When to discard a can of worms?

There was no problem with the ice cream storage; I'm using a smaller version of the containers you described, Mr. Beagles. The icy texture was caused by the addition of too much milk and maybe I should have cooked the mixture again; emulsions are tricky.

Your six cup batch is twice the batch size I've been using so I'm not sure how much cornstarch will be necessary.  Heating the dairy mixture is required, and the mixture bulks up and thickens with the addition of the cornstarch.  These recipes will help:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/vanilla-bean-ice-cream
http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/mark-bittman/cornstarch-ice-cream.html

My production process is a little clumsy in that I'm lacking proper mixing bowls.  I can make do, but additional bowls will make things much easier.

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"At last a discussion on the issue."

And what is the issue, exactly?  There has been a lot of yammering about many things, none of which can be resolved with complete certainty.  The metaphorical bum may or may not benefit from a freely given donation, but it is pointless to say one kind of motive is better than another unless you are trying to establish a position of moral or ethical superiority.  And if you are trying to gain points are you actually being superior?  That's a rhetorical question; I'm not judging.

Altruism, a characteristic found in many creatures besides human beings, may be a precursor to our notions of ethics, morality, religion, blah, blah, blah.  Just thought I'd bring that idea up.  It may mean nothing.

We have a firmly established framework of ethics and morality in our society, and, except for the times when it is ignored or poorly implemented, it is sound.  Does it really matter from whence or how it originated?

Acts of goodness are usually self-evident, but Mr. Beagles is correct when he points out the possibilities of unintended consequences.  We may never know the ultimate results of any of our actions, whether good or bad.  What is good/bad today for the few may be bad/good for the many in the future.  Consider the case of Henry Tandey, the British soldier in WW1 who, in an act of compassion, refused to kill a wounded enemy soldier and allowed him to escape.  Maybe it is a myth, but many millions would have been spared had Pvt. Tandey killed the guy, a watercolor artist of questionable talent.  You can look him up.