Do you scream for ice cream?  Well, here at Shoestring, we're dreaming about homemade, DIY ice cream this summer. Have a scoop of frugal fun with these expert ice cream essentials, straight from the cream of the crop.

Making ice cream at home is a labor of love and a culinary adventure that inspired some of our best-known ice cream and dessert gurus to greatness.  What hooked them for life were the social to-do, tastes, and legendary sensations stirred-up by the ice cream making experience itself.

As a child, Steve Herrell, founder of Steve's Ice Cream and Herrell's ice cream parlors [1], made ice cream with family, taking turns hand-cranking the ice cream maker.  Rumor had it the best ice cream was the stuff you could lick off the dasher the second it was pulled from the container.

David Lebovitz, former pastry chef at the famed Chez Panisse, Paris-based culinary educator, award-winning blogger [2]and author of The Perfect Scoop [3], once scooped massive quantities of ice cream for long lines of customers at an especially "insane" summer job. His favorite memory is of the walk-in freezer where he would experience a kind of frozen nirvana.

These Zen moments and the call of creativity were the driving forces for many a famous ice cream maker. Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream [4] was first served from a renovated gas station...and on a shoestring, no less, confirms Sean Greenwood, the brand's "Grand Spokes-Poobah."

Though it's possible to start a world-famous ice cream brand on a budget, making ice cream at home may cost you as much as $70 when it's all said and done, according to Lisa McManus, senior editor at America's Test Kitchen [5]. McManus whole-heartedly believes that some experiences are priceless, however, and that by budgeting wisely and you can still indulge in homemade ice cream.

How? First, by understanding the four basic components of making heavenly ice cream: taste, texture, technique, and tools. Four T's, that's all. Here's the scoop, compiled with help from our experts: Steve Herrell, David Lebovitz, Lisa McManus, and Sean Greenwood of Ben & Jerry's.

TASTE
Delicious ice cream starts with the basic building blocks of great taste. Here are a few tips, tricks, and ingredients to keep in mind:

Fat Content: Butterfat content makes great ice cream. Use a combination of whole milk and heavy or light cream (not half and half), suggests ice cream entrepreneur Steve Herrell.  If you want a true ice cream taste, you need fat. Author David Lebovitz warns that if you want a low-fat result, make a low fat product such as sorbet or granita, but don't pretend (or wish) low fat products will yield a high fat result. They won't!

Chunks: Sean Greenwood of Ben & Jerry's advises starting with an ice cream base such as, vanilla, chocolate, or coffee, and then adding leftover cookies, brownies, cobbler, doughnuts — even fortune cookies (minus the fortune) — instead of starting from scratch. Be sure to first freeze the chunks, then chop and add to your recipe when you're ready to mix them into the ice cream.

Fruit: Most fruits have a high water content, which means they can derail your ice cream recipe, Herrell says.  For great fruity flavor, use a modest amount of fruit and add its extract, oil, or essence to boost the flavor. Herrell adds that bananas are a great choice for a lower water content fruit. Greenwood suggests using sweet potatoes (with a little paprika!)

Chocolate: Use high quality, unsweetened cocoa powder — it enhances flavor and doesn't add any water or artificial ingredients. Herrell notes that if you're tempted to use melted chocolate, don't. It adds fat and can alter the flavor and texture of your recipe. Chocolate is expensive, but it's okay to find a brand that fits your price comfort zone.  Lebovitz admits to using a $3 per pound cocoa powder and that he's had no complaints. (No need to spend upwards of $20 per pound!)

TEXTURE
You've nailed the flavor you want; now make sure the texture of your ice cream is spot-on. If it isn't, our experts agree you may wind up with a mouthful of yuck! Ever eat something that didn't have the texture you were expecting? 'Nuff said.

Creaminess: Herrell says that adding unflavored gelatin (bloomed), cornstarch, flour, or egg yolks (custard-like ice cream) can help your ice cream achieve that silky, creamy texture. But, don't over-churn your ice cream, Lebovitz advises, or it can become icy instead of smooth.

