Do You Really Need an Ice Cream Maker? Yes. Yes You Do.

“Need” is such a strong word. We
are often told to balance
our “wants” with our “needs,” and to learn to distinguish between the two. Today I will endeavor to prove to you that you do really need an ice cream maker.

Making your own ice cream is more cost-effective than purchasing it.

According to Statista.com, the average price of a half-gallon of ice cream in the U.S. has risen from $2.68 in 1995 to $4.98 in 2013. I assume this is pricing for premium ice cream, since you can purchase the “cheap” ice cream for much less. But you don’t want to do this, for compelling reasons I will reveal in just a moment. I can make a half-gallon of premium vanilla ice cream for about $3.00. Ice creams with other ingredients may cost more, but the bottom line is that whatever you make will be cheaper than what you can purchase at the store.

Americans eat on average six gallons of ice cream per person per year according to this blog. That is nearly $60 per person per year for ice cream. If you have 5 people in your family, that amounts to $300 a year.

According to this infographic, 90% of American households buy ice cream on a regular basis.

As we consider these first three points, it should be fairly clear that we spend a great deal of money on ice cream. Do you want to save money? Of course you do!

Ice cream made in your kitchen is healthier than ice cream made in an ice cream plant.

Go get some ice cream out of your freezer right now and read the ingredient list. If you have a premium ice cream, you should see cream, sugar, milk, and hopefully a natural flavoring that has been identified by name. If you have a less-expensive type of ice cream, you may see such things as partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, polysorbate 60/80, sodium benzoate, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium. These things are bad. Very bad. Are there also nebulous “natural flavors” listed? According to this infographic, there are “natural flavors” derived from unholy places you don’t want to know about. So be wary of those “natural flavors.”

When you  make your own ice cream, you have control over all the ingredients. I would bet that few of you could actually get your hands on some polysorbate 80, and that none of you would choose to ever put high fructose corn syrup in your ice cream. You can also include organic milk and cream and fruits and nuts in your ice cream. This is your body we are talking about. If you’re going to eat ice cream (which we know you are), you want it to not cause bad diseases.

Click “next” to find out the secret ingredient for perfect ice cream and which ice cream maker is the best.