The Scoop on Ice Cream
By Elora Derbyshire
By Elora Derbyshire
It’s the beginning of May, and temperatures are starting to reach the 70s and 80s. Ice cream is a delicious way to cool-down during the Spring and Summer months. Have you tried its variations?
According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), deserts made with flavored snow and ice may have originated in the second century B.C.E., but ice cream as we know it today was probably invented in the 16th century. Before advanced, modern refrigeration, making ice cream became easier because of the discovery of freezing-point depression -- lowering the freezing-point of ice by mixing it with salt, allowing it to freeze other liquids, as a refrigerator does. This works because, in nature, ice is usually mixed with rock salt. Ice cream was made widely available to the Public in the late 19th Century.
This is how the scientific process of making traditional ice cream works: For the ice cream base, the successful emulsion (the process of mixing substances that would normally separate) of ice crystals, fat-content, sweeteners, air, and other solids using egg yolk or oils is needed. Stabilizers such as starch, pectin and vegetable gums improve the structure and texture when added. The ice cream base is then heated to destroy any dangerous bacteria, cooled and aged, frozen with an ice cream-maker, then put in the freezer.
You can make your own ice cream in a bag as shown here. You can also buy handmade ice cream in MoCo. Two of the shops that I’ve tried are Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Sarah’s Handmade Ice Creams and Treats, but there are many more.
Here are the differences between three other, equally refreshing, icy treats to try this Spring.
Vegan Ice Cream
Made with oat, almond, cashew, soy, rice, or coconut ‘milk’, vegan ice cream is available at almost every ice cream shop or grocery store. It doesn’t always have less calories or saturated-fat, however. You can learn more about making it here. This is a recipe for a vegan coconut ‘ice cream’ base.
Sorbet and Granita
Sorbet is made with fruit-juice and sweeteners, and only has fruit flavors. It is not a dairy-product. Because it is served at a warmer temperature, it is lighter and softer than ice cream, with an icy texture. It also has a lower fat-content. Like ice cream, though, there are multiple theories of its origin. One is that it was used as a palate cleanser between courses of meals, then first eaten as a desert in France. Granita, or Italian ice, is a variation of sorbet with flakey ice crystals.
Gelato
Gelato originated in Italy, and continues to be served in gelaterias today. It has a thick, dense texture, with a lower fat-content than ice cream, because it has less air. It also has a richer flavor, because it is served at a higher temperature. Like ice cream, its flavors are not limited to fruit.
Sources:
https://www.idfa.org/the-history-of-ice-cream
https://www.icecreamnation.org/science-of-ice-cream/
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ice-cream-vs-gelato-vs-sherbet-vs-sorbet#what-is-sorbet
https://www.cuisinart.com/recipes/desserts/simple-vanilla-ice-cream2/ (Image)
According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), deserts made with flavored snow and ice may have originated in the second century B.C.E., but ice cream as we know it today was probably invented in the 16th century. Before advanced, modern refrigeration, making ice cream became easier because of the discovery of freezing-point depression -- lowering the freezing-point of ice by mixing it with salt, allowing it to freeze other liquids, as a refrigerator does. This works because, in nature, ice is usually mixed with rock salt. Ice cream was made widely available to the Public in the late 19th Century.
This is how the scientific process of making traditional ice cream works: For the ice cream base, the successful emulsion (the process of mixing substances that would normally separate) of ice crystals, fat-content, sweeteners, air, and other solids using egg yolk or oils is needed. Stabilizers such as starch, pectin and vegetable gums improve the structure and texture when added. The ice cream base is then heated to destroy any dangerous bacteria, cooled and aged, frozen with an ice cream-maker, then put in the freezer.
You can make your own ice cream in a bag as shown here. You can also buy handmade ice cream in MoCo. Two of the shops that I’ve tried are Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and Sarah’s Handmade Ice Creams and Treats, but there are many more.
Here are the differences between three other, equally refreshing, icy treats to try this Spring.
Vegan Ice Cream
Made with oat, almond, cashew, soy, rice, or coconut ‘milk’, vegan ice cream is available at almost every ice cream shop or grocery store. It doesn’t always have less calories or saturated-fat, however. You can learn more about making it here. This is a recipe for a vegan coconut ‘ice cream’ base.
Sorbet and Granita
Sorbet is made with fruit-juice and sweeteners, and only has fruit flavors. It is not a dairy-product. Because it is served at a warmer temperature, it is lighter and softer than ice cream, with an icy texture. It also has a lower fat-content. Like ice cream, though, there are multiple theories of its origin. One is that it was used as a palate cleanser between courses of meals, then first eaten as a desert in France. Granita, or Italian ice, is a variation of sorbet with flakey ice crystals.
Gelato
Gelato originated in Italy, and continues to be served in gelaterias today. It has a thick, dense texture, with a lower fat-content than ice cream, because it has less air. It also has a richer flavor, because it is served at a higher temperature. Like ice cream, its flavors are not limited to fruit.
Sources:
https://www.idfa.org/the-history-of-ice-cream
https://www.icecreamnation.org/science-of-ice-cream/
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/ice-cream-vs-gelato-vs-sherbet-vs-sorbet#what-is-sorbet
https://www.cuisinart.com/recipes/desserts/simple-vanilla-ice-cream2/ (Image)