at home? Do you have a special machine, or does it just go in a regular ice cream freezer?

-Wendy

 

[madbrain]

Hey freemotion,

The key is to keep air away from them. I'd bag the containers in ziploc freezer bags and don't make so much ahead.

Those containers wouldn't fit in ziploc bags, unfortunately. The containers are sealed, but not vacuum sealed. I gather the vacuum sealers would only work with bags.
Or would you recommend vacuum sealing large bags with the container inside ?

The beauty of homemade food is the freshness as well as the health benefits. Or you could use a vacuum sealer to keep the air out. Forget preservatives.
Make what you can eat in a reasonable amount of time....it is a tough job, but somebody has to do it! I'm sure you could get some volunteers here to help out. We seem to be very willing that way. Someone bring pie!

I had a party recently with less than expected attendance. I will definitely share my ice creams with more guests
I don't want to eat it all too quickly, I am watching my weight and waist line.
Speaking of which, I used regular and organic sugar for the ice cream. These are high in calories, though. I looked into no calorie sweeteners at costco, but splenda cost about 15-20x as much to the pound as sugar.
Are there are any decent price and not unhealthy alternate sweeteners that can be used ?

 

[madbrain]

The nearest CostCo is hours away from me, and I haven't seen a Trader Joe's since I left civilization a year and a half ago.

I feel for you. 12 miles might not sound like much but with bay area traffic it can still be quite long, especially on weekends. And then you add the long lines at Costco.

But, do tell, how do you make frozen yogurt and sorbet at home? Do you have a special machine, or does it just go in a regular ice cream freezer?

-Wendy

I have a special machine. It is a Cuisinart. It makes up to 1.5 quart of ice cream, frozen yogurt or sorbet in 20 to 30 minutes. It's cold enough to eat right out of the machine. But I prefer to put it in the freezer afterwards to get a little harder consistency.
The easiest to make is frozen yogurt, very little preparation. Ice cream is the next easiest. Sorbet takes longer due to the need to boil sugar in water and then let it cool down.
The machine was on sale for $24 at Costco. I couldn't resist. However the bowl needs to be frozen ahead of time for at least 6 hours to be cold enough for the ice cream to take. There is a freezing liquid inside. I bought a second machine to get the 2nd bowl, so I can make multiple batches. I don't use the 2nd machine at all.

 

[freemotion]

I use a bit of sugar and then sweeten my ice cream mostly with liquid Stevia. It needs to be used in things that have a strong flavor, though. I love mint chocolate chip ice cream, although sometimes I just leave out the chips.

I use raw egg yolks and raw goat's milk as the base for my ice creams, since I have them here on the farmlet. So with a bit of flavoring and almost no sugar, they are a healthy snack or even a quick meal on a hot day, and promote a healthy weight. Wifezilla will explain.

 

[madbrain]

I use a bit of sugar and then sweeten my ice cream mostly with liquid Stevia. It needs to be used in things that have a strong flavor, though.

Thanks. Do you know a source for Stevia at a decent price ? Sugar at Costco was $14.79 for 25 lbs on saturday.
It appears the ratio of stevia powder to sugar is 96:1 - 1/2 teapoon stevia for 1 cup sugar.
That seems awfully little. If really true then the $52.62/lb for NOW stevia at amazon is actually competitive with sugar.
But I'm a little wary of measuring such tiny quantities.

 

[freemotion]

I don't compare the price when I use a product like this, since I reduce sugar in my diet for health and not for savings. If you pretty much eliminate sugar, your taste for sweet stuff will change dramatically and you won't tolerate things that are very sweet, allowing you to use less....or no....sweetener in many things. Your bp and cholesterol will drop and your thinking will be clearer and many health concerns will improve......so worth it!

I get the 8 oz liquid stevia at Whole Foods for around $22 (365 brand) and use it to refill my dropper bottle. When I make ice cream, I sweeten to taste, tasting the mixture before freezing it. A bit of sugar makes the family happy, so I use maybe 20% of the recipe's sugar and sweeten with stevia. For myself....just stevia in most things.

 

[madbrain]

Hi freemotion,

I don't compare the price when I use a product like this, since I reduce sugar in my diet for health and not for savings. If you pretty much eliminate sugar, your taste for sweet stuff will change dramatically and you won't tolerate things that are very sweet, allowing you to use less....or no....sweetener in many things. Your bp and cholesterol will drop and your thinking will be clearer and many health concerns will improve......so worth it!

I get the 8 oz liquid stevia at Whole Foods for around $22 (365 brand) and use it to refill my dropper bottle. When I make ice cream, I sweeten to taste, tasting the mixture before freezing it. A bit of sugar makes the family happy, so I use maybe 20% of the recipe's sugar and sweeten with stevia. For myself....just stevia in most things.

Thanks. Health is definitely a concern, though my bp or cholesterol have always been fine. BMI and waist are some of my more immediate concerns, and I know sugar / calories contribute to that.
I made all my ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurts with sugar, and in the future I would like to make things that have fewer calories.

Health concerns don't mean that I want to spend unlimited amounts of money for the health benefits I do want to live more frugally. I want to accomplish that by eating smaller quantities, having less food waste, and making fewer grocery trips.
Right now my bf and I spend about $800/month on grocery stores (mostly Costco / Trader Joe's) though a lot of that is not necessarily food. And then another $400/month on dining out. I think there is a lot of room to trim And we may even be able to do that by eating healthier.

Looks like I get 8oz NOW brand on amazon for about $13 - $15. I will try it and see what it tastes like. I guess I can dilute it with water in a larger bottle to avoid the problems with small measurements.