Which Ice Cream maker did you get? While I am a Tillamook Evangelist, I bow at the feet of homemade.
for cost and space effectiveness, we opted for the kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment.
i can't imagine how it wouldn't be as good as my mom's standalone ice cream maker. haven't had the opportunity to make ice cream yet though, so we will see.
as with most of my cooking, i look to alton brown recipes and adapt to my preferences where applicable. I plan to use his homemade vanilla recipe replete with tempered egg yolks. also, i don't do lactose very well anymore. so, thank god they've figured out how to make real whole milk and creams lactose free. i also plan to experiment with stevia over real sugar.