Make Ice Cream Using a Ziploc Bag

This how-to will teach you how to make a soft ice cream with few ingredients in very little time. Enjoy!

Making homemade ice cream does not have to be difficult. Traditional homemade ice cream contraptions involve lots of cranking and handle turning. The work is rewarding but difficult. This recipe involves no stodgy handles to turn and a minimum of arm tiring work. The ingredients are simply mixed within a small zip lock bag which is then placed within a larger bag with ice and salt and then shaken until ice cream forms. Since the ice cream mixture has a lower freezing point than ice, salt is added to change the freezing point of the outside mixture from 32 degrees to 0 degrees. This allows the outside slurry of salt and ice to freeze the inside ice cream solution. The shaking motion keeps the mixture creamy as ice crystals will not form in the ice cream. Keep the shaking gentle though, you don't want the bags to break. After enough agitation, ice cream is finished.

• 1 large, gallon-sized freezer bag
• 1 smaller, pint or quart-sized freezer bag
• 6 tablespoons of salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 cups of ice

1. 1
   Mix the milk, sugar, and vanilla together in the smaller freezer bag

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2. 2
   Press air out of the bag

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   Compress the bag from the bottom to push air towards the opening. Seal the bag after moving the air out of the bag by moving your hand to from the bottom to the top of the bag. Seal the bag tightly.

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3. 3
   Place ice inside the larger bag

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   Place both cups of ice into the larger freezer bag.

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4. 4
   Add salt

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   Add the salt to the large bag. Mix the ice and salt thoroughly.

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5. 5
   Place the smaller bag into the larger bag

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   Surround the small bag with the ice and salt mixture. Seal the bag tightly.

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6. 6
   Shake

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   Shake the sealed gallon-sized bag for 5 to 10 minutes. When the inner, smaller bag feels hard then the ice cream is ready.

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7. 7
   Take the small bag out

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   Remove the small bag from the mixture.

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8. 8
   Enjoy your homemade ice cream!

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• The bag will be cold. Wrap the mixture in a towel if the bag is too cold to hold and shake for the full duration.
• Double bag the smaller bag. If you are worried about the ice cream bag breaking then use two freezer bags.
• Mix it up! Use any flavoring you wish. Chocolate, kiwi, sprinkles, the choices are limited to your budget and imagination.
• A Healthy Snack? Include fresh fruit or substitute cottage cheese for the milk to offset the sugar needs of making ice cream.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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