Everything about Ice Cream totally explained
Ice cream or
ice-cream (originally
iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from
dairy products, such as
milk and
cream, combined with
flavorings and
sweeteners, such as sugar. This mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large
ice crystals from forming, which results in a smoothly textured ice cream.
Frozen custard,
frozen yogurt,
sorbet,
gelato, and other similar products are sometimes informally called ice cream, but governments generally regulate the commercial use of these terms based on quantities of ingredients. American federal labeling standards require ice cream to contain a minimum of 10% milk fat (about 7 grams (g) of fat per 1/2 cup serving) and 20% total milk solids by weight. .
Production
Before the development of modern refrigeration, ice cream was a luxury item reserved for special occasions. Making ice cream was quite laborious. Ice was cut from lakes and ponds during the winter and stored in large heaps, in holes in the ground, or in wood-frame
ice houses, insulated by straw. Many farmers and plantation owners, including
U.S. Presidents
George Washington and
Thomas Jefferson, cut and stored ice in the winter for use in the summer.
Frederic Tudor of Boston turned ice harvesting and shipping into big business, cutting ice in New England and shipping it around the world.
Ice cream was made by hand in a large bowl placed inside a tub filled with ice and salt. This was called the pot-freezer method. French confectioners refined the pot-freezer method, making ice cream in a sorbtierre (a covered pail with a handle attached to the lid). In the pot-freezer method, the temperature of the ingredients is reduced by the mixture of crushed ice and
salt. The salt water is cooled by the ice, and the action of the salt on the ice causes it to (partially) melt, absorbing
latent heat and bringing the mixture below the freezing point of pure
water. The immersed container can also make better thermal contact with the salty water and ice mixture than it could with ice alone.
The hand-cranked churn, which also uses ice and salt for cooling, replaced the pot-freezer method. The exact origin of the hand-cranked freezer is unknown, but the first U.S. patent for one was #3254 issued to Nancy Johnson on
September 9,
1843. The hand-cranked churn produced smoother ice cream than the pot freezer and did it quicker. Many inventors patented improvements on Johnson's design.
In Europe and early America, ice cream was made and sold by small businesses, mostly confectioners and caterers. Jacob Fussell of
Baltimore,
Maryland was the first to manufacture ice cream on a large scale. Fussell bought fresh dairy products from farmers in York County, Pennsylvania, and sold them in Baltimore. An unstable demand for his dairy products often left him with a surplus of cream, which he made into ice cream. He built his first ice-cream factory in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, in 1851. Two years later he moved his factory to Baltimore. Later he opened factories in several other cities and taught the business to others, who operated their own plants. Mass production reduced the cost of ice cream and added to its popularity.
The development of industrial
refrigeration by
German engineer Carl von Linde during the 1870s eliminated the need to cut and store natural ice and when the continuous-process freezer was perfected in 1926, it allowed commercial mass production of ice cream and the birth of the modern ice cream industry.
The most common method for producing ice cream at home is to use an
ice cream maker, in modern times generally an electrical device that churns the ice cream mixture while cooled inside a household freezer, or using a solution of pre-frozen salt and water, which gradually melts while the ice cream freezes. Some more expensive models have an inbuilt freezing element. A newer method of making home-made ice cream is to add
liquid nitrogen to the mixture while stirring it using a spoon or spatula. Some ice cream recipes call for making a custard, folding in whipped cream, and immediately freezing the mixture.
Commercial delivery
Ice cream can be
mass-produced and thus is widely available in developed parts of the world. Ice cream can be purchased in large
cartons (vats and
squrounds) from supermarkets and grocery stores, in smaller quantities from ice cream shops,
convenience stores, and
milk bars, and in individual servings from small carts or vans at public events. In Turkey and Australia, ice cream is sometimes sold to beach-goers from small powerboats equipped with chest freezers. Some ice cream distributors sell ice cream products from traveling refrigerated vans or carts (commonly referred to in the US as "
ice cream trucks"), sometimes equipped with speakers playing children's music. Traditionally ice cream vans in the United Kingdom make a music box noise rather than actual music.
Dietary
Ice cream may have the following composition:
Greater than 10% milkfat and usually between 10% and as high as 16%
fat in some premium ice creams:
9 to 12% milk solids-not-fat: this component, also known as the serum solids, contains the proteins (caseins and whey proteins) and carbohydrates (lactose) found in milk:
12 to 16% sweeteners: usually a combination of sucrose and glucose-based corn syrup sweeteners:
0.2 to 0.5% stabilizers and emulsifiers:
55% to 64% water which comes from the milk or other ingredients.
