How to make a milkshake properly.

Updated on July 4, 2020

It's summer time and that means ice cream and ice cream means milkshakes. I have made thousands of them. And, if I say so myself, they are the best you can get.

You're not going to find a lot of 1/2 cup this, 2/3 cup that, in these instructions because -- making a milkshake ain't that difficult. A milkshake is milk and ice cream and sometimes some fruit. If you can't figure out the ice cream-to-milk ratio you probably ought to stay away from the blender. If it's too runny add some ice cream, if it's too thick add some milk. 

A good milkshake is the following:

• Whole Milk
• Real Ice cream (frozen hard)
• in a glass container (chilled)

Possible add-ins: fresh peaches, raspberries, strawberries, banana, real chocolate

That being said do this to get the best milkshake possible:

1. Always use glass for a milkshake. Always.
2. Put the milkshake glass in freezer first. It is summer time and that means that everything in the house is a little warmer than in the winter. Milkshakes need cold, so cool off the blender glass with water and ice cubes (if indeed you use a blender, I prefer them hand-stirred) and either keep a few glasses in the freezer or splash them with water and put them in the freezer a couple of minutes before you start.
3. Put ice cream in blender first. Pour whole milk on top and let it sit for a minute. I hope that I don't need to tell you that using 2% milk is not going to make this a diet drink, so please use whole milk. The ice cream crystallizes some of the milk and gives it a little different texture.
4. True chocolate milkshake lovers choose quality chocolate ice cream for their chocolate milkshakes. Grocery store chocolate syrup has little or no chocolate in it and has an artificial taste. No syrups allowed.
5. My preference is hand-stirred. The difference is in the final texture. Blenders produce an airier milkshake, hand blending, a more crystallized and inconsistent texture. Air bubbles on the top of your milkshake is a bad thing in my opinion.
6. No attempt should be made to trick up the milk shake. It is a simple pleasure. Keep it that way. No whipped cream, or worse, whipped cream with a maraschino cherry. Bad things happen to people who put maraschino cherry's on top of their milkshake.
7. In the summer I put an ice cube in the blender with the other ingredients. In the winter it is not necessary.
8. I do like to put a hard pretzel with the milkshake. The crunchy texture and salt are good contrasts.
9. A one-piece, heavy, ice cream scoop is a good investment. No moving parts but built for hard ice cream scooping. It may seem like no big deal but if you're making a lot of milkshakes a good scoop helps.The no-freeze metal keeps the ice cream from sticking to the scoop and the fact that it's one piece means it never breaks. The reason you need a scoop is because to get a good milkshake you need hard, that is frozen hard, ice cream and a normal tablespoon just doesn't have the mass to scoop hard ice cream easily. 
10. You can not get a good milkshake from soft ice cream. If your freezer does not make the ice cream hard enough so it takes some effort to scoop it you will not make good milkshakes.
11. If you are hand-stirring, and if you're just making one or two milk shakes I encourage you to try it, let the milk and ice cream sit for a minute in the glass and then it will be easier to stir. If you are using a blender, just pulsate it so that the milk and ice cream don't melt from the friction.

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My favorite milkshake is the following:

Chocolate Banana Milkshake:
* Chocolate ice cream. 3 big scoops in a big glass.
* Whole milk. 3/4 - 1 cup.
* Soft, ripe banana (preferably cold) or fruit of choice that goes with chocolate, like strawberries and raspberries. Frozen fruits are perfect for milkshakes.

Another good combination: if peaches are in season, use vanilla ice cream and fresh peaches. Not the yellow, custard-type vanilla, but the vanilla-bean type. That's one of my favorites. Make sure the peaches are cold when they go in the blender.
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Here's the ice cream scoop I use:

College of St. Thomas More: Congratulations.

I am a few days late on this but --- congratulations to all 10 College of St Thomas More graduates, and to the College for the largest gathering of founders, fellows, students, and friends in a College-owned building. The fact that the building was the new Christ the Teacher chapel is all the better. It was a great day for all of us connected with one of Fort Worth's finest institutions.

