How does ice cream work? A chemist explains why you can't just freeze cream and expect results

[usonian]

So, it's definitely not cooking. There's not even a Joe Biden forum, so here goes with the inside story of ice cream.

https://theconversation.com/how-does-ice-cream-work-a-chemist-explains-why-you-cant-just-freeze-cream-and-expect-results-205038

Ice cream seems like a simple concept. Take some dairy, add some sugar and flavours, and freeze.

But to get a perfectly creamy, smoothly textured frozen treat, we need more than just a low temperature – it takes a careful interplay of chemistry and three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.

What’s in the box?
Commercial ice cream includes many ingredients: air, water, milk fat, so-called milk solids (mainly milk proteins and lactose), sweeteners, stabilisers, emulsifiers and flavours. The ingredients are mixed and pasteurised for food safety.

Homemade ice creams tend to use milk, heavy cream, sugar and flavourings, such as fruit, berries, or chocolate. The exact quantities vary with the recipe, but the processing steps are similar.

Details ...

[BigmanPigman]

1. Good info!

People confuse gelato and ice cream when in fact they have a different process...

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/a36165600/gelato-vs-ice-cream/

When I went to school in Rome I never had gelato before (1983) and fell in love with it (chocolate hazelnut...yum!). I was even happier to learn it has fewer calories than ice cream does.

[usonian]

3. Oh! Chocolate hazelnut is wonderful.

Other one that amazed me was chocolate orange made by Bravo Fono. Intense stuff. I visited them when they were in the Stanford Mall, but they moved and I moved. Probably still in San Francisco.

Closest was chocolate orange by Three Twins, which went out of business during covid.

Things change.

[Warpy]

2. There is a recipe out there using whipping cream and condensed milk

and while it does tend to be a bit grainy without the constant mixing and slow freezing real ice cream gets, apparently it is acceptable.

Dairy is not my friend, so I'll have to take their word for it.

[usonian]

4. Simpler. The physics lab manager would make ice cream with Liquid Nitrogen.

Not in your average kitchen.

[Warpy]

5. Only if you have the proper safety gear, anyway

I think the freezing process needs to be slowed, not sped up. Liquid nitrogen would result in huge crystals.

[usonian]

6. He was good at it. Good every time. Just not often.

I don’t recall more than a lab coat, safety glasses and sturdy gloves.

But it was a long time ago. Guy knew his business.

[Deuxcents]

7. I get my ice cream at Publix. Dove dark chocolate ice cream bars

I’m pretty much hooked on them and have to watch it as I could eat more than one! Yummy. I don’t know how they’re made but as long as they keep ‘em stocked, I’m happy 😃

[usonian]

8. Don't worry. Be happy.

Love almost anything chocolate. Currently pretty mad for Trader Joe's coffee blast. It's extra flavorful for non specialty ice cream. Or is that burst?

Those $60-$90 ice cream makers are real cheap at the thrift stores. So are the kids-off electric jar openers. Mister muscle here has narrow wrists and not taking any risks. Macho be damned.

But I cook for one, so I rarely make anything that I can buy. Homemade sizes are even larger than store bought sizes and stuff spoils ( unless it's ice cream, of course)