Most helpful client reviews
36 of 36 persons found the following review helpful.
A delightful read – and even better ice cream!
By Bryant Miller
I’ve had my Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home cookbook for closely a week, and after various ice cream experiments, I thought I will have to post a review.
First, let’s talk with regards to the book, and then we’ll talk when it comes to the finished products.
The book is such a outstanding read – easy to understand, yet complex sufficient to give my inner nerd all the details I need. I’m the type of home-cook who likes to know the science behind the recipes so that I may branch out and be as originative with the flavors as I want. And Jeni doesn’t miss the mark here! She teaches the “why?” behind each technique, but she says it as if she were your next-door neighbor – not the insanely smart feed scientist she’s become.
Next, the stories. Oh, the heart-felt personal stories when it comes to her business! Jeni gives refreshingly honorable recollections of how her business began, why she uses sure products, and how she chose may of her suppliers. If these stories don’t warm you up, then your heart will have to be even colder than the ice cream.
And then there’s the photos in the book. These are not only beautiful, but also super-helpful! I know I wouldn’t have been as successful in my ice cream-making ventures if I hadn’t seen the photos to support me along the way.
So, I loved the book, but I loved the ice cream even more. Seriously, this is galore amazing stuff. I may only recall eating homemade ice cream right after it was made; not a single soul ever dared try to actually put it in the freezer and eat it later! But Jeni’s recipes are rather intended to be frozen solid and scooped! After a few hours in the freezer, the ice cream scoops perfectly, is firm, and has the creamiest texture you’ve never before had from a home ice cream maker. The finished ice cream in truth tastes like and has the same texture as the Jeni’s ice cream I buy down the street at one of her Scoop Shops.
Get this book today!
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful.
Jeni’s Ice Creams at Home, easy and delicious!
By M. Wegener
Since buying this book, I’ve tried four of Jeni’s recipes: Goat Cheese and Roasted Cherries, Salty Caramel, Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World, and Buckeye State. Perfect results with all of them! Just follow the recipe, and you actually will get Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream at Home.
Before getting started, I’d commend reading the primary chapter of the book with Jeni’s notes, tips, and comprehensible statement of the science behind making a great ice cream. As far as instrumentation goes, you’ll need an electric ice cream machine (Jeni uses the Cuisinart Ice-20), whisk, 4-quart or larger pot, 2-3 mixing bowls, gallon size ziploc bags, ice cream storage container, parchment paper, and a big bowl for creating an ice bath. Other tools that comes in handy: a knife for chopping up larger ingredients, cherry pitter if you plan on making anything with cherries in it, digital kitchen scale, and double boiler for melting chocolate. You’ll want an extra freezing canister if you plan on making more than one batch a day. For cooking the ice cream mixture, Jeni recommends a 4 quart pot, but I’ve been using a 6-quart stock pot and couldn’t imagine anything smaller. When boiling your cream mixture, it could effortlessly boil over, if your pot isn’t huge enough.
Basic Ice Cream Ingredients: you’ll need heavy cream, whole milk, cornstarch or tapioca starch, sugar, salt, cream cheese, and light corn syrup/glucose syrup. Each recipe will likewise call for dissimilar further and added ingredients like vanilla extract or beans, chocolate, natural peanut butter, spices, honey, nuts, liquor, etc. As with all cooking, the better the ingredients: the better the product. Buy organic ingredients and non-homogenized dairy merchandise if you can, and splurge on the “good” chocolate…all this crusade deserves the good chocolate!
Ice Cream Storage: I have tried three dissimilar storage methods. Reusable gladware/tupperware containers are ok, but I had a couple crack and shatter after freezing, leaving all the ice cream exposed to air. Specialty containers like the ones sold at architect kitchen supply stores are good, but I didn’t want to spend $35 on a container, peculiarly when I like to keep assorted flavors on hand. My favored containers have been the disposable cardboard containers by Sweet Bliss. The Plain White Quart Size Frozen Dessert Containers fit one Jeni’s recipe, or you may divide it amidst 2-3 Pint sized containers. Great for home storage and transporting (in an iced cooler).
It’s been a blast to make all these great recipes, and I completely intend on cooking my way through this whole book! The recipes are well written and easy to follow. The photography is beautiful, and you get a good feel of what the finished ice cream is supposed to look like. Jeni lists her preferent suppliers if you want to use the precise same ingredients (I’ve found similar replacements at Whole Foods or the local farmers market).
One note: the “Salty Caramel” recipe has one little typo. The ingredient list calls for vanilla, but it’s not listed in the recipe instructions. I added it at the end before mixing the cream mixture with the cream cheese mixture.
7/9/11 – One more note: there is another typo in The Milkiest Chocolate Ice Cream in the World recipe. It will have to read 1.25 cups of heavy cream rather of just 0.25 cups of heavy cream. I’ve heard that these typos will be fixed in the second edition which will be printing soon!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
More than just aweinspiring ice cream
By sassybat
As a former Columbus resident, I am a huge fan of Jeni’s, to the point where my sister sent me 4 pints of ice cream as a Christmas present last year. I was excessively affected emotionally when I heard regarding this book, but was somewhat skeptical as to whether I could recreate Jeni’s extremely pleasing ice cream at home, particularly since I haven’t had much luck making ice cream with other recipes. This is where the talent of Jeni’s book comes in. Her instructions are so clear they’re almost foolproof, and she has tested the recipes multiple times in home ice cream makers. This is the primary ice cream recipe I tried that genuinely fit my ice cream maker rather of making way too much. Also, while she devised a bunch of new flavors for the book, she did not skimp on sharing the recipes for most (if not all) of the tried and unfeigned favorites from her ice cream shop. We made the Salty Caramel ice cream last night, which is a staple in her shops, and it was, hands down, the best ice cream I’ve ever made.
In addition to the 100+ recipes she includes in the book, she likewise details the steps in a clear, concise manner, with base recipes for ice cream and frozen yogurt and inspires you to experiment at home with your own flavor ideas. I actually feel that this book is more than just a recipe book, and more like a course in ice cream making, where you may learn the basic technique and are inspired to formulate your own flavors based on what is seasonal and tastes good to your palate.
I give hope or courage to you to buy this book, not just because I’m a fan of Jeni’s, but because this is one of the best homemade ice cream books I’ve ever seen.
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