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) These compositions are percentage by weight. Since ice cream can contain as much as half air by volume, these numbers may be reduced by as much as half if cited by volume. In terms of dietary considerations, however, the percentages by weight are more relevant.
Even the low fat products have high caloric content: Ben and Jerry's No Fat Vanilla Fudge weighs in at 150 calories per half cup due to its high sugar content .
History
Precursors of ice cream
Ancient civilizations had saved ice for cold foods for thousands of years.
Mesopotamia has the earliest icehouses in existence, 4,000 years ago, beside the
Euphrates River, where the wealthy stored items to keep them cold. The
pharaohs of
Egypt had ice shipped to them. In the fifth century BC, ancient
Greeks sold snow cones mixed with honey and fruit in the markets of
Athens.
Persians, having mastered the storage of ice, ate chilled desserts well into summer.
Roman emperor Nero (37–68) had ice brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings. These were some early chilled delicacies.
Ancient
Persians mastered the technique of storing ice inside giant naturally-cooled refrigerators known as
yakhchals. These structures kept ice brought in from the winter, or from nearby mountains, well into the summer. They worked by using tall
windcatchers that kept the sub-level storage space at frigid temperatures.
In 400 BC,
Persians invented a special chilled pudding-like dish, made of
rosewater and
vermicelli which was served to royalty during summers. The ice was mixed with
saffron, fruits, and various other flavors. The treat, widely made in
Iran today, is called
"faloodeh", and is made from starch (usually wheat), spun in a sieve-like machine which produces threads or drops of the batter, which are boiled in water. The mix is then frozen, and mixed with rosewater and lemons, before serving.
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In 62 AD, the Roman emperor Nero sent slaves to the Apennine mountains to collect snow to be flavored with honey and nuts.
Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat asserts in her
History of Food, "the Chinese may be credited with inventing a device to make sorbets and ice cream. They poured a mixture of snow and
saltpetre over the exteriors of containers filled with syrup, for, in the same way as salt raises the boiling-point of water, it lowers the freezing-point to below zero." Toussaint-Samat gives no ancient Chinese historical source for this claim.
In the sixteenth century, the Mughal emperors used relays of horsemen to bring ice from the
Hindu Kush to
Delhi where it was used in fruit sorbets.
When Italian duchess
Catherine de' Medici married the duc d’Orléans in 1533, she's said to have brought with her Italian chefs who had recipes for flavored ices or sorbets and introduced them in France. One hundred years later
Charles I of England was supposedly so impressed by the "frozen snow" that he offered his own ice cream maker a lifetime
pension in return for keeping the formula secret, so that ice cream could be a royal prerogative. There is, however, no historical evidence to support these legends, which first appeared during the
19th century.
The first recipe for flavored ices in French appears in 1674, in Nicholas Lemery’s
Recueil de curiositéz rares et nouvelles de plus admirables effets de la nature.
The 1751 edition of
The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy by
Hannah Glasse features a recipe for ice cream. OED gives her recipe:
H. GLASSE Art of Cookery (ed. 4) 333 (heading) To make Ice Cream..set it [sc.the cream] into the larger Bason. Fill it with Ice, and a Handful of Salt.
1768 saw the publication of
L'Art de Bien Faire les Glaces d'Office by M. Emy, a cookbook devoted entirely to recipes for flavored ices and ice cream. discovered a method of doubling the amount of air in ice cream, which allowed manufacturers to use less of the actual ingredients, thereby reducing costs. This ice cream was also popular amongst consumers who preferred the lighter texture, and most major ice cream brands now use this manufacturing process. It also made possible the soft ice cream machine in which a cone is filled beneath a
spigot on order. In the United States, Dairy Queen, Carvel, and Tastee Freez pioneered in establishing chains of soft-serve ice cream outlets.
Technological innovations such as these have introduced various
food additives into ice-cream, notably the stabilizing agent
gluten, to which some people have an
intolerance. Recent awareness of this issue has prompted a number of manufacturers to start producing gluten-free ice-cream.
The 1980s saw a return of the older, thicker ice creams being sold as "premium" and "superpremium" varieties under brands such as
Ben and Jerry's and
Häagen-Dazs.
