Summer Wishlist- Ice Cream Edition

My littlest guy is sick today, so while I'll be doing lots of snuggling on the couch and watching Ninjago (Lego Ninjas for those of you without Lego obsessed children) I won't be doing much in the kitchen. Chicken soup is in the slow cooker and there is plenty of homemade ice cream in the freezer so we are all set on sick day essentials. 

While I'm waiting to get back in the kitchen I thought I would share some fun kitchen tools for the dog days of summer. July is National Ice Cream Month after all! Gotta be prepared! 

Do you have any of these? What are you summer must-haves for the kitchen? 

Zoku Popsicle Maker

I have had my eye on this for a while! I try not to buy too many single use appliances that we have to move constantly (ahem, pasta maker that has never been used) but I think we would get a lot of use out of this. It works like an ice cream maker- you keep part of the base in the freezer and pop it into the machine only when you're ready to make the pops. Now that summer is here I've been hearing a lot of good reviews. Just think of the tantrums that could be avoided by producing a popsicle for everyone in less than 10 minutes!

            Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones                                                The Perfect Scoop

These are two of the best ice cream cookbooks out there. The recipes range in difficulty level but there are beginner recipes in each one. Everything from basic vanilla to black current tea ice cream or peach leaf. Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones even has cone, cake and topping recipes. 

Norpro Scoop Set

The scoops in this set get solid reviews on Amazon and elsewhere. I've had a few cheap cookie scoops fall apart on me but these claim they can stand up to dough, ice cream or batter with no problems. I like that there are a range of sizes, so I could use them to get consistent sizing on cookies, cupcakes and ice cream. 

Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker

This is the new version of the ice cream maker I have which is 10 years old. (Yikes!) I don't feel any need to get a new one, but if something happened to it I would probably just get this again. It's simple to use and only has a few parts to wash. It's not as pricy as many of the ones out there so it's a good one to try if you're just getting started. 

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

This ice cream shop has expanded from its original Ohio location to more shops and home delivery. (She also has a best selling ice cream cookbook, but I haven't had a chance to play with it yet!) I really want to try some of her flavors at home- Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet or the Milkiest Chocolate in the World? Yes please. 

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