Mouth-Feel: Texture affects taste and how the ice cream feels in your mouth can have a huge impact on your enjoyment. Greenwood encourages you to experiment with chunks and other add-ins in a variety of sizes, composition, and temperature (frozen, room-temp, melted). If you're making mint ice cream, add different sources of mint (mint extract, Junior Mints, Peppermint Patties) to adjust flavor and texture.

Options: Greenwood, our texture aficionado, says you can gain even more appeal with crunchy, chewy, and swirled ingredients.  He suggests putting ice cream into a zip-top bag, cutting a small hole at the corner, and then swirling into a container.  Swirl two flavors together for more fun and complexity. Try ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, and peanut butter for swirled flavors, or try grinding frozen chunks in a food processor to create a crumbly texture.

Stabilizers: Lebovitz laments the fact that many DIY ice cream makers expect their homemade product to "feel" like store-bought ice cream. Most commercial ice creams contain stabilizers (such as food gums) that alter their texture. Homemade ice cream is different than store-bought, and it's supposed to be! So, either vive la difference or open the freezer case in aisle nine.

TECHNIQUE
Think you can just chuck everything into your ice cream maker? Nope.  A little care and finesse goes a long way towards perfect ice cream.

Don't rush: Churning your ice cream too quickly forces air into the mixture and results in an undesirable texture.  Herrell advises using a hand-crank ice cream maker, which is a slower process but adds less air, resulting in denser, heavier, yummier ice cream. Another advantage of using a hand-crank is that you can have your family and friends help: It's not called an "ice cream social" for nothing.

Read the directions: We know you're excited, but take it from culinary educator David Lebovitz; you must read the recipe and instructions before you begin. Understand what's involved in terms of time, ingredients, and cost. Lebovitz's book, The Perfect Scoop [3], contains a step-by-step photo tutorial that walks readers through the entire ice cream making process. (Check out two of our favorite ice cream recipes from his book in Recession-Friendly Recipes [6].)

Freeze it all: Keep your ice cream making devices (metal bowl, spatulas, chunks) in the freezer for several hours before you start. Greenwood says frozen ingredients and equipment prevent ice cream breakdown and improve consistency in the final result as the ice cream re-freezes.

Fresh is best: Bottom line for creating great ice cream according to all four of our experts: always use the freshest, highest-quality ingredients you can afford. If your budget is really tight, spend the money on the flavoring or ingredient that is most important to you, whether that's real vanilla beans or organic milk. Our experts are also adamant about this: don't sacrifice freshness, quality, taste, flavor, or the ice-cream-making experience for price. 

TOOLS
Last, but certainly not least, the piece de resistance: the ice cream maker. 

According to our equipment and testing expert, Lisa McManus from America's Test Kitchen, the models below get the job done well — and for less than $100. High-end ice cream makers cost much more, but don’t necessarily do more. You can purchase commercial grade ice cream makers to use at home, but it's overkill if you’re only going to make ice cream a few times a year.

Cuisinart ICE-20 [7] ($49, Amazon.com)

KitchenAid KICA0WH Ice Cream Maker Attachment [8] for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer ($72, Amazon.com)

McManus says you can indeed have your ice cream and eat it, too, by snapping up used equipment at yard sales and flea markets or on Craigslist.  If you find a used ice cream maker that's just missing a part, for instance, you can still get a great deal. Buy it and simply order the part online directly from the manufacturer.  She also suggests buying a used waffle or pizzelle iron, while you're at it, to make ice cream sandwiches with fresh waffles or pizzelles that complement your fresh ice cream. (Genius!)

So, what are our experts' favorites?

Steve Herrell's current fave is a creation he calls "Happy Couple," which he describes as a combo of Heath Bar and Reeses Peanut Butter cups "married in vanilla."

David Lebovitz finds raspberry frozen yogurt to be, "the height of decadence."

Cinnamon ice cream is Sean Greenwood's hands-down, at-home favorite, using a cinnamon-sugar mixture and swirling it into vanilla ice cream base.

And, Lisa McManus says there's nothing better than a pure and creamy, real vanilla ice cream. (Obviously a favored filling for her ice cream sandwiches!)

What are YOUR favorite homemade ice cream flavors, tips, techniques, and tools?