Ice cream throughout the world
Argentina
The tradition of ice cream making was taken to
Argentina by the Italian immigrants and the
helado (ice cream) has become one of the most popular desserts in the country. Among the most famous manufacturers are
Freddo, one of the oldest,
Pérsico and
Munchi's, all of them located in
Buenos Aires. However, each city has its own
heladería (ice cream house) which offer creamy ice creams. There are hundreds of flavors but Argentina's most traditional and popular one is
dulce de leche, which has become a favorite abroad, especially in the US.
Australia and New Zealand
Per capita,
Australians and
New Zealanders are among the leading ice cream consumers in the world, eating 18 litres and 20 litres each per year respectively, behind the
United States of America where people eat 23 litres each per year.
Brands include
Streets,
Peters,
Sara Lee,
New Zealand Natural,
Cadbury and
Baskin-Robbins.
Finland
The first ice cream manufacturer in Finland were the Italian Magi family, who opened the
Helsingin jäätelötehdas in 1922 and
Suomen Eskimo Oy. Other manufacturers soon spawned, like
Pietarsaaren jäätelötehdas (1928-2002).
Finland's first ice cream bar opened at the
Lasipalatsi in 1936, and at the same time another manufacturer,
Maanviljelijäin Maitokeskus started their production.
Today, the two largest ice cream manufacturers are
Ingman and
Nestlé (who bought
Valiojäätelö). Finland is also the leading consumer of ice cream in Europe, with 13.7 liters per person in 2003.
France
In 1651 Italian
Francesco dei Coltelli opened an ice cream café in
Paris and the product became so popular that during the next 50 years another 250 icecafés opened in Paris. Some "French Style" ice creams are made with butter in place of cream.
Germany
Italian ice-cream parlours (
Eisdielen) have been popular in
Germany since the 1920s, when many Italians immigrated and set up business. As in Italy itself, ice cream is considered a traditional dessert and the ice-cream at an Eisdiele is still mostly hand-made.
Ghana
In 1962, the popular Ghanaian treat
FanMilk was created by the Fan Milk Limited company. FanIce comes in
strawberry,
chocolate and
vanilla. FanMilk also makes additional products, though FanIce is the closest to Western ice cream. Pouches of FanIce and other FanMilk products can be bought from men on bikes equipped with chill boxes in any moderately sized town, and in cities large enough for grocery stores, FanMilk can be bought in tubs for eating at home.
Greece
Ice cream in its modern form is a relatively new invention. Ice treats have been enjoyed since ancient times. During the 5th century BC, ancient
Greeks ate snow mixed with honey and fruit in the markets of Athens. The father of modern medicine,
Hippocrates, encouraged his ancient Greek patients to eat ice
"as it livens the lifejuices and increases the well-being." In the 4th century BC, it was well known that a favorite treat of
Alexander the Great was snow ice mixed with honey and
nectar. In modern times Greek ice cream recipes have some unique flavors such as
Pagoto Kaimaki, (
Greek: Παγωτό Καϊμάκι), made from
mastic-
resin which gives it an almost chewy texture, and
salepi, used as a thickening agent to increase resistance to melting; both give the ice cream a unique taste;
Olive Oil Ice Cream with
figs;
Pagoto Kataifi Chocolate, (
Greek: Παγωτό Καταΐφι-κακάο), made from the shredded filo dough pastry that resembles angel's hair pasta or
vermicelli; and
Mavrodaphne Ice Cream, (
Greek: Μαυροδάφνη Παγωτό), made from a Greek dessert wine. Fruity
Greek Sweets of the Spoon are usually served as toppings with Greek-inspired ice cream flavors.
Italy
Ice cream is a traditional dessert in Italy. Much is still hand-made by individual gelateria (look for the sign 'produzione propria', meaning 'our own make' in the ice cream shops). Italian ice cream or
gelato is made from whole milk, eggs, sugar, and natural flavorings. Gelato typically contains 7-8% fat, less than ice cream's minimum of 10%.
Before the cone became popular for serving ice cream, in English speaking countries, Italian street vendors would serve the ice cream in a small glass dish referred to as a "
penny lick" or wrapped in waxed paper and known as a
hokey-pokey (possibly a corruption of the
Italian "ecco un poco" - "here is a little").
Some of the most known ice cream machine makers are Italian companies
Carpigiani, Crm-Telme, Corema-Telme, Technogel, Cattabriga, Matrix, Promag.
