Ice Cream Ingredients

What could be a better time to enjoy a large 4 scoop sundae, than the hot summers? Ice creams are surely the best frozen dessert which are made from dairy products like milk and cream. They are then flavored with other ingredients like fruits, nuts and sweeteners to give them tempting tastes. Every place has a different taste and style of making ice creams, some are creamy, some are frosty, while some have that "extra" flavor in them. But wherever you go, there are a few basic ice cream ingredients with which ice creams are made, without which, the dessert doesn't qualify to be an ice cream. Find out who these heroes are, who make your taste buds water when you see an ice cream parlor around!

Ingredients in Ice Cream

The meaning of the word ice cream may differ from one country to another, as they all have their own versions of this creamy dessert. Besides the few basic ingredients, there are some more additional ones, which are used in these countries, to give the ice cream an identity. Hence, terms like frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato and frozen custard are some, which are used as a synonym for ice creams. The basic ingredients in ice cream are, dairy products (milk and heavy cream), sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers and flavoring agents. Apart from these, there are additions of fruit pieces, nuts and chocolate pieces, which are optional. If you are wondering how to make homemade ice cream, take a look at the following description about ice cream ingredients, to find out.

Heavy Cream
This is the main ingredient of ice cream, which is also known as milk fat. The reason it is the majority ingredient in ice cream is because, it helps give a body to it and gives a smooth texture to it. It also lubricates the palate as it has milk fats in it and increases richness of the flavor given to the ice cream. It has a very good whipping ability when it is frozen, which develops due to fat destabilization. The best choice of source used for this milk fat is fresh sweet cream form the fresh sweet milk. There are other factors like cost and high calorific value, which also have to be considered while using this ingredient.

Non Fat Milk
The concentrated skimmed milk or low heat skim milk powder, is the milk product which is non fattening and is used for many reasons too. This non fat milk contains lactose, caseins, minerals and whey proteins. This ice cream ingredient, is used to improve the texture of the ice cream and to give it a chew resistance. It also gives the body a snowy or flaky texture so it can be enjoyed.

Sweeteners
Ice creams have to be sweet, and sweeteners like sucrose and glucose improve the ice cream flavors in many ways. They improve the palatability of the product, enhance the flavor and are usually the cheapest source of total solids. Sweeteners are also preservatives and thus, they are the easiest ingredients in ice cream which can increase its shelf life. Corn syrup, in either liquid or dry form is also one of the most well-known sweeteners used in making ice creams.

Stabilizers and Emulsifiers
The stabilizers, usually polysaccharides are the compounds which are responsible for adding viscosity to the ice cream mixture in its unfrozen state. Stabilizers also extend the shelf life by limiting ice recrystallization during storage. It doesn't let the ice cream become coarse and crystallized in a short span of storage time. Some of the stabilizers used commercially are Xanthan gum, Sodium alginate and gelatin. Emulsifiers on the other hand help in air distribution of the product for smooth eating and good meltdown. One of the best emulsifier is egg yolk, but the others are, sorbitol and glycerides.

With these ice cream ingredients, the additional ones like fruits and nuts are also needed. With this combination of the ingredients, every ice cream is made delicious and lip smacking. Thus, if you're making ice cream at home, make sure you use all these very important ingredients, to give your family a yummy summer treat!