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Lemon Ice

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

15 minutes, plus 4 hours freezing

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes generous 4 cups)

Lemon Ice

Ingredients

2¼ cups water, preferably spring water1 cup lemon juice (6 lemons)1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar 2 tablespoons vodka (optional)⅛ teaspoon table salt

Before You Begin

If your tap water has off flavors, filter it, if possible, before use in this recipe. Better still, use bottled water; tasters preferred lemon ice made with spring or mineral water. The addition of vodka yields the best texture, but it can be omitted if desired. Because freezers differ in temperature, a wide range of freezing times is given in the recipe. Lemon ice does not keep well; it's best served within an hour of being ready. If making it in advance is crucial, try the food processor method (see below); the ice cubes can be frozen for up to 5 days and can be processed--which takes no more than a couple of minutes--whenever you're ready. Leftovers, if you have any, can be brought back to life by breaking the mass into large chunks and pulsing the chunks in a food processor.

Instructions

  1.  Whisk all ingredients together in bowl until sugar has dissolved. Pour mixture into 2 ice cube trays and freeze until solid, at least 3 hours or up to 5 days.
  2.  Place medium bowl in freezer. Pulse half of ice cubes in food processor until creamy and no large lumps remain, about 18 pulses. Transfer mixture to chilled bowl and return to freezer. Repeat pulsing remaining cubes; transfer to bowl. Serve immediately.
Lemon Ice
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Sally Staub.

Lemon Ice

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

15 minutes, plus 4 hours freezing

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 (Makes generous 4 cups)

Ingredients

2¼ cups water, preferably spring water
1 cup lemon juice (6 lemons)
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons vodka (optional)
⅛ teaspoon table salt

Ingredients

2¼ cups water, preferably spring water
1 cup lemon juice (6 lemons)
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons vodka (optional)
⅛ teaspoon table salt

Ingredients

2¼ cups water, preferably spring water
1 cup lemon juice (6 lemons)
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons vodka (optional)
⅛ teaspoon table salt

Why This Recipe Works

For the best lemon ice recipe, we used bottled water to get the purest flavor and a bit of vodka for a soft, creamy, slightly slushy texture. A pinch of salt boosted flavor. Our lemon ice recipe can be processed in one of three ways: with an ice cream machine, a food processor, or the traditional stirring method.

Before You Begin

If your tap water has off flavors, filter it, if possible, before use in this recipe. Better still, use bottled water; tasters preferred lemon ice made with spring or mineral water. The addition of vodka yields the best texture, but it can be omitted if desired. Because freezers differ in temperature, a wide range of freezing times is given in the recipe. Lemon ice does not keep well; it's best served within an hour of being ready. If making it in advance is crucial, try the food processor method (see below); the ice cubes can be frozen for up to 5 days and can be processed--which takes no more than a couple of minutes--whenever you're ready. Leftovers, if you have any, can be brought back to life by breaking the mass into large chunks and pulsing the chunks in a food processor.

Instructions

  1.  Whisk all ingredients together in bowl until sugar has dissolved. Pour mixture into 2 ice cube trays and freeze until solid, at least 3 hours or up to 5 days.
  2.  Place medium bowl in freezer. Pulse half of ice cubes in food processor until creamy and no large lumps remain, about 18 pulses. Transfer mixture to chilled bowl and return to freezer. Repeat pulsing remaining cubes; transfer to bowl. Serve immediately.

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