The 2 Secret Ingredients For The Best Homemade Ice Cream (No Matter The Flavor)

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Whether you're making a simple no-churn ice cream with just three ingredients or whipping something more complex up in your stand mixer, according to Tyler Malek, co-founder of Salt & Straw and head of innovation, there's one ingredient that's guaranteed to give your homemade ice cream the best flavor. "We prefer to use high quality double fold vanilla extract paired with vanilla bean powder," Malek told Food Republic in an exclusive interview. "Vanilla bean pastes are usually just one varietal of vanilla — our approach eliminates the gums and sugars in vanilla bean paste and gives us more control to achieve the exact vanilla flavor we're looking for."

You may already be familiar with the difference between vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste, but what about single fold versus double fold extract? Fortunately, it's exactly what it sounds like: twice the amount of vanilla beans necessary to create pure vanilla extract are used when crafting it. The result is an extract with more vanilla flavor and sweetness than its single fold counterpart. Vanilla bean powder, made simply from ground vanilla beans, is easier to disperse in a recipe than other forms of vanilla and incorporates the entire bean. Using the two in tandem infuses plenty of warm flavor into the ice cream, which can either boost and round out other flavors or simply create a richly flavored vanilla version.

While Tyler Malek prefers the mixture of double fold vanilla extract and vanilla bean powder, if what you have on hand is vanilla bean paste, he says you can use that, too. Since vanilla bean paste can be substituted in equal amounts for vanilla extract, it's an easy swap in your go-to ice cream recipe — but Malek suggests using your palate as your guide. "Vanilla bean paste has a slightly more intense flavor because of the ground vanilla pods, but there's really no hard and fast rule to how much you should add," he said. "The beautiful thing about ice cream base is that you can taste as you go — so season to taste!"

If you're trying to create a unique flavor profile, you can also look to your home bar for a boost. Try replacing some of the vanilla extract with cocktail bitters. Popular brands like Angostura or Peychaud's will work, but you can experiment with flavored varieties, too. And while you're already at your bar cart, try reaching for your favorite liquor or liqueur to give your homemade ice cream the softest texture.