Ice cream making is so easy …You can do it !

First find more about..
The Evolution of Ice Cream

Ice cream's origins are known to reach back as far as the second century B.C., although no specific date of origin nor inventor has been undisputably credited with its discovery. We know that Alexander the Great enjoyed snow and ice flavored with honey and nectar. Biblical references also show that King Solomon was fond of iced drinks during harvesting. During the Roman Empire, Nero Claudius Caesar (A.D. 54-86) frequently sent runners into the mountains for snow, which was then flavored with fruits and juices.

Over a thousand years later, Marco Polo returned to Italy from the Far East with a recipe that closely resembled what is now called sherbet. Historians estimate that this recipe evolved into ice cream sometime in the 16th century. England seems to have discovered ice cream at the same time, or perhaps even earlier than the Italians. "Cream Ice," as it was called, appeared regularly at the table of Charles I during the 17th century. France was introduced to similar frozen desserts in 1553 by the Italian Catherine de Medici when she became the wife of Henry II of France. It wasn't until 1660 that ice cream was made available to the general public. The Sicilian Procopio introduced a recipe blending milk, cream, butter and eggs at Café Procope, the first café in Paris.

Ice Cream for America

The first official account of ice cream in the New World comes from a letter written in 1744 by a guest of Maryland Governor William Bladen. The first advertisement for ice cream in this country appeared in the New York Gazette on May 12, 1777, when confectioner Philip Lenzi announced that ice cream was available "almost every day." Records kept by a Chatham Street, New York, merchant show that President George Washington spent approximately $200 for ice cream during the summer of 1790. Inventory records of Mount Vernon taken after Washington's death revealed "two pewter ice cream pots." President Thomas Jefferson was said to have a favorite 18-step recipe for an ice cream delicacy that resembled a modern-day Baked Alaska. In 1813, Dolley Madison served a magnificent strawberry ice cream creation at President Madison's second inaugural banquet at the White House.

Until 1800, ice cream remained a rare and exotic dessert enjoyed mostly by the elite. Around 1800, insulated ice houses were invented. Manufacturing ice cream soon became an industry in America, pioneered in 1851 by a Baltimore milk dealer named Jacob Fussell. Like other American industries, ice cream production increased because of technological innovations, including steam power, mechanical refrigeration, the homogenizer, electric power and motors, packing machines, and new freezing processes and equipment. In addition, motorized delivery vehicles dramatically changed the industry. Due to ongoing technological advances, today's total frozen dairy annual production in the United States is more than 1.6 billion gallons.

Wide availability of ice cream in the late 19th century led to new creations. In 1874, the American soda fountain shop and the profession of the "soda jerk" emerged with the invention of the ice cream soda. In response to religious criticism for eating "sinfully" rich ice cream sodas on Sundays, ice cream merchants left out the carbonated water and invented the ice cream "Sunday" in the late 1890's. The name was eventually changed to "sundae" to remove any connection with the Sabbath.

Ice cream became an edible morale symbol during World War II. Each branch of the military tried to outdo the others in serving ice cream to its troops. In 1945, the first "floating ice cream parlor" was built for sailors in the western Pacific. When the war ended, and dairy product rationing was lifted, America celebrated its victory with ice cream. Americans consumed over 20 quarts of ice cream per person in 1946.

In the 1940s through the ‘70s, ice cream production was relatively constant in the United States. As more prepackaged ice cream was sold through supermarkets, traditional ice cream parlors and soda fountains started to disappear. Now, specialty ice cream stores and unique restaurants that feature ice cream dishes have surged in popularity. These stores and restaurants are popular with those who remember the ice cream shops and soda fountains of days past, as well as with new generations of ice cream fans.

Production of ice cream

Ice cream is a complex product. Dairy ice cream contains milk fat and non-dairy ice cream contains vegetable fat combined with milk fat. All ice cream will also contain non-fat milk components such as proteins and carbohydrates. Sweeteners, flavourings, emulsifiers and stabilisers are added during processing. Ice cream contains over 50% water from milk or other ingredients and air is incorporated into the product resulting in finely-distributed air cells protected by a layer of fat globules.

