what kind of cream cheese is used in this recipe?

Question

should we use Philly cream cheese, or is any kind okay?

HalfPint · Answer

Any brand of cream cheese should be fine. I think the reason the cream cheese is added is for the casein which is a protein found in milk products.  The casein is there for texture and consistency. I'm guessing that this recipe is loosely based on Jeni Britton Bauer's method for making ice cream that is creamy and easy to scoop, straight from the freezer. Her method allows you to create a good ice cream at home without out the need for commercial emulsifiers and stabilizers.

milkette · Answer

ohh ok! thank you for your help!

702551 · Answer

This isn't ice cream made in the traditional manner with a cooked custard.

Remember that all four of the dairy ingredients are available in different fat contents depending on what you buy.

Again the recipe author isn't specific (like heavy cream 38% fat) so one can assume that ordinary supermarket ingredients will yield a satisfactory result for the average home cook.

Read the reviews. I scanned through them quickly and I didn't see the cream cheese as being an issue for anyone nor was there any real discussion about fat content.

The biggest takeaway is to use high quality ricotta (the recipe author stresses this point) which again goes back to my original reply about good dairy ingredients.

milkette · Answer

milkettemilketteSeptember 12, 2022I would choose a better quality version if it was a product where the better quality one had the same moisture and fat content, like butter, but it seems like Philly and other types of cream cheese have a totally different consistency and texture, and I know how precise you need to be with ice cream. That's why I was hoping to find out what people who made the recipe successfully used

milkette · Answer

I would choose a better quality version if it was a product where the better quality one had the same moisture and fat content, like butter, but it seems like Philly and other types of cream cheese have a totally different consistency and texture, and I know how precise you need to be with ice cream.

702551 · Answer

When a recipe lacks specificity in an ingredient's description, it's generally pretty safe to use what is commonly available in a supermarket.

That said, ice cream is heavily dependent on ingredient quality. If you use better quality dairy products, you should expect better quality results.

Whether you decide to put in an extra effort/budget to source better quality ingredients is totally up to you. Just don't expect miracles from big box store products. Their dairy was sourced from cows that were bred and raised to yield the maximum quantity of milk, not for quality or flavor.

Best of luck.

what kind of cream cheese is used in this recipe?

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