Ice cream equipment

What you can make ice cream in — from a compressor ice cream maker to a frozen tray. How long it takes, what it can handle and how to adapt a recipe.

• Compressor ice cream maker

  It chills itself like a small freezer, so there is nothing to pre-freeze. You can make batch after batch, and it produces the smoothest ice cream of any home machine.

• Freezer-bowl ice cream maker

  You freeze the bowl with its cooling liquid a day ahead, and the machine churns the base in it for 20–40 minutes. The cheapest way to start — also available as a stand mixer attachment.

• Ninja CREAMi and similar machines

  You freeze the base in a tub into a solid block, and the machine shaves and whips it into a cream in two minutes. Excellent for single portions, different flavours and healthier recipes.

• No-machine method

  All you need is a freezer, a bowl and a mixer: stir the base every 30 minutes, or whip cream with condensed milk. Granita, on the other hand, is scraped with a fork.

• High-speed blender

  Blend frozen fruit into creamy “nice cream” or a quick sorbet. No machine to plan for, often no added sugar — but it has to be eaten straight away.

• Salt and ice (bucket, ball, bag)

  The oldest method: the container with the base is surrounded by ice and salt, which is much colder than ice alone. After 20–30 minutes of stirring you have ice cream — and a great experience for children.

• Ice pan for rolled ice cream

  Spread a liquid base in a thin layer on a very cold pan, and once it sets, roll it up with a spatula. A portion in a few minutes — more a show than a way to stock up.

• Professional batch freezer (gelateria)

  How ice cream shops make it: a pasteuriser, a batch freezer, a blast freezer and a display cabinet. Not for home use, but it explains why artisan ice cream is so smooth.

• Liquid nitrogen

  A liquid at −196 °C freezes the base in a few minutes. A spectacular show for trained staff, but at home it risks severe frostbite, suffocation and stomach damage.