As a kid, I remember the certain appeal that a fresh layer of snow in our front yard in New York had to me. I can’t deny it, I was definitely one of those kids who ate snow. I have this distinct memory of my mom lecturing me on the germs in snow and how I shouldn’t put it in my mouth, and frankly, I can’t necessarily say she was wrong. Thankfully, the kids of today may not make the same mistake as I did as there’s a new trend of making ice cream in a bowl outside in the snow that’s easy, fun, and far more satisfying than eating straight snow.
How can you make ice cream in snow?
Not only is making homemade ice cream a lot easier than you may expect, but there are also a ton of delicious recipes that you can try. To make ice cream in snow, all you need is a bowl, heavy cream, whole milk (or any milk alternatives), salt, and of course, some snow. In addition to these ingredients, you will want to add your flavorings of choice. Some popular ones are sugar or condensed milk to make it sweeter, vanilla extract, or chocolate syrup.
The process of putting it all together is not difficult, and it’s an extremely fun activity to do with others. First, you must create a place for your bowl to go and cover the snow of that area in salt. The salt lowers the snow’s freezing point, making it much colder than it typically is. Next, put your bowl on top of your snow and salt mixture and add your ingredients to your bowl. The measurements don’t need to be perfect, but certainly follow a designated recipe if you want the best consistency. Finally, mix it all up with a whisk or a spoon until it firms up, and voila! You have just made homemade ice cream in the snow.
Why is winter the best time to make ice cream?
While many associate ice cream with the summer time, it’s arguable that winter is actually the best time to have ice cream. Not only is homemade ice cream fun and convenient — considering the poor plowing that has made it impossible to go anywhere after snowfall in Massachusetts — it makes the ice cream taste so much better knowing the hard work that you’ve put into it. Not only that, you get complete creative liberty if you’ve felt in the past that the selection of flavors at the grocery store are too constricting.
At the end of the day, if you’re getting bored of seeing the same layer of white snow cover your backyard, I definitely recommend making some use out of it by participating in this trend and making some delicious homemade ice cream.