I have a gelato recipe that was my grandmothers. It is very old and comes out beautifuly from an ice cream maker. It was meant to be eaten right away. My greand parents came here in 1918 so I would imagine that refrigirateion was scarce. Anyway... my problem is this;

Whan I take it from the ice cream maker and put it into a storage tub it melts before it is re-frozen and then ice crystals form in it. It is still very tasty, but the texture is no longer perfect. Does any one know how to fix this?

Twila, yes eat it as fast as you can!!Seriously, have you tried putting the storage container in the freezer first for a few hours?

Yes, that is when the crystals form. It goes from creamy and perfect to just a bit crunchy. :pI'm wondering if I shouldn't take it back out and beat it with a blender...I don't know...I'm guessing. And...yes the container is air tight.

Yes, that is when the crystals form. It goes from creamy and perfect to just a bit crunchy. :pI'm wondering if I shouldn't take it back out and beat it with a blender...I don't know...I'm guessing. And...yes the container is air tight.

I saw in the television that you have to beat it up again when the ice crystal starts forming but what i also see on Italian TV is that they uses a lot of 'Panna' to make that kind of soft, creamy 'gelato' texture...

Ronald - I will try beating it, but what is panna?

Ronald - I will try beating it, but what is panna?

panna is whipped cream, twila...
the same panna is also used when you want to drink hot chocolate in any bar in Italy..

for 'merenda' or afternoon snack, normally i will go with 'ciocolate con panna' instead of the normal coffee...

Ilove learning something new, Thanks!....I do use panna in my gelato....do you know if it is wipped already and folded in? or is it (as I have been doing) just added togeather with the milk...OR are they ONLY using panna?

i am not sure on the type of panna that they used but they say the best one for gelato will be panna that has been 'double whipped'- i think you know what 'double whipped cream' means

i will try to ask around...

Yes, I know what 'doubble whipped'means. Thank you so much. Too bad you are so far away, it is going to be fun experimenting. Even the mistakes are yummy.

I've found this http://blog.ricette-calorie.com/ricette/38/come-fare-il-gelato-in-casa-senza-gelatiera/ (italian).

I report hee the part you may be interested in:

Così, quando l’intruglio aveva bollito per bene ed era ormai diventato una crema, l’ho messo di nuovo a raffreddare, immerso nel lavello riempito con l’acqua fredda, e solo quando si era raffreddato per bene ho aggiunto a filo i 250 ml di panna fresca mescolando con la frusta.

Ma la parte bella arriva ora: il raffreddamento del gelato in freezer.
è esattamente quello che dobbiamo fare anche noi, raffreddare e mescolare..
Io ho messo tutta la pentola in acciaio dentro il freezer, e forse è anche meglio se si utilizza un contenitore già freddo, magari precedentemente tenuto nel freezer per qualche ora.

Per le prima due ore ho mescolato una volta ogni mezz’ora, ma credo si possano anche ridurre a circa 3 volte in 2 ore..l’importante è rompere i cristalli di ghiaccio che si formeranno all’inizio, per lasciar congelare il gelato con calma e in maniera che rimanga cremoso.

If you don't speak Italian, it suggests to cool down the ice cream in the pan in a water-filled sink, pour it in a pre-cooled container and put it in the freezer. Then you have to mix the gelato once every 30-40 minutes for the first two hours.

I don't know if this could be helpful...

PS: the recipe is for handmade ice cream, not prepared with an ice cream maker, but I suppose the freezing is the same

Twila

follow what Stef has suggested regarding freezing and beating and re-freezing it on the 1st 2 hours but make sure the storage tub is cold, i mean that has been put in freezer few hours before you started making the gelato...

what flavour are you going to make?

my favorite gelato flavour would be 'fior di latte', banana and 'toroncino'...

good luck with you ice cream making adventures Twila..

Ronald

Through the summer months I usually make Ice cream every Sunday. (American style) My husband likes vanilla bean best, but around here anything goes. Peach, banana, chocolate chip, you name, we've done it. It calls for a lot of heavy whipping cream. Fabulous.

I pulled out Rosa's (my Nonna) Gelato recipe in an effort to lighten things up a bit. Her version is a mixture of milk and cream and a lot less sugar. I like it a whole lot better. My personal fav is almond.

I'll be making more tomorrow afternoon. If you guys are in the area come on over. ;)