A method for making ice cream, comprising a step of preparing a machine for mixing and cooling ice cream and equipped with: - a processing container provided with walls, defining a processing chamber and provided with a stirrer rotating inside the processing chamber; - a thermal treatment system, configured to be activated, selectively and alternatively, in heating or cooling mode, for heating and cooling the processing chamber, respectively, the thermal treatment system being a system operating according to a thermodynamic cycle and comprising a circulation circuit provided with an operating fluid, and is configured, when activated in heating mode, to perform a hot gas thermal cycle, wherein the circuit for circulation of the operating fluid comprises a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a throttling valve, operating according to a thermodynamic cycle, and wherein the fluid circulation circuit further comprises a valve for inverting the thermodynamic cycle and adjustable between a first configuration, in which the first heat exchanger acts as an evaporator and the second heat exchanger acts as a condenser, and a second configuration, in which the first heat exchanger acts as a condenser and the second heat exchanger acts as an evaporator; the method being characterized in that it also comprises the following steps, carried out in the following order: - heating the walls of the processing container to a preset preheating temperatu re; - placing a basic ice cream mixture inside the processing chamber; - deactivating any infectious agents which may be present in the basic mixture by activating the thermal treatment system in heating mode for a predetermined time in order to pasteurize the basic mixture inside the processing chamber; - keeping the basic mixture, previously subjected to the thermal treatment inside the processing chamber, for a predetermined hold time; - activating the thermal treatment system in cooling mode to cool the basic mixture and, at the same time, activating the rotary stirrer in rotation, so as to allow incorporating air into the basic mixture to make an ice cream type product in the processing chamber; - extracting at least one portion of the ice cream type product from the processing chamber, wherein the step of activating the thermal treatment system in cooling mode comprises a step of setting the valve for inverting the thermodynamic cycle to the first configuration and the step of activating the thermal treatment system in heating mode comprises a step of setting the valve for inverting the thermodynamic cycle to the second configuration. - a processing container provided with walls, defining a processing chamber and provided with a stirrer rotating inside the processing chamber; - a thermal treatment system, configured to be activated, selectively and alternatively, in heating or cooling mode, for heating and cooling the processing chamber, respectively, the thermal treatment system being a system operating according to a thermodynamic cycle and comprising a circulation circuit provided with an operating fluid, and is configured, when activated in heating mode, to perform a hot gas thermal cycle, wherein the circuit for circulation of the operating fluid comprises a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a throttling valve, operating according to a thermodynamic cycle, and wherein the fluid circulation circuit further comprises a valve for inverting the thermodynamic cycle and adjustable between a first configuration, in which the first heat exchanger acts as an evaporator and the second heat exchanger acts as a condenser, and a second configuration, in which the first heat exchanger acts as a condenser and the second heat exchanger acts as an evaporator; - heating the walls of the processing container to a preset preheating temperatu re; - placing a basic ice cream mixture inside the processing chamber; - deactivating any infectious agents which may be present in the basic mixture by activating the thermal treatment system in heating mode for a predetermined time in order to pasteurize the basic mixture inside the processing chamber; - keeping the basic mixture, previously subjected to the thermal treatment inside the processing chamber, for a predetermined hold time; - activating the thermal treatment system in cooling mode to cool the basic mixture and, at the same time, activating the rotary stirrer in rotation, so as to allow incorporating air into the basic mixture to make an ice cream type product in the processing chamber; - extracting at least one portion of the ice cream type product from the processing chamber,