What stabilizer can be used in non-dairy ice cream with alcohol?
I am making coconut milk ice cream with alcohol. I'm using 28oz of coconut milk, fruit macerated in 1/4 cup of alcohol, another 1-2T of alcohol, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of arrowroot. It tastes great, but it melts way too fast. What can I use besides xanthum gum, guar gum. Could it be the freeze time? Or the tupperware containers I use in the freezer? Any suggestions are appreciated.
Best Answer
Assuming a few things about your recipe - your coconut milk is full fat, your alcohol is a liquor at 80+ proof, it sounds like you're just adding too much stuff that doesn't really freeze. You've got a total of maybe 3/8 cup of alcohol, when just 2T is enough to soften ice cream noticeably. Ice cream made with just cream is already plenty soft, so adding that much alcohol can make it really soft. You didn't mention sugar, but that would make it softer as well. This is the opposite of the normal problem of too much water, not enough fat/sugar, making ice cream freeze too hard.
The simple solution is to just add more water, in whatever form suits you. Since you're using fruit, I'd suggest simply adding more of that! You could also try using light (reduced fat) coconut milk so that you have less fat. I suppose you could even reduce the booze - just slowly simmer it until the volume is reduced, so it'll have less alcohol, but retain flavor.
Otherwise you're going to have to dilute things - use less coconut milk or alcohol and add something more water-based that freezes harder. For example, you could replace alcohol with some kind of flavored extract, or replace some coconut milk with milk.
(The arrowroot isn't making your ice cream melt. It'll thicken it a bit, and stabilize it (keep the fat and water from separating), both of which are fine things. The stabilization is probably good, since coconut milk does separate eventually.)
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Quick Answer about "What stabilizer can be used in non-dairy ice cream with alcohol?"
Guar, acacia, and xanthan gum can all be added to a recipe while cold. They can be blended into a recipe without needing to heat for them to activate. These ingredients are all similar in that they are thickener but they all have slightly different thickening properties. Guar creates a smooth creamy texture.What can be used as a stabilizer in ice cream?
Stabilizers, including natural, plant-derived ingredients like guar gum, xantham gum, and carageenan, are just another kind of emulsifier that manipulates ice cream texture. (And FYI, egg yolks are a kind of stabilizer.)How do you thicken non dairy ice cream?
Cornstarch. A little cornstarch helps to thicken the ice cream to get the right smooth texture. Liquid sweetener. Using a liquid sweetener in combination with a granulated one helps to make the texture perfectly creamy.Is xanthan gum a stabilizer for ice cream?
Xanthan gum (E415) Its blend with guar gum and/or locust bean gum makes an effective stabilizer for ice cream, ice milk, sherbet, and water ices. Hydrates cold.What is a good emulsifier for ice cream?
Ice Cream Emulsifiers Egg yolks are the most common emulsifier, and they work, but they're not the best. A common - and better - emulsifier for ice cream is soy lecithin, which can be derived from soybeans, sunflowers and rapeseed. Soy lecithin has a neutral taste, and also allows you to make egg-less ice cream.Should you use Stabilizers in your Ice Cream?
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Answer 2
Alcohol lowers the freezing point (and melting point), you can use this calculator to figure out the melting point.
For other additives, you can use the turkish ice cream method with gum arabic and salep to give it more strength.
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