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Quite often, people can be discouraged from making their own ice cream as it can seem quite a daunting task – but it’s actually much more straightforward than you might think! To achieve the best results, you’ll need an ice cream machine. It can be done manually, but you’ll need plenty of time and patience!

In places like Hong Kong, the need for better living conditions in small homes is great. Where in many places the drive to have a small apartment in a city is a want, there are a lot of places in the world where this same situation is an absolute must.

Why spend the extra money on fancy ice at home? Quari cubes and spheres are startlingly clear, which adds aesthetic appeal to home mixed cocktails. That glassy sparkle also represents purity — the Sullivans’ water is purified through five layers of filtration in Quari’s Fulton Street production facility, and then continues through a process of reverse osmosis and ultraviolet light treatment to purify even further. “We remove impurities on a molecular level,” says Neil Sullivan, “because they weaken the bonds of the ice.” That leads to the next benefit — long-lasting, slow-melting ice that keeps drinks colder longer, without diluting your expensive whiskey or your carefully calibrated paloma.

This isn’t the most high-tech gift in the world, but with a little creativity, this silicone Death Star mold can go a long way. Most commonly used for superweapon-shaped ice cubes, the mold can also be filled with chocolate, cake, or ice cream for a truly delicious indulgence. If you’re feeling confident in the kitchen, try a hard chocolate outer shell with a fudge or peanut butter center.

2. Fill the large bag or container with the ice and kosher or rock salt. Nestle the sealed smaller bag in the ice, making sure it’s surrounded on all sides by ice and salt, and tightly seal the larger container. Vigorously shake for fifteen to twenty minutes, until the ice cream mixture thickens to a soft-serve texture. (The outer container will quickly become extremely cold to the touch; wear gloves, or trade off shaking duties with a friend.) If the ice cream is not yet thick enough, shake longer. To serve, open the outer and inner containers, and scoop the ice cream out.

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and businesses of New Yorkers. In this installment, we’re touring the new ice cream factory of Stickbulb, a sustainable light fixture company. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch!

Panettone has long been a tradition in many Italian and Italian-American homes at Christmastime, but its popularity, in Italy and the U.S., has grown in recent years, as more and more bread bakers and pastry chefs have sought to perfect its delicate texture and high rise. “A panettone is the apotheosis of natural leavening,” writes baker and author Jim Lahey, who includes a recipe for panettone in his book “The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook.”

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Mom’s panettone was not what you would consider professional quality; it had a tight crumb and a texture that, though tender, verged on dense. It lacked the airiness of those store-bought ones in decorative boxes tied with silky bows. Still, it was delicious — sweet and yeasty and perfumed with citrus and vanilla. I especially liked it toasted (the perfectly round slices fit nicely in the toaster slots) and spread with lots of butter.

“It is the diva bread,” says Greg Wade, head baker at Publican Quality Bread in Chicago’s Fulton Market. He is referring not only to panettone’s popularity, but also to how difficult it is to nail the formula for the dough in order to achieve the bread’s proper height and gossamer texture.

To ensure everything keeps operating smoothly, consider these tips for cleaning and maintaining your ice maker.

My Italian mother made panettone every year for Christmas. It was a production, to be sure, involving an enormous mass of fruit-studded dough, plus lots of elbow grease, two days of rising and about half a dozen coffee cans — the vessels in which she baked the tall, sweet holiday bread.