12 Resources to Help Make Better Ice Cream

When I made my first batch of ice cream a few years back the first thing I discovered was how easy it was to make. My second aha moment was realising how much better it tasted than the store bought tubs. The flavours are bolder and the the creaminess of the dairy is like a smack of deliciousness in the face.

Since first starting out on the pursuit of making the perfect ice cream, I’ve put a lot of effort into finding ways to improve my recipes. Luckily, my learning was made much easier thanks to a lot of online resources.

Do you want to improve your ice cream?

Of course you do! I think whatever you’re doing in life you should always be trying to improve on it. Today I’m going to help you out with a list of super helpful resources that I promise will:

• improve your ice cream.
• help you develop new skills in the kitchen.
• provide you with the science behind ice cream

Ice Cream Information 101

Here’s my list. I hope they help.

1. Food Pairing

Content type: Online Tool

What’s food pairing you ask? It’s all about combining flavours that work well together. If you’ve spent a lot of time in the kitchen or have a rare talent, food pairing comes naturally. For the rest of us, take advantage of the free tool offered at the food pairing website.

Website link: Food Pairing

2. Patisserie

Content type: Book

I love this book. It teaches you basic patisserie chef skills using simple illustrations. It isn’t all about ice cream but I assure you, many of the skills you learn here can be applied to ice cream. Whether it’s the ice cream itself, or how to create amazing desserts to accompany your frozen desserts.

View on Amazon: Patisserie at Home

3. Escoffier

Content type: Online course

This takes your basic skills learned from the Patisserie book (mentioned above) and takes it to a whole new level. Escoffier offers an online baking and pastry fundamentals course with hundreds of instructional videos as well as interactive tools to help your learning. They have learning sections on making ice cream as well as chocolate making, yum!

Website link: Escoffier

4. Ice Cream Forum

Content type: Online forum

A really helpful free forum that I found helpful reading. Get information on recipes, equipment or if you’re looking to start an ice cream business then you can get some good advice here from seasoned ice cream experts. They also have forums based on your location so you can chat with like-minded ice cream enthusiasts near to you.

Website link: Ice Cream Forum

5. Ice Cream 7th Edition

Content type: Book

The 7th Edition of Ice Cream provides a lot of updated research and information about the science of ice cream. This book gets into the hard science of ice cream so it’s not what I’d call light reading. You’ll learn lots: from the “chemical, physical, engineering and biological principles of the production process to the distribution of the finished product.”

View on Amazon: Ice Cream 7th 2013 edition

6. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

Content type: Book

Okay, so you need some relief after reading Ice Cream (mentioned above). You’ll do well to settle in with a coffee and flip through this book. Filled with “irresistible colour photographs, this delightful cookbook contains 100 of Jeni’s jaw-droppingly delicious signature recipes – from her Goat Cheese with Roasted Cherries or Queen City Cayenne to her Bourbon with Toasted Buttered Pecans”. A fun recipe book with lovely pictures to back them up.

View on Amazon: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home

7. Gelato University

Content type: On-site Course

I will start by saying I haven’t attended Gelato Universtiy. They offer on-site ice cream courses with more of a focus on those who want to own their own ice cream business. The courses aren’t cheap but you’ll get a great understanding of the ins and outs of creating ice cream. It’s run by Carpigiani, a maker of ice cream machines, so I’d be prepared for some subtle selling of their products.

Website link: Gelato University

8. Ice Cream Science

Content type: Online Blog

Ruben runs a small batch ice cream start up over in Manchester, UK. He also has an ice cream blog that is very much focused on the science of ice cream. If you’re interested in topics like the role stabilisers and sugar play in ice cream or an in-depth look at ice crystals in ice cream then this is a good place for you to visit.

Website link: Ice Cream Science

9. The Perfect Scoop

Content type: Book

A wonderful ice cream recipe book by David Lebovitz. Ripe seasonal fruits. Fragrant vanilla, toasted nuts, and spices. Heavy cream and bright liqueurs. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Every luscious flavor imaginable is in The Perfect Scoop. I highly recommend this book.

View on Amazon: The Perfect Scoop

10. Ample Hills Creamery

Content type: Book

If you’ve ever been to Brooklyn, you may have been lucky enough to visit Ample Hills Creamery. They have become renowned for churning out incredible flavours and it’s common to see big lines waiting to get into their shop. “Featuring recipes for the most sought-after flavours – including Salted Crack Caramel, Ooey Gooey, and the Munchies – the book is organised by mood.” I love this book not just for the flavours, but more for it’s cool design. The cover of this book screams out to be opened.

View on Amazon: Ample Hills Creamery

11. The Ice Cream eBook

Content type: Online ice cream resource

I love getting advice from ice cream practitioners – whether they’re running a large food business or they’re at home in the kitchen. But it’s nice to balance that practical information with a little theory. This online resource has a wide range on information provided by Professor H. Douglas Goff from the University of Guelph, Canada. There is a big focus on the commercial production of ice cream and formulations but there’s also plenty in there for home made ice cream makers.

Website link: The Ice Cream eBook

12. The University of Wisconsin-Madison

Content: Onsite Course

This University offers a range of courses focused on commercially manufacturing ice cream. Wisconsin is the heart of dairy land in the United States and they know their ice cream. Many ice cream lovers who entertain the thought of starting their own business venture here before starting. Although I haven’t attended, I have heard a lot of positive stories in forums from those who have.

Website link: The University of Wisconsin-Madison

Have you got your own favourite resource related to ice cream? Let everyone know in the comments below.

Disclaimer: I make a commission on some of the eBooks mentioned above via Amazon.