Homemade Vanilla Gelato - Recipe by Laura Vitale

The production of ice cream involves mixing the ingredients together, followed by pasteurization ; which reduces the number of non-pathogenic bacteria. After pasteurisation, homogenisation takes place, a process to allow the distribution of fat into as many separate small fat globules as possible. After homogenisation there is a cooling and aging process. The mixture is left to age for 24 hours and during this time all the dry ingredients are hydrated and the fat is crystallised. The product is then frozen in a continuous freezer and air incorporation takes place. When the ice cream leaves the continuous freezer at -5ºC, approximately 50% of the water is frozen. The final process is hardening, which freezes out most of the water at -40ºC.

Each ingredient selected for the production of ice cream has specific functions during production and are chosen specifically for their effect on the final structure and eating quality of the product.

Ice cream components

Fat (milk or vegetable)

Fat provides flavour, body and texture. The type and content of fat in ice cream is used to classify individual products according to certain regulations. ‘Dairy ice cream’, must contain a minimum of 5% milk fat and should contain no other fat than milk fat. ‘Ice cream’ must contain a minimum of 5% fat; however it can contain vegetable fat. The types of vegetable fat most widely used are coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil or a combination.

Non-fat milk solids

Non-fat milk solids include proteins (whey and casein), lactose and minerals. The proteins contribute to the structure of the ice cream and to the incorporation of air during processing. ‘Ice cream’ must contain a minimum of 2.5% milk protein. Lactose contributes to the sweetness and minerals are derived from the milk or cream used in production.

Sugar and sweeteners

Sugar is added to provide sweetness and improve texture. A combination of sugars (sucrose, glucose, fructose etc.) is normally used to obtain the desired sweetness of the final product. Sugars control the amount of frozen water in ice cream and therefore the softness of the final product. All ice cream contains some added sugar, as without sugar the final product would be a solid block of ice. Sweeteners are permitted for use in ice cream production and are often used in lower calorie products.

Best Sellers & Special Price Products at

Amazon.com Widgets

Flavourings and colourings

Flavourings and colourings are added to almost all ice cream to enhance the appearance and taste of the product, although now most of these flavourings and colourings are natural.

Emulsifiers and stabilisers

Emulsifiers help bind all the ingredients during the manufacturing process and improve the whipping quality during mixing. Stabilisers are added to almost all ice cream to improve air incorporation and they have a positive influence on the body and texture of the ice cream; contributing to the creaminess and melting properties of the finished product.

Other ingredients

Other ingredients such as fruit or chocolate (depending on the flavour required) may be added to provide additional flavour and enhance appearance.

Other frozen desserts

Frozen yogurt: a low fat or fat free alternative to ice cream, but made with yogurt
Sherbet: a product made with a small amount of milk fat, is sweeter than ice cream, tends to contain citric fruit and may have a tart flavour.
Sorbet: a frozen fruit puree; no dairy products are used.

Try it at home…

Put a pint of milk in a polythene bag (freezer bag) with 2 tablespoons of vanilla essence and 2 tablespoons of sugar, seal it well. Now put that bag into another polythene bag containing ice cubes and 4 tablespoons of salt. Shake the bag for a few minutes and the milk mixture will turn to a soft ice cream.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ice Cream Recipe

Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons sugar $
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 (16-ounce) container fresh strawberries or 1 (16-ounce) package thawed frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate-Almond Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 cups whole chocolate milk
2/3 cup chocolate syrup
3/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Vanilla Ice Cream With Fruit Blend

Ingredients

3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar $
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour $
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 recipe Mixed Berry Blend or Nectarine-and-Toasted Almond Blend recipe Nectarine-and-Toasted Almond Blend

Mocha Latte Ice Cream

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar $
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon instant espresso
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste*
1 cup chopped pecans
2 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate
Garnish: dark-chocolate sticks

Pecan-Caramel Crunch Ice Cream

Ingredients

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup all-purpose flour $
1/4 cup firmly packed DOMINO Light Brown Sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted $
2 cups firmly packed DOMINO Light Brown Sugar
3 cups milk
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
4 cups whipping cream
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 (20-ounce) bottle caramel topping
Garnishes: oat mix and waffle cone pieces

Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 1/4 cups whole milk
4 peeled, sliced medium-size fresh ripe peaches or 1 (15.25-ounce) can peaches in light syrup, drained $
2 tablespoons sugar $
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup peach nectar

(These are only basic sample you can adapt recipe as you wish !)

--------------------------------------------

Let's see how to make it

Ice Cream Making how to

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Making ice cream

Production of ice cream

Homemade Vanilla Gelato - Recipe by Laura Vitale