Celebrate Ice Cream Month!!!

 

Making Homemade Ice Cream Using Raw Eggs

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. He recognized ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by a full 90% of the nation's population.

If you are planning to celebrate ice cream month with a batch of your favorite homemade ice cream it is important to take the necessary precautions to protect yourself from the danger of possible Salmonella infection by using a homemade ice cream recipe made with a cooked egg base, made without eggs or made with commercial PASTEURIZED egg substitutes. Egg mixtures used in making cooked bases for ice cream are safe if they reach 160 degrees F when tested with a thermometer. At this temperature, the mixture should coat a metal spoon.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration you can still enjoy homemade ice cream without the risk of Salmonella infection by substituting a pasteurized egg substitute, or pasteurized shell eggs for the raw eggs in your favorite recipe. Egg substitutes, which may be liquid or frozen, contain only the white of the egg, the part that doesn't have fat and cholesterol, and are readily available at most supermarkets. These eggs look and taste just like regular shell eggs, though the white may be slightly cloudy, and they are nutritionally equivalent to their unpasteurized counterparts.

Even when using pasteurized products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) advise consumers to start with a cooked base for optimal safety, especially if serving people at high risk. Additionally, you should ensure that the dairy ingredients you use in homemade ice cream, such as milk and cream, are pasteurized.

If you are watching your weight and have put ice cream on your “don’t eat” list, think again! Instead of a big dish of ice cream topped by a handful of strawberries, enjoy a bowl of fruit topped with a small scoop (1/2 cup) of ice cream. One cup of strawberries provides about 50 calories and a generous amount of fiber, folate, potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants. A half cup of light ice cream adds about 100 calories, as well as calcium. With a total of around 150 calories for the fruit plus ice cream, your taste buds and your waistline can be happy.

For more information on preparing homemade ice cream, contact the Extension office at 940/627-3341.