Family Trapped in Supermarket Aisle: Ice Cream Maker Sets Them Free; Secret of Homemade Ice Cream

Today is Saturday- shopping day for my family. And now it's time to stop in on our favorite aisle- the ice cream aisle. We just love ice cream, my brother, my mom, dad and even Spot, our dog. We all have our favorite flavors- and this is where the problem comes. We never seem to be able to settle on one, we end up getting all kinds of flavors and then try to make up our own by tossing in toppings, mixing flavors and adding other ingredients. Yeah, we have fun, but it gets real messy, we usually have to throw some of the cartons out because there's not enough space in the freezer for them all and my dad complains that all that ice cream gets real expensive. Today is no different. We're standing in front of the ice cream cooler now.

"Dad, can't we get Cookie Dough Ice Cream today," I say.

"No, we got that last week. How come we never get the kind I like? I want Oreo, can't we have Oreo today Dad," yells my brother.

"Now you know they only have Oreo ice cream in the expensive brands and since we all want something different we can only afford to get two flavors from the generic ice cream. We've already gone over this," explains my father.

"Why don't we just get Chocolate Chip ice cream or Mint Chocolate Chip since most of us like chocolate," my mom offers, but my dad is not a big chocolate fan. Who doesn't like chocolate anyway? Whatever.

As you can see it's real hard to please my family.

We usually end up having to alternate each family member's favorite flavor, which means most of us aren't happy. That's why for a long time I have been telling my mom and dad that we need a homemade ice cream maker, but my dad always has his reasons for not buying one and the problems keep happening.

So now what?

"Kids why don't we just go to Strickland's to get some custard? We all like custard. Then we can each have our own flavor," suggests my mom.

"But Mom, then what are we gonna eat when we watch our movie at home tonight," I retort.

"Yeah, honey that's true and besides that's real far from the house and I'm kind of tired," Dad adds.

One of the other shoppers leans over and says, "As a mother of 3, I know how you feel. We have the same problem. Or should I say we had the same problem. That is until we bought an ice cream maker. Now everyone is happy because we can make any flavor we want, whenever we want. You can make a small amount of each flavor on a different day and it won't take up a lot of space. And you know what? It saves you a lot of money. A great combination- great tasting ice cream for less money."

"But is homemade ice cream really that good," asks my mom. "And where do you get the recipes?"

"Oh, it's the best. That was one of our concerns. It's the best you'll ever have, richer and creamier than anything you'll find in this aisle or any ice cream shop. There are a few really good books out there with some spectacular ice cream maker recipes that are easy to make."

"We had considered buying an ice cream maker a while ago, but it sounds like a lot of work," said my dad. He's always worried about something.

"Actually it's very easy. It only takes a few ingredients and once the ingredients are frozen and ready to be stirred it only takes around 20 minutes, give or take, to actually make the ice cream."

"What do you mean 'once the ingredients are frozen'," my mom asked confused. "It depends which model you get. Some models require you to pre-freeze the ingredients before you start actually making it, while other machines will freeze and make it all at one time, cutting down on the entire process."

"Wow, I bet there are a lot of different models, aren't there?" Which one should we get? Aren't they all good?"

"No, they are not. If you don't get the right kind you will waste your money and regret it. We have a Cuisinart ice cream maker and love it, we do have to pre-freeze the ice cream, but it is one of the best economic models you can buy. Some of our relatives own gourmet models like a Rival ice cream maker that has its own compressor; therefore, you don't need to pre-freeze. Some friends of ours have a bigger White Mountain machine that is great for parties. I'll tell you what. I have to get going. Here's a website that will help give you more information about the models I just mentioned, as well as some other information you will want to know." The really nice and informative shopper gives my dad the web URL and then walks away.

"I really like this idea. I think it will solve a lot of our problems. You see someone else had the same idea I had," my dad says with a big confident grin on his face.

"Dad! I've been telling you we need one for a long time now. Ah, nevermind."

"Kids let's get home. We've got some reading to do."

About the Author

It's fun to find gifts for loved ones, but often stressful. You are afraid to invest time and money just to find out they do not like the gift. There is a site where you can find something for everyone, teachers, for your whole family , romantic gifts, clients and more. You'll find anything from fun old fashioned popcorn machines for parties or family night together, picture cookie cakes, chocolate covered sweets to homemade ice cream makers.