63. The preparation of frozen desserts is comparatively simple in
nature, for it usually involves nothing except the cooking of the raw
ingredients and the proper combining of the materials required in the
recipe. Sometimes a custard mixture containing starch is prepared, and
other times a real custard is made. The same rules that apply to the
preparation of these dishes under other conditions should be followed
here. As the housewife is already familiar with these principles, she
will find that there is very little to master about the preparation of
frozen desserts up to the time of freezing. A point that should always
be remembered, however, is that the mixture should be prepared long
enough before the freezing to be entirely cold when it is put into the
freezer, and that, if possible, it should be cooled in a refrigerator.
No trouble will be experienced in preparing enough frozen dessert for
the number that are to be served if it is remembered that 1 quart of
unfrozen mixture will serve six to eight persons when it is frozen.
64. FREEZING THE MIXTURE.--With the preparation of the mixture well
understood, the housewife should turn her attention to the principles
that are involved in its freezing. As has been explained, a can that has
a cover and a bail may sometimes be used, especially if the dessert does
not need turning, but a freezer is necessary for good results in the
preparation of a frozen dessert that requires turning. In the case of
those that need no turning, such as mousses, parfaits, etc., a mold of
some kind or a vacuum freezer is required.
The usual type of freezer consists of a pail, generally wooden, and a
can of smaller size that sets inside of the pail. The space between the
can and the pail is where the ice and salt that freeze the mixture are
packed. The can, which is the container for the mixture, contains a
removable dasher that is turned during the freezing and thus beats air
into the mixture. It is covered with a top that has an opening in the
center through which one end of the dasher extends, and a ring of cogs
surrounding this opening. For the entire freezer there is a top piece
that fastens to both sides of the wooden bucket. It contains a set of
cogs that fit into the cogs on the cover of the can. To one side of this
piece is attached a crank, which, upon being turned, moves both the can
containing the mixture and the dasher inside the can.
65. The first thing to be done in the freezing of any dessert is to get
the ice ready for use. This may be done in numerous ways, but perhaps
the most convenient one is shown in Fig. 7. A bag made of a heavy
material, such as canvas or ticking, and wooden mallet are used for this
purpose. Place the ice in the bag and, as here shown, hold the bag shut
with one hand and pound it with the mallet held in the other. Continue
the pounding until the ice is broken into small pieces, and then empty
it into a dishpan or some other large pan. After the proportion of salt
to ice has been decided upon, mix the salt with the ice in the manner
shown in Fig. 8.
[Illustration: FIG. 7]
[Illustration: FIG. 8]
[Illustration: FIG. 9]
[Illustration: FIG. 10]
66. Before the freezer is used, scald the can and the dasher thoroughly
with boiling water as shown in Fig. 9, and then set them aside to cool.
When entirely cold, fit the can into the freezer, and then, as shown in
Fig. 10, pour the mixture into the can. Remember that the mixture should
come to within only one-third or one-fourth of the top of the can. With
the cover placed securely on the can and the top of the freezer
attached, proceed to pack the ice and salt into the freezer. As shown in
Fig. 11, fill the space between the can and the container with these
materials, using a large spoon for this purpose. Work them down around
the can with the small end of a potato masher or similar implement, as
in Fig. 12, packing the freezer as tightly as possible and making sure
that the ice comes higher than the surface of the mixture inside of
the can.
When the packing has been finished, see that the top is securely
attached and that the hole in the side of the freezer is well stopped
up. Then proceed to freeze the cream. Turn the crank slowly, for nothing
is gained by turning the mixture rapidly at the temperature at which it
is put into the freezer. After the temperature has been reduced
considerably, and just as the mixture begins to thicken a trifle, start
turning the crank more rapidly. The air incorporated just at this time
by the turning of the dasher increases the volume considerably, for it
will remain held in the mixture.
[Illustration: FIG. 11]
[Illustration: FIG. 12]
67. PACKING THE MIXTURE.--If the frozen dessert is to be served at once,
turn the crank until it is difficult to turn any longer. However, in
case the dessert is not to be used as soon as it is made, it should be
frozen only moderately hard and then packed and allowed to freeze more.
During this second freezing process, a condition occurs that is known as
_ripening_ and that improves the quality as well as the flavor of the
dessert. After the freezing has been carried on to the desired degree,
unfasten the top of the freezer, wipe the can thoroughly around the top
with a cloth to make sure that all salt and ice are removed, and then
remove the cover. Proceed at once to lift out the dasher and to scrape
it clean with a knife or a spoon, as shown in Fig. 13. Push down the
frozen dessert in the can carefully and tightly with the aid of a spoon.
To prepare it for packing, stretch a piece of waxed paper over the top
of the can, replace the cover, and fit a cork into the hole in the cover
through which the top of the dasher extends, as Fig. 14 shows. With this
done, remove the stopper from the hole in the side of the freezer and,
as Fig. 15 shows, run off the brine that has formed by the melting of
the ice. Then repack the freezer with a mixture of ice and salt in the
proportion of 2 to 1 and set aside until needed.
[Illustration: FIG. 13]
[Illustration: FIG. 14]
[Illustration: FIG. 15]
68. USING A VACUUM FREEZER.--There are some frozen desserts that do not
necessarily require the incorporation of air by means of a dasher to be
satisfactory. For desserts of this kind, a vacuum freezer, that is, one
that requires no turning, may be used.
In such a freezer a container extends down through the center of the can
and is surrounded by an air space. The mixture to be frozen is poured
into this container from the top and the ice-and-salt mixture that does
the freezing is put in from the bottom and takes up the air space.
Covers fasten securely both the top and the bottom. A handle attached to
one side makes the handling of such a freezer an easy matter.
By many, a freezer of this kind is considered a decided advantage over
the usual variety of freezer, for it requires no turning, but there are
certain disadvantages about its use that should be understood before one
is secured. In the first place, the expansion that is produced in the
mixture by the incorporation of air when an ordinary freezer is used
does not occur in a vacuum freezer. Also, the texture of the finished
product is not, as a rule, equal to that of the dessert made in a
freezer turned with a dasher. In addition, it is necessary to crack the
ice somewhat finer for a vacuum freezer and to mix it thoroughly with
the correct proportion of salt required for the particular kind of
mixture frozen.
[Illustration: FIG. 16]
[Illustration: FIG. 17]
[Illustration: FIG. 18]
69. When a vacuum freezer is to be used, turn it upside down and insert
the ice-and-salt mixture through the opening in the bottom. Then close
it tight, turn it right side up, and with the top open, pour in the
mixture as shown in Fig, 16. Screw the top on tightly in the manner
shown in Fig. 17, just as the bottom is screwed on, and set the freezer
aside. After the mixture has stood for about 15 minutes, open the
freezer from the top and stir the contents down from the sides with a
knife or a spoon, as in Fig. 18. Then replace the cover and allow the
freezing to continue for 10 minutes more. At the end of this time, open
the freezer again, repeat the stirring, refasten the cover, and continue
the freezing for another 5 minutes. The mixture should then be ready
to serve.
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