There is little that tastes better in the heat of the summer than a scoop of ice cold ice cream. Making homemade ice cream, although time-consuming, is a fun, easy way to make a delicious treat.

Step 1: Start with fresh, high-quality ingredients, and chill all of the ingredients in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before making ice cream. Chill the bowl or canister for making the ice cream in also.

Step 2: Follow any basic ice cream recipe and prepare the cream mixture.

Step 3: Place the mixture in a stainless steel bowl or in the ice cream maker canister. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Step 4: If you have an ice cream machine, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Assemble the machine and place the cream-filled canister into position. Pack the outside of the canister with ice and allow the machine to mix the cream for 2 minutes.

Step 5: Continue mixing and pour 1 cup of rock salt onto the ice in the outer bucket. Continue to add ice, pouring on rock salt each time. Keep a ratio of 5 cups ice per 1 cup rock salt as you go.

Step 6: If you do not have an ice cream maker, prepare an ice bath for the cream filled bowl by filling a larger container with ice. Place the cream-filled bowl into the ice and pour rock salt over the top of the ice, keeping a 5:1 ice to salt ratio.

Step 7: Mix the cream mixture for several minutes and then return it to the freezer for 45 minutes. Remove and repeat process until ice cream is firm. This usually takes 2 to 3 hours.

Step 8: Once the cream mixture is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream, properly harden it by tightly sealing the bowl or canister and packing the outside of the canister, including the top, with ice.

Step 9: Sprinkle the ice with rock salt, keeping the 5:1 ratio in mind. Place a heavy towel over the bucket, ice and bowl assembly and let the ice cream harden.

Claims have been made that properly hardened ice cream stored in a freezer will stay fresh for up to a month, but considering how delicious homemade ice cream is, you will be hard-pressed to find anyone who has actually tested that theory.