Graduates:
Clare B. Wilson, B. A., Summa Cum Laude, Post Falls, Idaho; Valedictorian
Brinton T. Smith, B. A., Summa Cum Laude, Fort Worth, Texas; Salutatorian
Jessica M. Adames, A. A., Sweetwater. Texas
Emily T. Lie, B. A., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Emiliana Chaparro-Ronderos, B. A., Sao Paulo, Brazil
Zuriel M. Bertch, B. A., Cum Laude, Fort Worth, Texas
John W. Heitzenrater II, B. A., Magna Cum Laude, Columbus, Ohio
Bradley R. Hoff, B. A., Huntsville, Texas
Jason J. McAlister, B. A., Dallas, Texas
Nyle P. Reams, B. A., Tyler, Texas

Shula's Grill 347. Thursday Night Jazz.

Guest Post by Rebecca

Tomorrow night launches the first "Thursday Night Live Jazz" at Shula's 347 Grill. Shula's Grill is in the newly renovated Sheraton just north of I30 downtown (formerly, the Ramada). "Newly renovated" understates the actual cost of renovation which was $50 million. It is now a very attractive hotel and restaurant.

I had lunch yesterday at Shula's 347 and walked through the hotel as well. As a restaurant, I would put Shula's in the Charleston's category. Casual atmosphere, quality food. Steaks, seafood, salads, sandwiches. We had the grilled shrimp as an appetizer and it was delicious -- and the shrimp were jumbo as advertised. It is reasonably priced for the "casual dining" category. I liked it a lot.

The Thursday Night Jazz is a new event for the restaurant and something they seemed very excited about. The Freddie Jones Jazz Band will perform for the first three weeks. Food and drink specials will be offered and there is no cover charge.

One final Suggestion. If you arrive before 6:30 take a walk through the renovated Water Gardens. It is worth a visit.

But definitely consider the Jazz night at Shula's.

Other musical groups in the initial line up alternating with Freddie Jones include:

• Adonis Rose Quintet
• Texas Gypsies
• Breggett Rideau
• Rachella Parks.

For more information on Shula's. http://www.donshula.com

(They tell me there is Trolley service from Downtown South to Sundance Square. If you have used it, please let me know how it is.)

Fort Worth Blogs . . . New and Retiring.

I read most of the Fort Worth blogs. Actually, I read every local weblog that has anything thoughtful to say, and which has a lower than 5% f-word-to-whole-word ratio.

We have some good ones and have recently lost one of our better ones, that being, West and Clear. West and Clear and Fortworthology work together and have been the best two on Fort Worth news, especially commercial development.

Others locally written blogs that I read, include:

Caravan of Dreams: has frequent comments on the local and Texas-wide music scene. Also, read his blog profile. It is the best I have read.

The Ravelled Sleave: features good writing in the context of a passion for knitting.

Thoughts to blog: Jake is a programmer for drop.io and knows more of what is going on in technology, Web 2.0, Ruby programming, and just about anything web related than any one I know. Plus, he posts restaurant reviews here, on Food & Fort Worth.

Words and Phrases: a new discovery for me written by a Fort Worth blogger and intended for the more contemplative reader.

The Whited Sepulchre: Also, good writing and enjoyable to read from a very bright guy with whom I almost agree. For the libertarian and general political rabble rouser in all of us.

The WickeDeli: The Wicke's are starting a Deli that I hope is downtown somewhere. Their blog keeps you up-to-date on the progress.

Fort Worth Hole in the Wall. Good reviews of local restaurants.

DFW.com: Lots of good information. Doesn't have the personality of a single-writer blog but the information is there and helpful.

That's not all of the Fort Worth blogs I read but it is a few I haven't mentioned in a while.

On Hiatus: Long Horn Lucy, Little Lizzie, and Cowtown and Coolage.

A Better Egg McMuffin?

I have not one shred of evidence to prove the belief that: happier chickens produce better, tastier and healthier eggs.

But if McDonald's follows through with the proposed study to see how egg suppliers can give the chickens a better life we may all find out. The study's actual purpose if to see if producers can maintain production in a cage-free environment. A secondary consequence will be better eggs, I believe, and I'm all for it.

By the way, the average space that an egg producing chicken gets is 70 square inches.

How many eggs does McDonald's use per day?
1. 80,000
2. 220,000
3. 520,000

The full report: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business