What Miso Should I Use For The No-Churn Miso Ice Cream?

Our answer

Nigella's No-Churn White Miso Ice Cream (from SIMPLY NIGELLA) is made from a combination of sweetened condensed milk, cream and sweet white miso. Miso is made from rice, barley and soybeans and is fermented by adding a starter, called a koji. It comes in three main forms, white, yellow and red. The colour of the miso depends on the combination of ingredients used and the length of time that the miso ferments for.

White miso, also known as sweet miso or shiro miso, is made with a higher proportion of rice and has a short fermenting time. It is usually milder and should be less salty than other misos. There is a variation in salt content between brands and desired salt level can be an issue of personal taste. Unfortunately we can't recommend one particular brand, but if the salt level is important to you then we would suggest that when you buy white miso you look at the ingredients label and the salt content in the nutritional infomation box to help to guide your choice. If salt appears in the ingredients list then the miso will automatically be higher in salt as extra salt would have been added as the miso fermented, to help preserve the miso. If salt doesn't appear in the ingredients list then the miso should have a lower salt level and the nutritional information box will give more detail. Some white misos may also be sold as "low sodium" varieties, so you can look out for these, and we understand that white misos labelled as "Kyoto style" tend to be sweeter and milder.