The 1976 Food Processor Ice Cream Trick — 10 Minutes, No Churning

Americans didn't discover the food processor until 1973. By 1976 it changed homemade ice cream forever. No churning, no rock salt, 10 minutes of work. In 1963, French chef Pierre Verdun invented a machine that could chop, slice, and puree in seconds. But Americans didn't find out about it until engineer Carl Sontheimer discovered it in 1971 and launched Cuisinart, but selling exclusively to high-end department stores. By the mid-1970s, General Electric and Waring jumped in to capture the middle market, and by America's Bicentennial year the food processor was becoming a common kitchen appliance. This is the 9th of 10 Episodes in my Road to 250 series. Sometime in 1976, someone realized you could make ice cream in it. This episode recreates that discovery: homemade strawberry ice cream in a food processor with 10-15 minutes of work, no churning, no rock salt, almost no cleanup. Iron Spoon Kitchen Food Processor Ice Cream Recipe • Prep Time: 10-15 minutes • Freezing Time: 3-4 hours • Difficulty: Easy • Special Equipment: Food processor, whisk Ingredients • 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar • 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk • 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk, chilled in the refrigerator for at least 1 ½ hours • ½ cup Cream • 1/8 tsp salt Step-by-Step Instructions 1. Puree the Strawberries: In a food processor, combine the sliced strawberries and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Pulse until smooth. It’s okay to leave some small bits. 2. Mix the Base: Add the following ingredients to the strawberries: entire can of sweetened condensed milk, cream, and salt. Pulse a few times until uniform. 3. Whip the Chilled Evaporated Milk: In a chilled bowl, whisk the cold evaporated milk using a hand mixer until it forms soft peaks. Whisk on low for about 1 ½ minutes. You’re just trying to get air into the milk. You can do this by hand also. 4. Fold Together: Gently add half the strawberry mix to the whipped evaporated milk . Add the remaining half and fold very gently so you do not deflate the trapped air. Do this for about 1 minute. 5. Initial Freeze: Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe shallow container. A 13x9 inch cake pan works or two round cake pans. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for about 3 hours. You want it semi hard to hard when you take it out. 6. The Food-Processor Churn: Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Cut or scoop it into chunks and place them into the food processor. Blend in 2 batches if necessary. Some household food processors don’t have the capacity for this full recipe. Process until smooth, milkshake-like texture. You can serve it now as a milk shake if desired. This final processing step breaks up ice crystals for a remarkably creamy, scoopable texture. 7. Final Freeze: Return the blended ice cream to the container and freeze again until firm at least one hour. #ForgottenRecipes #FoodHistory #AmericanHistory #VintageRecipes #Nostalgia #america250 #icecreamhistory