Thomas Jefferson was a true renaissance man. He was not only a politician, but also a diplomat, a farmer, a musician, a scholar, and an architect. But most people don’t know that he was also an influential designer.

His biggest invention contribution is likely the revolving Windsor armchair. We know it today as simply the “swivel chair.”

Although Jefferson’s original chair was constructed by someone else, he modified it by placing an iron spindle between the top and bottom half, which allowed the chair to rotate on casters borrowed from rope-hung windows. He used the chair while writing the Declaration of Independence.

Although he’s often credited with doing so, one thing Jefferson did not invent was ice cream. He did, however, help import it to the United States.

Jefferson discovered the frozen treat while he was a diplomat in France. He became hooked and when he sailed back to America, he brought with him molds and utensils designed especially for ice-cream making.

As president, he subsequently served ice cream regularly at the White House, which helped popularize the frozen confection among the American masses.

Jefferson even left behind a handwritten ice cream recipe—six egg yolks, half a pound of sugar, two bottles of cream, and one vanilla bean—which is the first known ice cream recipe recorded by an American.

Jefferson’s Ice Cream Recipe

2 bottles of good cream.
6 yolks of eggs.
1/2 lb. sugar

mix the yolks & sugar
put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla.
when near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar.
stir it well.

put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent it’s sticking to the casserole.
when near boiling take it off and strain it thro’ a towel.

put it in the Sabottiere
then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt.
put salt on the coverlid of the Sabottiere & cover the whole with ice.

leave it still half a quarter of an hour.
then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes
open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabottiere.
shut it & replace it in the ice
open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides
when well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula.
put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee.
then put the mould into the same bucket of ice.

leave it there to the moment of serving it.
to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate.

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