As the Ice Cream Churns

Reader Contribution by Lois Hoffman
Published on June 20, 2018
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The old saying, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream,” is pretty much true. Who doesn’t like the cool, sugary treat during the lazy days of summer? When I was a kid, going to the local Dairy Queen or Tastee Freeze was a treat that we waited for all week.

Life was simple then, when ice cream was ice cream. We could just enjoy. Sometimes now there are too many choices: ice cream, frozen yogurt, frozen custard, gelato… and the list goes on. What exactly is going on and what is what? Ice cream isn’t just ice cream anymore.

To be classified as ice cream by the USDA, ice cream must contain at least 10 percent milkfat. This fact is what distinguishes ice cream from all the other frozen products such as frozen custard, frozen yogurt, gelato, sherbert, sorbet and others.

Ice cream is sweet, creamy and delicious, but what makes it that way? It is basically made of three basic ingredients: milkfat either from milk or cream, sweeteners and flavorings.

The milkfat is what gives it its smooth and creamy texture. The creaminess depends on the size of the ice crystals that are formed during freezing. During freezing, ice crystals are combined with air and the faster it freezes, the smaller the crystals and the creamier the ice cream.

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