Frozen desserts are a great family treat that are enjoyed around the world all year long. You make these treats healthier because you control the recipes. Select the amount and type of sweeteners and make great tasting low fat recipes. Ingredients are fresher and tastier and there is no need for unnatural ingredients, artificial flavors or colorings. Supermarket fruit based ice creams, sorbets and sherbets can never be as good as freshly home made. Commercially available fruit based frozen desserts must be cooked to provide a long shelf life and this destroys flavor and nutrients.
Ice Cream - The primary ingredient in ice cream are cream, eggs and sugar. Whipped air is incorporated into the mixture to give it a certain consistency. Lighter ice creams with more air are easier to scoop and they melt more quickly. Premium ice creams have less air and are more dense and harder to scoop when frozen. Supermarket ice creams contain additional ingredients for mass consumer appeal and to aid in production and storage.
Here are the common ingredients of supermarket ice creams:
Milkfat - Ice cream requires a milkfat level of 10% or greater to be classified as ice cream. Premium brands have higher milkfat content, as much as 16%. "Light" ice cream will have milkfat levels below 10% and "Ice Milk" has 3% to 5% milkfat.
Milk Solids - These ingredients are used to provide texture and body to the ice cream and make up 9% to 12%. Most common ingredients are concentrated skim milk or skim milk powders.
Sweeteners - A sweet ice cream is demanded by most consumers and can make up 12% to 16% of total weight. Most common Sweeteners are sucrose and corn syrup.
Stabilizers and Emulsifiers - Stabilizers extend the shelf life of ice cream and limits re-crystallization when thawing and refreezing occurs during transport, storage and consumption. Common stabilizers include locust bean gum, guar gum, xanthan gum and carrageenan. Emulsifiers aid in maintaining a good consistency of the fat and water components of the mixture. Most commonly used are Polysorbate 80 and mono- and di-glycerides. These ingredients make up 0.2-0.5%.
Water - Between 55% and 64% of ice cream is water which may be added or derived from the milk and other ingredients.
Other - Additional ingredients found in ice cream include artificial colors, flavorings and other substances that aid in manufacturing, storage and appearance.
Gelato - The word for ice cream in Italian is "Gelato". In the USA and other English speaking countries, it is referred to ice cream that is made the "Italian way". Gelato is a dense mixture with lower fat than ice cream and no added air. Unlike ice cream, Gelato ingredients are not homogenized together. Gelato usually includes less cream and more milk and egg yolks than ice cream. A rich creamy treat.
Sorbet - These treats have no milk, cream or eggs. These are frozen fruit ices, which are best enjoyed when freshly made and still soft. They should not contain ice crystals and have a silky texture. The main ingredients are sugar, lemon juice and fresh fruit. They are simple and refreshingly tart.
Frozen Yogurt - Similar texture to ice cream, but has lower fat and active bacterial cultures.
Sherbets - Similar to Sorbets, Sherbets are usually fruit flavored ices, but they contain more ingredients such as milk, egg whites or gelatin. Sherbets can have about 2% milkfat and provides a lighter texture than ice cream.
These units have their own freezer mechanism with built in compressors and refrigeration to produce frozen desserts of all types. No salt or ice is needed and no containers are put in the freezer. The advantages to using self refrigerating machines include:
Unlike fully automatic frozen dessert makers with built in refrigeration and continuous output, these units require a specially designed cooler container be placed in the freezer to get the container to a low temperature. The container maintains a cold temperature during the mixing of the ingredients to produce a finished product. These units work well with higher fat recipes that do not require very low temperatures to harden. No salt or ice is needed, simply add the ingredients to the pre-cooled container and turn the Ice Cream Maker on to mix the ingredients as it hardens. Container must be re-cooled to make additional batches.
