Let’s Make Tin Can Ice Cream!

In honor of our warm weather, I thought I’d share this homemade treat. For more fun, scroll down for posts with updates on Tacoma’s spraygrounds, and my list of favorite area beach outings. We also have a list of parks with shade here at the Facebook page.

On to the recipe…..

About a thousand years ago, I spent many happy summers working as a camp counselor and unit coordinator. Tin can ice cream was a favorite treat.

Ingredients: 1 cup milk (This makes ice milk. If you want true ice cream use cream. Duh, I know).
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon sugar
ice
rock or ice cream salt (I think kosher salt or sea salt would also work).

Ice Cream Salt is just rock salt. This time of year, it’s in the same aisle as other salt and baking ingredients. The rest of the year it’s by the snow shovels!

You can vary the amounts of the ingredients as you like. This recipe makes one can, or enough for one kid.  It’s the ice and rock salt and stirring that’s making the magic. If you use less of everything, it will be a quicker project.

To make it, you place a small tin can inside a larger one. Fill the larger one with ice and sprinkle with rock salt. Take care not to get ice or salt into your smaller can. I also remember doing this with yogurt containers, and if you can chill them in advance it will speed thing sup A LOT.

Now, fill the smaller can with your ingredients.

At this point, you have a decision to make: If you can figure out a way to seal the whole lot, you can let your kids roll it back and forth. Lidded coffee cans are ideal for this project, but I only drink instant coffee in case of true emergencies-like if I’m camping, or in an earthquake or something. Anyway, if you can come up with lids, you’re in luck. If you can’t, then have them stir it. We always used popsicle stick stirrers at camp.

It does take a while, and you may have to replenish the ice/salt, but I promise it works, and it’s so delicious, even if they give up and drink it in shake form. You can also add in chocolate chips or other goodies you have on hand.

There are loads of variations on this idea around the web. If you don’t have cans handy, you might try making ice cream in a bag. It’s basically the same recipe, using ziploc baggies-I would spring for the pricey ones here.

You can also make a lot more by making it in big coffee cans. If you’re in charge of making vats for church or the office, you’re in luck!

This recipe adds instant pudding and it does look scrumptious. This site explains a bit of the science involved. Btw, if you need to come up with a project for the science fair this year, this one screams, “Winner!” to me-try it with or without the salt, write up the results, pass samples to the judges…….hello, blue ribbon.

The only way to mess up here is by using leaky cans, or doing the roll method without having good seals. Watery rock salt is just not a good ice cream flavor. Period.

If you try any of these, or you have your own variation, let me know!