Japan
Ice cream is also a popular dessert in Japan, with almost two in five adults eating some at least once a week, according to a recent survey. Since 1999, the Japanese Ice Cream Association has been publishing the Ice Cream
White Paper once a year, and the four most popular ice cream flavors in Japan hasn't changed (including their orders) since 1999 according to the Paper. The top four flavors are
vanilla,
chocolate,
matcha (powdered
green tea) and
strawberry. Other notable popular flavors are
milk,
caramel and
azuki (Red Bean) also according the Paper.
Ice cream cone
Mrs Marshall's Cookery Book, published in 1888, endorsed serving ice cream in cones, but the idea definitely predated that. Agnes Marshall was a celebrated
cookery writer of her day and helped to popularise ice cream. She patented and manufactured an ice cream maker and was the first person to suggest using liquefied gases to freeze ice cream after seeing a demonstration at the
Royal Institution.
Reliable evidence proves that ice cream cones were served in the 19th century, and their popularity increased greatly during the
St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. According to legend, at the World's Fair an ice cream seller had run out of the cardboard dishes used to put ice cream scoops in, so they couldn't sell any more produce. Next door to the ice cream booth was a
Syrian
waffle booth, unsuccessful due to intense heat; the waffle maker offered to make cones by rolling up his waffles and the new product sold well, and was widely copied by other vendors.
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Other frozen desserts
The following is a partial list of ice-cream-like frozen desserts and snacks:
- Ais kacang: a dessert in Malaysia and Singapore made from shaved ice, syrup, boiled red bean and topped with chocolate sauce and evaporated milk.
- Dondurma: Turkish ice cream, made of salep and mastic resin
- Frozen custard: at least 10% milk fat and at least 1.4% egg yolk and much less air beaten into it, similar to Gelato, fairly rare. Known in Italy as Semifreddo.
- Frozen yogurt: a low fat or fat free alternative made with yogurt
- Gelato: an Italian frozen dessert having a lower milk fat content than ice cream and stabilized with ingredients such as eggs.
- Ice milk: less than 10% milk fat and lower sweetening content, once marketed as "ice milk" but now sold as low-fat ice cream in the United States.
- Ice pop (or lolly): frozen fruit puree, fruit juice, or flavored sugar water on a stick or in a flexible plastic sleeve.
- Kulfi: Believed to have been introduced to South Asia by the Mughal conquest in the 16th century; its origins trace back to the cold snacks and desserts of Arab and Mediterranean cultures.
- Mellorine: non-dairy, with vegetable fat substituted for milk fat
- Sherbet: 1-2% milk fat and sweeter than ice cream.
- Sorbet: fruit puree with no dairy products
- Snow cones, made from balls of crushed ice topped with sweet syrup served in a paper cone, are consumed in many parts of the world. The most common places to find snow cones in the United States are at amusement parks.
- Maple toffee: A popular springtime treat in maple-growing areas is maple toffee, where maple syrup boiled to a concentrated state is poured over fresh snow congealing in a toffee-like mass, and then eaten from a wooden stick used to pick it up from the snow.
Using liquid nitrogen
Using
liquid nitrogen to freeze ice cream is an old idea and has been used for many years to harden ice cream. However, the use of liquid nitrogen in the primary freezing of ice cream, that's to effect the transition from the liquid to the frozen state without the use of a conventional ice cream freezer, has only recently started to see commercialization. Some commercial innovations have been documented in the National Cryogenic Society Magazine "Cold Facts"
(External Link). The most noted brands are
Dippin' Dots (External Link), Blue Sky Creamery
(External Link), Project Creamery
(External Link), and Sub Zero Cryo Creamery
(External Link). The preparation results in a column of white condensed water vapor cloud, reminiscent of popular depictions of
witches' cauldrons. The ice cream, dangerous to eat while still "steaming," is allowed to rest until the liquid nitrogen is completely vaporized. Sometimes ice cream is frozen to the sides of the container, and must be allowed to thaw.
Making ice cream with liquid nitrogen has advantages over conventional freezing. Due to the rapid freezing, the
crystal grains are smaller, giving the ice cream a creamier texture, and allowing one to get the same texture by using less milkfat. However, such ice crystals will grow very quickly via the processes of recrystallization thus obviating the original benefits unless steps are taken to inhibit ice crystal growth.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ice Cream'.
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