Info-Authority: Ice Cream Freezers

Few things are as satisfying as licking a cold ice cream on a sweltering day. Even fewer things could beat eating your own, homemade ice cream, a delight made more common than ever with the invention of the ice cream freezer. The ice cream freezer was first developed by New Jersey housewife Nancy Johnson in 1846. Also called an ice cream maker, the device revolutionized what has long been an American family tradition.

Homemade Ice Cream

Johnson patented her invention but lacked the resources to make and market the ice cream churn herself. She sold the patent for $200 to a Philadelphia kitchen wholesaler who, by 1948, made enough freezers to meet the high demand. From then until 1877, more than 70 improvements to ice cream freezers were patented.

The freezer has come a long way since Johnson's hand-cranked invention, which heralded an age of wide-spread home-based ice cream making. Homemade ice cream, became even more popular in the mid-20th century when cheap refrigeration became common and wages high enough to indulge in such extravagances. This was also a time when ice cream empires were established, with Howard Johnson's restaurants and Baskin-Robbins' 31 flavors bursting into in the commercial ice-cream market.

Types of Ice Cream Freezers

Johnson's invention was the first improvement in the manufacture of ice-cream for hundreds of years. Today, both manual and electric ice cream makers are sold, and cost from about $25 to $1000. They generally work on the same principle. The ice cream mixture is poured into an insulated canister surrounded by ice, or an alternative freezing agent. A central, vertical paddle (a dasher) in the canister rotates, thereby aerating the mixture as it freezes, keeping the ice cream smooth and stopping ice crystals from forming. Made this way, ice cream generally take about 30 or 40 minutes to become firm enough to be eaten or put in the freezer.

The first automatic ice cream machine was built by brothers Bruto and Carlo Carpigiani from Italy, the home of gelato ice cream. The large metal ice cream makers, named “Autogelatiera”, were built for industrial use, but it wasn't long before smaller electric ice cream freezers were built for home-use.

Countertop electric ice cream freezers are powered in various ways. A recent innovation is a canister that contains freezable liquid between the walls lining the unit. The canister is put in the freezer for 24 to 48 hours, until the liquid solidifies. A vertical paddle is inserted in the canister, the ice cream mixture added, and it is placed on a revolving base that holds the paddle in place while the ice cream swirls around it.

By Louise Bleakley




	Ice Cream Freezers Few things are as satisfying as licking a cold ice cream on a sweltering day. Even fewer things could beat eating your own, homemade ice cream, a delight made more common than ever with the invention of the ice cream freezer. The ice cream freezer was first developed by New Jersey housewife Nancy Johnson in 1846. Also called an ice cream maker, the device revolutionized what has long been an American family tradition. Homemade Ice Cream Johnson patented her invention but lacked the resources to make and market the ice cream churn herself. She sold the patent for $200 to a Philadelphia kitchen wholesaler who, by 1948, made enough freezers to meet the high demand. From then until 1877, more than 70 improvements to ice cream freezers were patented. The freezer has come a long way since Johnson's hand-cranked invention, which heralded an age of wide-spread home-based ice cream making. Homemade ice cream, became even more popular in the mid-20th century when cheap refrigeration became common and wages high enough to indulge in such extravagances. This was also a time when ice cream empires were established, with Howard Johnson's restaurants and Baskin-Robbins' 31 flavors bursting into in the commercial ice-cream market. Types of Ice Cream Freezers Johnson's invention was the first improvement in the manufacture of ice-cream for hundreds of years. Today, both manual and electric ice cream makers are sold, and cost from about $25 to $1000. They generally work on the same principle. The ice cream mixture is poured into an insulated canister surrounded by ice, or an alternative freezing agent. A central, vertical paddle (a dasher) in the canister rotates, thereby aerating the mixture as it freezes, keeping the ice cream smooth and stopping ice crystals from forming. Made this way, ice cream generally take about 30 or 40 minutes to become firm enough to be eaten or put in the freezer. The first automatic ice cream machine was built by brothers Bruto and Carlo Carpigiani from Italy, the home of gelato ice cream. The large metal ice cream makers, named “Autogelatiera”, were built for industrial use, but it wasn't long before smaller electric ice cream freezers were built for home-use. Countertop electric ice cream freezers are powered in various ways. A recent innovation is a canister that contains freezable liquid between the walls lining the unit. The canister is put in the freezer for 24 to 48 hours, until the liquid solidifies. A vertical paddle is inserted in the canister, the ice cream mixture added, and it is placed on a revolving base that holds the paddle in place while the ice cream swirls around it. By Louise Bleakley Related Links: Ice Cream Makers Food Network definition of ice cream freezers/makers.