4 good reasons to make your own ice cream

Leuchtschild mit dem Schriftzug Homemade Ice Cream

The Germans are among the Ice cream consumption leaders and there are many good reasons to make your own ice cream and especially to avoid industrially produced ice cream.

About 8 litres of ice is what we Germans eat on average per year. In 2018, the figure was almost 9 liters. This was certainly due to the great summer. This year could also be another very warm and ice-rich year.

Eight litres correspond to about 100 scoops of ice cream. So that's a lot. As far as I'm concerned, and presumably you as well, I'd say that there's certainly one or two more bullets to be accounted for.

1. saving with homemade ice cream

Once again, back to the 8 liters or 100 bullets a year. In my Example calculation I compare the cost with ice cream from the ice cream parlor, because as you correctly guess, I'm not a big fan of industrially produced ice cream.

Expenditure on ice cream from the ice cream parlor: approx. 150 euros/person per year

I have updated the calculation, as prices for ice cream have risen sharply, especially in major cities. You now have to spend up to 2 euros per scoop in some major cities. With the current (2022) average price of 1.50 euros, this brings us to approx. 150 Euro per year for one person. A family of three spends 450 euros a year. The prices for ice cream machines no longer seem so expensive.

Expenditure on homemade ice cream

I admit that making your own ice cream takes effort, which means it takes time. But this is the case with all homemade food. As a rule, you need for the Preparations only 10 to 20 minutes. The rest is done by the ice cream machine. Alternatively, there is also the possibility of the Ice in the freezer but this requires mixing the mixture every 30 minutes for about 4 hours and the result will not be as good as with an ice cream maker - no matter how cheap it is. That means I would recommend you to get an ice cream maker.

Ice cream maker: 30 - 500 euros depending on model

A very brief digression to Ice cream machines: one distinguishes Ice machines with and without compressor. Machines with compressor cool themselves, that is, they can be used immediately and several times in a row. Ice cream machines without compressor have a container, which must be previously frozen in the freezer for several hours. The latter are much cheaper to buy, but also more inflexible.

A good Ice cream machine with compressor* costs around 200 euros. But you can also spend a multiple of that without any problem. A Ice cream machine without compressor* you usually get for approx. 50 euros.

Additional costs for ice cream production: 45 Euro per year

The costs for the ingredients are strongly dependent on variety and quality. Let's assume that we produce organic raw materials and in half of the cases fruit ice cream with regional varieties or also organic fruits. In the meantime, we have reached an average of about 8 euros/liter, which is 56 Euro per year for one person or 168 euros for a family of three.

The Electricity costs are very low, because ice machines with compressor need on average about 150 watts. That is with an operation of 1h just 30 cents and calculated on the year thus EUR 2.40 (1 person) or 7,20 Euro (3 persons). Usually 1 litre of ice cream is ready in well under an hour. The electricity costs of ice machines without compressor are even less worthwhile to calculate.

This results in taken together and rounded up 60 euros for one and 180 euros for three people.

When does the purchase of an ice cream machine pay off?

Familie mit Eiswaffeln in der Stadt — In most cases, the purchase of an ice cream machine is worthwhile even in the first year.

Depending on the ice cream machine model, the Purchase usually already in the 1st year of purchase. Especially now with the rising prices. For ice machines with compressor, it may take a little longer for a one-person household. But already in the third year you have the cost back in. In the two tables below I have summarized everything again clearly.

Ice cream machine without compressor	1-person Budget	3-person Budget
Costs ice cream from the ice cream parlour / year	150 €	450 €
Cost homemade ice cream with of an ice cream machine / year	56 €	168 €
Average cost of a ice cream machine	50 €	50 €
At what point does it start to pay off, ice cream itself close	The first year 150 vs. 106 €	The first year 450 vs. 218 €

Ice cream machine with compressor	1-person Budget	3-person Budget
Costs ice cream from the ice cream parlour / year	150 € (3 years: 450 €)	450 €
Cost homemade ice cream with of an ice cream machine / year	56 € (3 years: 168€)	168 €
Average cost of a ice cream machine	200 €	200 €
At what point does it start to pay off, ice cream itself close	In the third year. 450 vs. 368€	The first year 450 vs. 368 €

2. determine ingredients yourself

Eiswaffel mit Wolke als Eiskrem — With homemade ice cream, you have full control regarding the ingredients.

Allergies are on the rise. No wonder with all the stimuli and substances we are exposed to every day. Industrially produced food is very often contaminated with various preservatives, stabilizers or synthetic armons that you don't want in your ice cream. Unfortunately, many ice cream parlors also use so-called "convenience products", which do not exactly have delicious ingredients.

But there are also Incompatibilities against substance groups such as lactose, fructose up to nuts. These can severely limit the enjoyment of ice cream, depending on how pronounced they are. In particular, nut allergy sufferers cannot be sure whether industrially or commercially produced ice cream contains allergens that should not be there.

But also the selection at the Ingredients quality there are no limits to in-house production. Conscious eating is becoming increasingly important to many. When you make your own, you can select all the ingredients according to your own wishes. This gives you control over what goes into your own ice cream. You can use fruits and vegetables from organic farming, determine the degree of ripeness and, in particular, buy seasonally, so that you can Ice cream sustainable makes itself.

People who have decided to follow a certain diet or simply want to cut down on sugar can also benefit from the production. From vegan ice cream up to low-carb Versions everything is possible.

3. make extraordinary ice cream

Überquellender Eisbecher mit viel Verzierung aus Waffeln, Brezeln, Nüssen und Sahne. — There are no limits to the imagination.

Most people like the classic ice cream flavors. However, the success of ice cream parlors with unusual varietiesthat more and more people also appreciate exceptional ice cream.

So why not experiment for yourself and invent the perfect ice cream? It's not that hard if you start from a well-known recipe and then individual components varied. At the beginning surely a little bit more cautious and then more and more fancy.

This is not only delicious, but also a lot of fun. Especially when Friends and family as tasters may evaluate the ice cream creations.

4. determine the amount of ice yourself

If you take a closer look at the freezers in the supermarket, you will very often find ice packs that are 1 litre or more include. One liter, that's about 12 scoops of ice cream. Not easy if you're either alone or have a small freezer.

Gefüllte Mülltüte neben der Tür. — Homemade ice cream reduces the waste of food.

Moreover, as soon as the package is open, the taste changes over time and more ice crystals form on the surface. Then the ice cream is no longer quite as tasty and many leftovers are discarded. This is a Waste of food and money.

Of course, you could go to the ice cream parlor and buy an ice cream there. But the disadvantages of this I have already explained above. With your own ice cream maker, you are flexible and can use the Adjust recipe quantities accordingly.

However, you should not go below a certain volume, otherwise the freezing process is carried out too quickly and the creaminess of the ice cream suffers. However, you can process half of the maximum volume of the respective ice cream machine without any problems. These are then in the end at most devices approx. 500 ml ice. Or you can buy an ice cream maker with a smaller capacity, which can produce between 300-500 ml of ice cream.

I hope you are now convinced why there are good reasons to make ice cream yourself. I would certainly not want to miss my ice cream maker. If you are also a big ice cream fan like me, I can only advise you to make your own ice cream. If you need delicious recipes for it, you will find them here.