What to do with a frozen solid custard

Sometimes I tend to forget and sometimes I just get plain lazy.

And one consequence is that the ice cream custard that has been left in the freezer for too long (usually overnight) becomes frozen rock solid. So what now?

For Already Been Churned ice cream custard:
Well, if the frozen ice cream custard has already been hand-churned at least twice, it should be of pretty decent texture. Simply leave the frozen custard in the chiller or fridge section for about 10 to 15 minutes and it will soften enough to scoop and serve.

For Never Been Churned ice cream custard:
Alternatively, let it chill for about 30 minutes or so and when the texture is soft enough, start whisking by hand again. Proceed to hand-churn and freeze normally until firm but soft enough to scoop and serve.

Do note that large ice crystals might have already formed in a frozen custard that has NOT been hand-churned at all. To reduce the ice crystals from big and flaky bits to less perceptible ones, it is advisable to allow the frozen custard to melt considerably, so that any icy bits will be melted down as well, and proceed to churn the custard by hand normally and leave to freeze firm.

Conclusion:
But if you aren't the particularly picky type, I guess a frozen custard texture can still taste pretty good.

Any recommended tubs or containers to store homemade ice cream?

You might want to use any tub or container that is sturdy enough to hold frozen ice cream.

That means any material that will not chip or break at -15 degrees Celsius temperature. Used ice cream tubs that were made to hold supermarket-bought ice cream are an option or you can invest in a stainless steel container or failsafe Tupperware. (Head to Daiso for $2 tubs of varying sizes and shapes!)

Generally, try to get anything that fits your freezer for convenient storage. The last thing you might want in your freezer is a 1.5-litre tub holding 200ml of homemade ice cream.

Always keep things nimble and flexible because freezer storage is always an issue with homemade ice cream as it can be quite impossible to remove frozen produce just to store ice cream that is sitting in stainless steel freezing bowls or plastic containers.

Are there any problems with freezing ice cream if my freezer is too cold?

Yes and no.

If you are hand-churning ice cream that is setting in a very cold freezer, you might realise that ice cream that becomes firm very fast tends to form larger ice crystals compared to ice cream that sets firm over a longer period of time where finer ice crystals are formed.

But a cold freezer has its advantages too: Try hand churning the completed ice cream custard every 20 minutes or so (instead of waiting for 30 to 45 minutes) to solve the problem of iciness. This will help to break up the ice crystals. Shorter intervals would also mean that your ice cream can be churned and allowed to set firmly much faster.

If ice cream becomes too hard to scoop, try leaving it in the chiller for 10 to 15 minutes prior to serving. Ice cream should soften and be scoopable.