The Sorbetière Method, an explanation

So, that name may have confused you, but this is the old fashioned way of preparing ice cream.  A sorbetière is a covered pail with a cranking handle attached to the lid.  A type of sorbetière is pictured below:

This is also known as a pot freezer.  One placed salt and ice in the outside container.  The ingredients are put in the inside contain and get agitated, or churned, by turning the crank.  This is the same principle employed when using the coffee cans or Ziploc® bags method of making ice cream.  This is also very similar to the modern ice cream machine method.  The liner is either stored in the freezer or the machine contains a refrigeration unit.  Think of it as a double cooler instead of a double boiler.

Now, before anybody thought of attaching a crank to the bucket, the mixing was done by hand.  The by-hand method is the way I will be performing my tests.  To make sure I will be performing the technique correctly, I will first attempt to make ice cream this way before moving on to ice milk.

As always, I welcome your comments.  Click on the Comment link below; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.