Help me make ice cream, please!

[bellona]

Here's the deal - I am food processor-less and have no money to buy another (that I'll probably end up breaking right away like the last two :( ). I really want ice cream though! I have a really crappy blender that won't do hardly anything. Can I put fresh bananas or berries into it and then freeze them? Will it come out anywhere as good as freezing them first?

[exurb]

I would think it would come out hard frozen, more like a popsicle, if that's ok with you. The creamyness comes usually from the processing after frozen. If you're desperate, the only thing I can think of is a zip lock bag and a hammer or can (if you still have any of those around LOL), maybe smushing it around in the ziplock will make it soft and creamy into ice cream.

[Boz]

i've never done it that way. I usually freeze bananas and strawberries, then I process them and add a bit of agave and then sit back and enjoy.

I've also mixed frozen bananas with pecans and cinnamona and agave and that was decent. :p

[Sheryl]

Just blend the room temperature fruit with whatever else you like, then freeze. Every 30 minutes or so go into the freezer, and mix it thouroughly... this should keep it from freezing too hard.

The other option is to put something in it that doesn't freeze as firm that will keep it creamy.. if you need liquid use nut milk instead. And a fat like coconut oil helps keep things more scoopable too.

You have lots of options and I predict yummy ice cream soon!!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[bellona]

I love making it out of already frozen bananas or berries, it come out just like SAD ice cream, I think. But that's how I broke my two food processors :(

Just to clarify - people actually use frozen fruit in their food processors and it doesn't break them? They weren't even solidly frozen when I did it and one of them was a GE and the other a Sunbeam.

I'll play around with the ideas you all gave me :)

[eatyourbroccoli]

im actually freezing ice cream right now

i put fruit..all room temp..into a blender:

2 bananas, 5 pitted dates, 1.5 teaspoons of cocao powder, squirt of agave

5 ice cubes, tinnnny bit of water to help blend

blended

now its in the freezer to get firm

i did this earlier with strictly banana flavored and it worked great

[rawfigure]

I make ice cream in my Cuisinart Processor, no prblem. I freeze my banana's in chunks let sit out 3-5 min before I process them. I just whip, pulse when needed and it come out perfect, I have used berries to this way. Add carob/ chocolate powder , almond butter, pupmkin butter, sweetners etc..no problem..it works !

[Sheryl]

I blend frozen fruit in my Vitamix, or thorugh a twin gear juice. Never really used the food processor for that. Doe sit go as smooth?

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Dimond]

I use my mini chopper to make ice cream because the Vitamix was too much of a pain to clean everytime & it's hard to get the ice cream out. The chopper is so easy to use & clean. Takes maybe a total of 2 minutes. Then I will eat the ice cream straight from the chopper container.

[Rawkinlocs]

I didn't read all replies so forgive me if I am repeating something someone else suggested. But I made ice cream once and it was too much to eat in one sitting (family didn't want any either)...so I poured it into an ice tray and froze the cubes. Then, I removed and transferred to a ziploc bag. Last night I was craving pie and ice cream so I whipped up an apple pie and I took those frozen cubes and put into the Vitamix (a standard blender should work too but you "might" need to add a little water or nut milk to help it turn) and blended it until it was creamy and had a delicious pie ala'mode! :D

So I said all of that to say that I think you could make it unfrozen and then freeze and then when you want ice cream, just blend some frozen cubes until it's creamy. Sometimes I even throw in a half of a banana with the frozen ice cream cubes to make it a bit more creamier.

You can also make cashew ice cream (do a quick search on this forum for "Vice Cream" and there are a few recipes posted...I made the vanilla one) and pour that into ice trays, etc.

[juliebove]

Years ago I used to make something in my blender that was sort of like ice cream but a bit softer using pineapple and juice. You don't need a lot of juice, just a little to soften it down. Cut the pineapple in small chunks and flash freeze. To do this, place in a single layer on a metal cookie type sheet. The metal will help it to freeze faster. This doesn't take a long time. Maybe half an hour or so. Chill the juice.

When well frozen, add the chunks and a tiny bit of juice to the blender. Whip it and add more juice if needed. The end texture will be smooth and creamy and very cold but not frozen solid. Serve immediately. I've also made this using a cheap elecrtric hand mixer when I didn't have a blender.

And I've done something similar using frozen berries, banana slices (not frozen) and frozen orange juice concentrate. Now I realize that the OJ concentrate would not be raw. But you could do the same with a small amount of freshly squeezed juice, partially frozen. The trick is to eat it right away, so don't make too much of it. If you try putting it in the freezer, it freezes solid.

[klomasius]

Hi Bellona,

you can make delicious and creamy banana ice cream in the blender very simply. The trick is to freeze and then partially melt the bananas.

I've cut and pasted one of my recipes from a rawzine that I'll eventually get around to printing out. Check below.

REMEMBER, don't blend the banana until you can put a fork easily through the center of the frozen bananas!



Banana Ice Cream

This is ridiculously simple; all you need is bananas. It’s adored by kids and adults alike and comes out like creamy soft -serve ice cream, yummy!
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
4 large Bananas (choose ones that are just a little overripe for extra flavour and creaminess.)

Method:

Chop the bananas into pieces approximately 1cm or less in thickness. Lay the chopped pieces in a freezer proof container, making sure they are not too squashed together. Place the container into the freezer and leave until frozen.

When required, take the container out of the freezer and leave at room temperature for approximately half an hour or until the pieces in the middle can be easily pierced by a fork but are still icy. Blend the banana pieces in a blender on low speed, making sure the mixture is thoroughly mixed by stopping it occasionally to stir. For a creamier texture, set blender to fast for the last part.

Variations: The banana is needed for that creamy soft serve texture, but approximately one third of the mixture can be other fruit. Try this recipe with one third mango, strawberry, peach or any other fruit combination which freezes well and will not compromise the creaminess (i.e. citrus fruits may not work well.)

Timesavers: Keep a stock of containers in the fridge for special occasions or when you feel like a treat. A very cheap and healthy alternative to the commercial vegan ice creams, especially when the fruit is purchased from a market.

[juliebove]

I didn't read all replies so forgive me if I am repeating something someone else suggested. But I made ice cream once and it was too much to eat in one sitting (family didn't want any either)...so I poured it into an ice tray and froze the cubes. Then, I removed and transferred to a ziploc bag. Last night I was craving pie and ice cream so I whipped up an apple pie and I took those frozen cubes and put into the Vitamix (a standard blender should work too but you "might" need to add a little water or nut milk to help it turn) and blended it until it was creamy and had a delicious pie ala'mode! :D

So I said all of that to say that I think you could make it unfrozen and then freeze and then when you want ice cream, just blend some frozen cubes until it's creamy. Sometimes I even throw in a half of a banana with the frozen ice cream cubes to make it a bit more creamier.

You can also make cashew ice cream (do a quick search on this forum for "Vice Cream" and there are a few recipes posted...I made the vanilla one) and pour that into ice trays, etc.

This is how I used to make ice cream before I had an ice cream freezer. I used to make a lemon one using fresh lemon and peel, but it was not a raw or vegan recipe. At any rate, I'd put the frozen cubes in the blender, but I did it a total of three times, blending in between to add more air into it. Came out really well.