How to Freeze Desserts
The prejudice of thinking a frozen dessert difficult to prepare has long since been overcome. With ice cream freezer, burlap bag, wooden mallet or axe, small saucepan, sufficient ice and coarse rock salt, the process neither takes much time nor patience. Snow may be used instead of ice; if not readily acted on by salt, pour in one cup cold water. Crush ice finely by placing in bag and giving a few blows with mallet or broad side of axe; if there are any coarse pieces, remove them. Place can containing mixture to be frozen in wooden tub, cover, and adjust top. Turn crank to make sure can fits in socket. Allow three level measures ice to one of salt, and repeat until ice and salt come to top of can, packing solidly, using handle of mallet to force it down. If only small quantity is to be frozen, the ice and salt need come only a little higher in the tub than mixture to be frozen. These are found the best proportions of ice and salt to insure smooth, fine-grained cream, sherbet, or water ice, while equal parts of salt and ice are used for freezing frappé. If a larger proportion of salt is used, mixture will freeze in shorter time and be of granular consistency, which is desirable only for frappé.
The mixture increases in bulk during freezing, so the can should never be more than three-fourths filled; by overcrowding can, cream will be made coarse-grained. Turn the crank slowly and steadily to expose as large surface of mixture as possible to ice and salt. After frozen to a mush, the crank may be turned more rapidly, adding more ice and salt if needed; never draw off salt water until mixture is frozen, unless there is possibility of its getting into the can, for salt water is what effects freezing; until ice melts, no change will take place. After freezing is accomplished, draw off water, remove dasher, and with spoon pack solidly. Put cork in opening of cover, then put on cover. Re-pack freezer, using four measures ice to one of salt. Place over top newspapers or piece of carpet; when serving time comes, remove can, wipe carefully, and place in vessel of cool water; let stand one minute, remove cover, and run a knife around
