What's the difference between different frozen treats?
Inspiration
I’ve wondered this many times and I’ve looked it up, but I don’t remember the details. I was eating ice cream with a friend in Taipei and I said there was a good gelato place down the street. They asked the difference between ice cream and gelato and I didn’t have a good answer, so I looked it up on the spot and it still wasn’t very clear.
Findings
Ice cream
A custard made of milk, cream, sweetener, and often egg yolks.
| Fat content | Texture | Flavor | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-25%. The USDA requires a minimum of 10% milkfat | Fluffy and creamy. Churned at high speeds to add air bubbles. It can also be served in a style called “soft serve,” which has more air bubbles and is served at a slightly higher temperature for added softness | Versitile | Ice cream is served at the coldest temperature (-14.4 to -12.22°C). The cold temperature numbs your taste buds and doesn’t allow strong flavors to come through |
Gelato
A mixture of milk, cream, and sweetener. It originated in Italy.
| Fat content | Texture | Flavor | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-9% | Gelato’s creamy texture is thick and dense, because it is churned slowly to allow less air in the mixture | Versatile | -14.4 to -12.22°C. The cold temperature numbs your taste buds and doesn’t allow strong flavors to come through |
Sherbet
A mixture of fruit purée (or fruit juice), sweetener, and a little bit of milk or buttermilk.
| Fat content | Texture | Flavor | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2% | With less cream than either ice cream or gelato, sherbet is less rich than either. However, sherbet’s small amount of dairy gives it more creaminess than sorbet | Limited to fruit flavors | -12.22 to -5.55°C. At colder temperatures sherbet’s dense texture causes it to become hard and difficult to eat. Warmer temperatures mean its flavor comes across much richer than ice cream. |
Sorbet, granita and Italian ice
Fruit purée and sweetener. One variation on sorbet, called granita (also called Italian ice or water ice) is periodically scraped during freezing so the ice crystals are especially flaky.
| Fat content | Texture | Flavor | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | Sorbet has the lightest, iciest texture | Limited to fruit flavors | -12.22°C to -5.55°C. Warmer temperatures mean its flavor comes across much richer than ice cream. |
Dondurma, mastic ice cream
A Turkish mixture of cream, salep (ground tuber of an orchid), mastic (plant resin) and sugar.
| Fat content | Texture | Flavor | Temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown. Similar to ice cream | Stretchy and chewy. Unlike regular ice cream, dondurma is often kneaded or pounded to enhance its texture before being served | Versatile | -6°C to -8°C |
Etymology
Follow-up questions
What’s the difference between milkfat and butterfat?
- They’re the same according to Butterfat or Milkfat | Ice Cream Private Label.
- The terms butterfat and milk fat can be used interchangeably. Both refer to the natural fat found in milk. Scientifically, milk fat or butterfat is mainly composed of triglycerides, which are a combination of glycerol and fatty acids according to Rootstock | What Is Butterfat? | Organic Valley