When President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month in 1984, he recognized the importance of ice cream in our culture. Much earlier, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison reportedly served ice cream during their presidential terms.
According to the International Dairy Food Association, the first official account of ice cream in the New World appeared in a letter dated 1744, and the first advertisement for ice cream in the United States appeared 33 years later.
Americans now consume more ice cream than any other nation in the world. One glance at the freezer section of any grocery or a visit to an ice cream shop shows the astonishing number of choices available. Innovative flavors and mix-ins such as cookie dough, pretzels, candies or cake are extensive, but supermarket sales indicate that our top five ice cream flavors are vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan, butter pecan and chocolate chip.
In the late 19th century, ice cream production increased with technological advances in freezing and food processing. As consumption rose, so did the creative ways ice cream was used. With the emergence of soda, its combination with ice cream produced the ice cream soda. Since it was frequently enjoyed on Sundays as a special treat, some religious leaders criticized the rich dessert. In response, ice cream merchants eliminated the carbonated water, leaving the chocolate-flavored syrup and ice cream, and named it a "Sunday." Eventually the spelling was changed to "sundae" to remove any religious connection.
Nutritionally, dairy desserts contain some calcium, but benefits can be quickly negated by high fat and sugar content. Keep in mind that each gram of fat provides 7 calories. Ice cream also contains a mixture of milk and other ingredients used for sweetening and flavoring. Fruits, nuts and chocolate chips, along with stabilizers and emulsifiers are often included for proper texture and to enhance the taste. Some varieties of ice cream can have 15 grams of total fat (or more) in a 1/2-cup serving. Those tasty and interesting additives can quickly add calories.
Ice cream is a frozen food made from a mixture of dairy products. Federal standards require ice cream to contain a minimum of 10 percent milk fat, which is about 7 grams of fat per 1/2 cup, and 20 percent total milk solids by weight.
Additional terms used on supermarket ice cream labels can be confusing. Here's what a few of them mean.
"Reduced fat" and "light" ice creams are terms given to the products with less fat than the average of leading brands or a company's own brand. "Reduced fat" has 25 percent less total fat, and "light" contains at least 50 percent less total fat. The actual amount of fat depends on the amount in the original.
"Lowfat" ice cream contains a maximum of 3 grams of total fat in each 1/2-cup serving.
"Nonfat" ice cream contains less than 0.5 grams of total fat in each 1/2-cup serving.
"Premium" ice cream contains as much as 16 percent milk fat, and the manufacturer may use higher-quality ingredients. This means more calories per serving. The extra flavor may be worth it, especially if you rarely eat ice cream and keep the portion size small.
It's important to read labels and conduct your own comparisons of products. Look at the grams of total fat and the number of calories of several products. Remember that the nutritional label information is based on a 1/2-cup serving. If your typical portion of ice cream is served in a cereal bowl, you will need to multiple the fat grams and calories by two, three or even four times to correctly reflect your intake.
You can find a variety of more suitable choices for occasional consumption by your family. Try some of the lower fat versions. They are quite improved from a few years ago. Frozen yogurt is made with milk instead of cream, which can save 40 to 50 calories per half cup. Most sherbet (about 105 calories per half cup) and sorbet (about 100 calories) is made of fruit puree, sugar and water; sorbet is milk-free, while sherbet has low-fat milk added. Choose one that lists fruit puree as the first or second ingredient. Lactose-intolerant people may be able to enjoy frozen yogurt without having symptoms.
Ice cream is best when stored for a short period of time. Don't keep it longer than one month or two at most. Covering the surface of the ice cream in its container will prevent the absorption of other food odors in the freezer. It also will help prevent the formation of crystals that occur from the changes in temperature sometimes experienced in the freezer, especially the compartment in a refrigerator.
You might want to make your own ice cream. Many of us have memories of waiting while homemade ice cream was cranked. Today many folks use electric ice cream makers for faster and easier results.
Homemade ice cream is made with a liquid base, or custard. If your recipe for homemade ice cream calls for eggs and there is not a cooking step, it's time to replace or revise the recipe. A safe alternative for ice cream recipes that call for uncooked egg is to use pasteurized eggs. In the grocery store you will find pasteurized shell eggs next to regular eggs. They cost a few cents more per dozen, but the pasteurization process destroys salmonella bacteria that may be present. Pasteurization has minimal effect on flavor, nutritional content or functional properties of eggs. This makes the pasteurized eggs a safer choice for recipes that do not require cooking.
You can learn more about making your own ice cream safely at www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/N3274.pdf
Vanilla Ice Cream
This basic cooked custard recipe makes about 1 gallon in a standard ice cream freezer.
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons vanilla
4 cups light cream
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in the top of a double boiler. Gradually blend in 4 cups milk. Cook over hot water, stirring occasionally until thickened, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir a small amount of the hot cornstarch mixture into the beaten eggs; then stir the eggs into the remaining cornstarch mixture. Continue cooking, stirring constantly 4 to 5 minutes more or until the mixture is about the consistency of pudding. Chill thoroughly. This step is essential for smooth ice cream. Stir in vanilla and remaining milk or cream. Pour into a 1-gallon ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions. Remove dasher, add mixture of ice and salt to freezer, if needed, cover with heavy blanket, and allow ice cream to harden about two hours.
Stir in 2 cups crushed or pureed fruit after removing dasher.
Chocolate swirl variation
Swirl 2 cups chocolate sauce through ice cream after removing dasher
Ice Cream in a Bag
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup milk (whole, 2 percent, 1 percent or skim)
1 cup half & half
You will also need:
rock salt (you can use table salt)
Quart zip-top freezer bag
Gallon zip-top freezer bag
Mix all ingredients and pour into quart bag; seal the bag and make sure the seal is tight. (You can use some duct tape for extra security.) Place the quart bag inside the gallon bag. Fill the gallon bag halfway with crushed ice, pouring around the smaller bag. Sprinkle 3/4 cup rock salt over the ice and seal the gallon bag. You can let children shake the bag for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the ingredients thickened. Open the gallon bag and remove the quart bag. Clean it off so no salt gets into the ice cream when you open it. Spoon into bowls and enjoy! You can also wrap the bag in a towel or newspaper layers so it won't be so cold on your hands. Yield: 4 servings
- Sue Flanagan is a West Virginia University Extension agent in Berkeley County with the Families and Health program area. She can be reached at 304-264-1936, Sue.Flanagan@mail.wvu.edu or www.berkeleyextension.com