(Little Malice) wrote:
> Christine Dabney said:
>
> > Now that we are talking about ice cream here..I have a question. This
> > is related to the type of ice cream I used to get as a kid and a young
> > adult.
>
> > It seemed to me that ice cream of that time, say about 30+ years ago,
> > was "chewier". It had texture..and was dense. When you bit into it,
> > and took a bite of it, it just seemed like you had to chew it more.
>
> > It was good that way. I don't know what made it that way, but I love
> > it. The ice creams these days don't have that heft...that chewiness.
> > Maybe I am blowing smoke, but do you all know what I mean? And more
> > important, how do you achieve that in homemade ice cream?
>
> I'm not really familiar with the style of ice cream you're talking
> about, but I wonder if extra egg yolks might help? Do you have
> a recipe to work with?

As soon as eggs are added it's no longer true ice cream, with eggs it
becomes frozen custard (or what some call french ice cream).


ice cream
America's favorite dessert is thought to have originated in the
mountains of ancient China, with snow probably used as the base.
Today's ice cream is made with a combination of milk products (usually
cream combined with fresh, condensed or dry milk), a sweetening agent
(sugar, honey, corn syrup or artificial sweetener) and sometimes solid
additions such as pieces of chocolate, nuts, fruit and so on.
According to FDA regulations, ice creams with solid additions must
contain a minimum of 8 percent milk fat, while plain ice creams must
have at least 10 percent milk fat. French ice cream has a cooked egg-
custard base. Ice milk is made in much the same way as ice cream,
except for the fact that it contains less milk fat and milk solids.
The result, other than a lowered calorie count, is a lighter, less
creamy texture. Commercial ice creams usually contain stabilizers to
improve both texture and body, and to help make them melt resistant.
Many also contain artificial coloring. Those made with natural
flavorings (for instance, chocolate) will be labeled simply "Chocolate
Ice Cream." If the majority of the flavoring is natural with a boost
from an artificial-flavor source, the label will read "Chocolate-
Flavored Ice Cream"; if over 50 percent of the flavoring is artificial
it will read "Artificial Chocolate Ice Cream." All commercial ice
creams have "overrun," a term applied to the amount of air they
contain. The percentage of overrun ranges from 0 (no air) to 200, a
theoretical figure that would be all air. The legal overrun limit for
ice cream is 100 percent, which would amount to half air. Ice cream
needs some air or it would be rock-hard. But one with 100 percent
overrun would have so little body that it would feel mushy in the
mouth; it would also melt extremely fast. An ice cream with the more
desirable proportion of 20 to 50 percent overrun (10 to 25 percent
air) would be denser, creamier and eminently more satisfying. Since
the overrun is not listed on the package, the only way to be
absolutely sure is to weigh the carton. Ice cream with a 50 percent
overrun (25 percent air) will weigh about 18 ounces per pint (subtract
about 1 1/2 ounces for the weight of the container). The weight of the
ice cream will be proportionately higher with a lower percentage of
overrun.

During storage, ice cream has a tendency to absorb other food odors
and to form ice crystals. For that reason, it's best not to freeze it
for more than 2 to 3 days. Sealing the carton airtight in a plastic
bag will extend storage life up to a week.

? Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Sheldon