The Science behind Creamy Ice Cream

There is nothing like a sundae or cone with rich, creamy ice cream. Ice cream is the perfect dessert at any time of year. Ice cream makers carefully choose ingredients to give their ice cream a smooth and creamy texture.

Ice cream is both an emulsion and a foam. An emulsion is formed by dispersing milk and cream in water and ice with an emulsifier. A foam forms when air is mixed with the other ingredients and forms small bubbles. Ice cream consists of ice crystals, droplets of fat, and air pockets.

Ingredients That Make Smooth, Creamy Ice Cream

Fat is necessary to make ice cream smooth. The amount of milk fat varies. Ice cream with a higher fat content is richer and creamier.

Egg yolks can be used to add fat and lecithins that bind fat and water together to make a creamy emulsion. Egg yolks are heated, which causes the proteins to form a thick gel that traps water. This improves the body and texture of the ice cream. The longer the eggs are heated, the smoother the ice cream will be. Other types of emulsifiers can also be used.

The type of sugar that is used to make ice cream also affects its smoothness. Monosaccharides, such as fructose and glucose, make softer ice cream than disaccharides, such as sucrose.

Stabilizers are used to hold together the air bubble structure and give the ice cream a smooth texture. Xantham gum, guar gum, and other types of stabilizers are commonly used. These polysaccharides add viscosity to the unfrozen water and prevent it from forming ice crystals.

Air and the Cooling Process

Air bubbles make ice cream soft and creamy. A large number of small air bubbles make ice cream smoother. Overrun is the amount of air included in ice cream and the percentage it increases the volume. Adding more air can make ice cream smoother, but it can also increase the size of the ice crystals.

Ice cream makers want ice cream with many small ice crystals for a smooth texture. This is achieved by rapidly cooling and continuously churning the ice cream to form tiny crystals.

Try Some of Praline’s Delicious Ice Cream

Praline’s makes smooth, creamy ice cream that residents of Connecticut have come to love. Stop in at your local Praline’s with your family and sample some of our delicious regular or seasonal flavors this fall.