Ice Cream Mix
In the United States alone, more than 1 billion gallons of ice cream are sold each year. Ice cream accounts for eight percent of all the milk produced each year. Whether you eat it out of a cone, in a sundae, or straight out of the box, a lot of work goes into making the ice cream Americans enjoy every day.
There are actually many specific rules that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has created to define what can and can't be labeled as ice cream. If you want your product to be considered real ice cream, it must contain at least 10 percent milk fat and a minimum of 6 percent non-fat milk solids. Also a gallon of ice cream must weigh at least 4.5 pounds. The range of milk fat that is acceptable is between 10 and 16 percent. The higher the milk fat percentage, the richer the taste will be. Many premium ice cream flavors are 14 percent milk fat, because it provides a rich, creamy texture that many people find desirable for ice cream. Most ice cream makers will not go higher than 16 percent anyway, because it would be extremely costly and be very high in calories. An ice cream of such high milk fat would be so rich that people would eat less, in turn dropping your sales.
Ice cream can be made commercially, but also at home. Commercial ice cream makers just make the delicious dessert on a bigger scale than those who buy a mix and make it at home. Big companies make their own ice cream mix that is then pasteurized to kill of any bacteria. The next step is to add the desired flavor to the ice cream. Next, the ice cream is frozen and whipped simultaneously. Once the ice cream has finished that step, it is frozen but is still soft. At this point, the ice cream is considered "soft serve." They can stop the process there or continue onto make ice cream. Now any added ingredients like candy, fruits, or chunks are added to the ice cream. The ice cream is then reduced to a very low temperature of zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Factories will go even lower because the ice cream needs to stay frozen after packaging and during delivery. After that, you can find your favorite ice cream flavor at the store or at a restaurant.
It may seem easy but making ice cream is a learned skill. While you can skip the middle man and make it at home, nothing beats the delicious flavors from the professionals. Next time you buy some ice cream, you will know how it got be the way it is.
If you are looking for a premium-quality ice cream mix, look no further. Praline's Own Made carries the finest 10-percent ice cream mix for soft serve and high-quality 16-percent mixes for making hard ice cream. If you are interested, contact our corporate location to order an ice cream mix.