SUMMERTIME IS HOMEMADE ICE CREAM TIME

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THE HARD PART...AND THE REWARD

After you've been turning the handle for a few minutes, the cream will begin to harden ... and the task of cranking will, from then on, get progressively more difficult. It's a good idea-as you tire of the job-to send in the "relief shift" and put a new set of muscles to work. And-since the bucket will tend to "walk" as the dasher encounters more resistance-it might also be helpful to have a second person hold the tub (or even sit on top of the gear mechanism) to help stabilize the freezer.

The crank should become virtually impossible to turn after about 18 to 20 min utes ... and that means your summertime treat is finally ready! Remove the gear and handle piece, wipe off the lid, and open the can. If you've added the right amounts of ice and salt while continually turning the handle at a steady tempo, you should find a creamy, smooth confection just waiting to be consumed!

Remove the dasher and hand it over to the crankers (it's traditional to offer that piece to the hard workers, since it reportedly holds the tastiest part of the frozen delight). Then pack down the rest of the ice cream with a long-handled spoon and dish it out to your hungry crowd!

PRESERVING THE PRODUCT

It's doubtful that any of the tasty dessert will be left over after the first round or two of servings, but if you should happen to have a bit of ice cream remaining (or if you want to further harden the whole batch before dishing it up), you can easily "cure" the soft food for several hours. To do so, simply cover the treat (in the metal container) with foil or plastic wrap, replace the top on the can, and tightly plug the hole in the lid's center with a cork. After you've drained off any remaining brine solution through the tub's side hole, repack the freezer with new layers of ice and salt (using a bit more rock salt per volume of ice than you did during the freezing process). Finally, wrap the tub in a heavy towel or burlap bag, and set it away in a cool place until serving time.

You can also preserve the homemade dessert for an even longer period of time. If you're using a unit whose inner can is small enough to fit into a refrigerator's freezing compartment, just place the can in your kitchen freezer for three hours. Then transfer the hardened ice cream to plastic containers for long-term cold storage . . . where it should keep for as long as a month.

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