Vanilla Ice Cream – Alton Brown

  • 3 C half and half
  • 1½ C heavy cream
  • 3 TBS vanilla bean paste
  • 253 GR granulated sugar, divided
  • ¼ TSP kosher salt
  • 3 OZ water
  • 1½ TBS liquid pectin
  1. Heat the half and half, cream, vanilla bean paste, 169 GR of the sugar, and salt in a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the temperature reaches 185℉, about 5 minutes. Kill the heat and cover the pot with a lid.
  2. Combine the remaining 84 GR of sugar, water, and pectin in a 1-quart pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute, remove from heat and whisk into the dairy mixture until fully combined.
  3. Fill a large bowl with ice and water to come half way up the sides of the bowl. Place a medium bowl directly over the ice water then pour the ice cream mixture in. Whisk frequently until the mixture comes to room temperature.
  4. Pour the ice cream base into a 2-quart size container and cover tightly. Refrigerate until the temperature drops below 40℉, at least 4 hours, overnight preferred.
  5. Pour the mixture into a prepped ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. You’ll know it’s ready when you hear the motor begin to struggle a bit and the ice cream becomes very thick, approximately 20-30 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3-4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Yields ~2 quarts of ice cream.