In any country, ice cream is one of the most popular desserts. Almost all children adore it and many adults enjoy it. What caused this love and what is so attractive that people find in this product? To answer this question, you must first find out what ice cream is made of.
Composition and product description
To begin with, it should be noted that the history of ice cream has more than 4 millennia. Scientists claim that this dessert first appeared in China. True, then it was ordinary snow with ice and pieces of fruit. And only in the 18th century did the product become what everyone is used to seeing it now. So what is ice cream made of these days? Its composition is extremely simple and fully consistent with the definition that can be found in any dictionary. According to the generally accepted description, this is a sweet frozen mass made from dairy products with the addition of various aromatic and flavoring additives.
If we examine in more detail what ice cream is made of, then as a result it will be possible to highlight the main ingredients that make up this treat:
- milk;
- cream;
- various oils;
- dry dairy products;
- food additives (stabilizers, emulsifiers);
- flavoring substances;
- water.
Having been subjected to thermal and mechanical processing together, these components turn into that very favorite treat, which everyone has known since childhood.
Important details
At first glance, the listed substances are the whole set of products. If you carefully study the production process itself and understand in more detail how and from what ice cream is made, then air can also be added to this list. Although it is not a product, it is with its help that dessert acquires its homogeneous structure. First, in special devices (homogenizers), the size of fat globules is reduced using high pressure, and then after cooling, the mixture is whipped, saturated with air. It is at this stage that ice cream becomes as tender and soft as everyone is used to seeing it. Without such additional procedures, it would be possible to get only a loose fat clot, which will not please anyone to eat. In principle, ice cream is also appreciated for the fact that it:
- cold (refreshing in the heat);
- sweet;
- air;
- nutritious.
All these qualities allow the ancient dessert for many years to be a favorite product of millions of people on earth.
Technological process
The first ice cream factory appeared in the 19th century. It was in Baltimore (USA) in 1851. The production process was then quite primitive. But how is ice cream made at the factory these days?
Today, almost all enterprises use the same technology, which includes the following stages:
- Acceptance of raw materials. At this stage, chemical analyzes of the products are carried out.
- Preparation of source components. Liquid components (water, cream and milk) are heated to 40 degrees, and dry components (sugar) are sifted.
- Cooking the mixture. Prepared products after weighing come with a bath equipped with a water jacket. Here they are mixed for several hours with constant heating.
- The finished mixture passes through filters to remove possible lumps from it.
- Then the mass goes to pasteurization, where it heats up to 85 degrees. The process lasts no more than 5 minutes. But this time is enough to destroy all the microorganisms that are contained in the mixture.
- After that, the composition passes through homogenizers, where the mixture improves its consistency and becomes more plastic.
- Then it is cooled to 0 - +6 degrees, pumped into special tanks and stored in them for 24 hours.
- After going through all these stages, the mixture becomes like thick milk. To make it easier to freeze, the mass is whipped in special freezers. Here it is saturated with air and becomes more “obedient”.
- Next comes the final stage - packaging. Airy milk mass passing through dispensers is deposited in molds or special containers (wafer cups, paper or plastic boxes).
- Semi-finished products are sent to the freezer, where they are quenched to a temperature of minus 12-14 degrees.
- From here, the finished products go to packaging. Some of them pass through wrapping machines, where they are sealed in colorful film or paper.
Boxes with ready-made ice cream are sent to the cold stores for storage, and from there they already go to the distribution network.
Recipe Features
The resulting finished product must meet certain technological indicators. For example, in Plombir ice cream, according to the approved standards, the mass fraction of fat should be 15 percent. This is easily achieved through the use of cream, the fat content of which can reach 55 percent. And what if this particular product is not available? How to make ice cream from milk?
Everything is very simple here. In the recipe, you just need to add a certain amount of unsalted butter cow butter. The issue of fat content will be resolved. But by standards, it is also necessary to control the mass fraction of solids. For the same “Plombir” in the finished product there should be at least 40 percent of them. This problem can be solved by introducing into the composition of dried whole or skim milk. At the same time, the technology of the production process remains basically the same. Small changes occur only at the stage of preparation of the mixture and homogenization. It takes a little more time and maintains a higher level of pressure to ensure the required uniformity of the mixture.
Do-it-yourself dessert
Some housewives are sure that a self-made product is always better than the one purchased in the store. That is why they are interested in how to make homemade ice cream. The recipe for a milk dessert provides for the following products:
3 cups of cream need 3 chicken yolks, a glass of sugar and a little vanillin.
The cooking process is as follows:
- First, the yolks must be well ground with sugar. You can immediately add vanillin. Intensive mixing of the products is carried out until the sugar is practically dissolved.
- Separately, in a saucepan or ladle, warm the cream. Do not bring them to a boil, otherwise the finished product will have an unpleasant aftertaste.
- Gently introduce the hot product into the egg mixture and put it on fire. The mass must be heated until it begins to thicken.
- Pour the liquid mixture into molds and put in the freezer.
The process can be considered completed after the composition has completely hardened.
Technique to help
Modern science does a lot to facilitate the work of women in the kitchen. For lovers of the popular cold dessert, a special device has been invented called the “ice cream maker”. With it, your favorite treat can be made much simpler and faster.
It remains only to figure out how to make ice cream at home. A recipe using a specialized unit (ice cream maker) is practically no different from the usual version. To work, you will need:
0.5 liters of cream 3 eggs, 170 grams of sugar, a glass of boiled water, 5 grams of gelatin and a little vanillin.
The sequence of actions will change a little:
- The first step is to grind the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla.
- Preheat the cream.
- Add gelatin to them. Heat the mixture until the foam disappears and the product itself thickens.
- The mass should be filtered using an ordinary sieve, and then put it in the ice cream maker.
After 25-30 minutes, the product will be ready for use. It can be transferred to the bowls, and mixed with various fillers.
Recipe Options
For those who are trying to keep track of their figure, the use of cream is extremely undesirable. Such people are interested in how to make homemade ice cream from milk. In this case, there will not be much difference. Only the ratio of the components will change:
2 ½ cup milk will require 200 grams of sugar and 4 egg yolks.
The order of the work:
- First, the milk must be brought to a boil, and then cooled to room temperature.
- Grind the egg yolks thoroughly with sugar.
- Pour in milk and put mixture on fire. Continue heating until the desired density is achieved.
- The resulting mass must be cooled, and then sent to the freezer for 2 hours. To prevent the formation of large crystals of ice, it must be mixed every 40 minutes.
- Arrange soft ice cream in tins and send again for final freezing.
In the same way, for example, chocolate ice cream can be prepared. To do this, when heated, add cocoa powder to the mixture.