I don't. I got a little freezer I can adjust to the temperature I prefer. ;) And ice cream doesn't usually last long enough here to go weird. If I were going to, I'd use starch, in the gelato way. I've considered gum or alcohol, but while I have both, I'm very sensitiive to texture. For me ”soft serve” is easy right out of the maker. It warms up fast. But intentionally soft serve is probably a different recipe that stays softer colder, huh?

I haven't found the need for stablizers in my ice cream. The real key is getting everything cold before going into the machine and then into the freezer or your tummy once it's done turning.

I really like The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. It's my go to for any ice cream sauce. He also has a website with recipes. Ooo, in looking up the book I see he has a revised version.

One tip I did pick up somewhere is if your ice cream is too hard out of the freezer you can add a little vodka at the end of the mix. Homemade can be harder than the stuff at the store since you aren't pumping tons of air into it.

It's gone from sooz's activity too as far as I can see.

Never used a stabilizer, and don't see the point, unless you plan on storing it for a long time, and that never happens with mine.

I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker too - it has an open top, and I always cover it with something to insulate and keep the warm air out while it's churning. I think freezing very hard after curing might come from not enough aeration.

The temperature of home freezers is often too low to be ideal for ice cream. Many pros use extra butterfat to counteract this. When I make chocolate ice cream with Valrhona cocoa powder in the same quantity as the recipe says for regular, it brings enough fat to stay scoopable in an insulated container in the regulat freezer. Alcohol freezes at a lower temperature than water, just as it steams at a lower temperate (think flaky pie crust). Same considerations, oven or freezer. It's all about how different things behave differently at temperature.

There's also the behavior of ice crystals. Thrifty ice cream is famous for being creamy without a high fat content. They say they do this by freezing fast at a super low temperature to keep the ice crystals small, which gives the sensation of creaminess. Air pockets (bubbles) should also be small for creaminess and softness. Beating faster, however, can make the ice crystals bigger.

I've read up a lot on the science and it makes my head spin. It's basically a balance of fat, water and air with speed, temperature and emulsification. I've never found a blanket statement that a particular stabilizer helped reliably. I think that's down to your ingredients, equipment and methods.

I have a Whynter ice cream maker, which has a compressor, and so I can make one batch right after another, which is nice for parties when I make more than one flavor.

I never add vodka to ice cream - I add liqueurs instead. For chocolate, I add either Frangelico or Amaretto as a rule, but sometimes Kahlua or a chocolate liqueur. For strawberry, I add a bit of Cointreau or Grand Marnier. I generally do not add liqueur to vanilla, but if I did, it would be egg liqueur or Bailey's Irish Cream.

I've never added a stabilizer ice cream - I make small enough batches that it doesn't stay around that long. If I did add a stabilizer, it would be cornstarch added to the crème anglaise that I make for vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

You see these beautiful photos of home made ice cream where it is being so beautifully scooped into cones and into little serving bowls all nice and pretty.

Well, that has never happened. Anything that I have ever had coming out of my Cuisinart one is only really of any value right as ti comes from the churn. If it gets put into the freezer it gets rock hard. And I have tried all manner of different recipes.

My latest was peach sorbet. And I think I can honestly never do that again and still live a happy life.

Since I have an adversarial relationship to milk and cream, ice cream was only for those who are not me.

I didnt eat it, but I did make it and serve it.

The sorbet doesnt have enough appeal. It comes out as just bascially sweet and cold, like a highly sweetened drink of some kind. Not my thing.

I am about ready to freecycle my electric churn . I thought to give it one last chance at being sometihng useful . But it is not earning the love, for me.