History and production of ice cream

Ice cream that's meant for sale, is called consumption ice cream. It comes in different kinds. The most important ingredients of gelato, one of the most well-known kinds of ice cream, are milk, whipped cream and sugar. After a long process of mixing and freezing, the ice cream is ready to be sold.

History

Although many people think the Italians invented ice cream, it was actually the Chinese, who already ate it in 5000 B.C. Two thousand years ago, slaves were ordered by Roman emperors to bring them ice and snow from the mountains in wooden barrels. The ice was then mixed with juices, fruits or honey, so it became tastier.

In 1925, explorer Marco Polo brought the recipe for ice cream from China to his hometown Venice. Here, cream was added and the mixture started looking more like gelato. The recipe spread fast in Europe. Because many Italians moved to other parts of Europe and to the United States, gelato became increasingly well-known. Italians can therefore be seen as the distributors of gelato.

Production

The ingredients of gelato are (among others) whole milk, whipped cream and sugar. The milk is mixed with whipped cream, white syrup, sugar and melted butter. The mixture is then heated to 80 ºC. This process is called pasteurization, which is done to kill all bacteria. The mixture is then squirted through a small hole to make it smooth. Consequently, the ice cream is cooled to 4 ºC and is then stored in a big tank, where it has to rest for 8 hours. After resting, the gelato is pumped to an ice cream machine through a pipeline, where it is frozen immediately because the temperature in the machine is -45 ºC. A mixer mixes the gelato again and air is added. This makes the mixture creamy and soft. The ice cream then goes to the package department throught a pipeline, where boxes are filled with gelato. Sometimes other ingredients are added, like chocolate, nuts or fruit. After the boxes are closed with lids, the gelato is stored in a freezer tunnel, where the temperature is –40 ºC. This is done to make the ice cream hard. Finally, the ice cream is stored in a freezer where it is –30 ºC. The gelato stays there until it is transported to its final destination.

Different kinds of ice cream

There are different kinds of icecream. Below is a short list: 

• Gelato. This ice cream is prepared with whipped cream and is light because it contains 25 to 50 per cent air.
• Sundae. This ice cream is softer and less cold than gelato. It is made by a machine instantly by putting powder into the machine that mixes with water. This mixture is not frozen yet. After the ice cream salesman starts pulling, the mixture goes through the freezer part of the machine and is frozen to  –5 ºC. Consequently, it is pushed into the cone out of a hole in the machine.
• Water ice. This type of ice cream consists largely of water. Apart from water, the mixture consists of white syrup, sugar, citric acid and various kinds of flavorings and colorants. The production process is almost the same as the production process of gelato but water ice is made faster because it doesn't have to be mixed and it doesn't have to rest like gelato.

Ice cream machine

Making ice cream used to be difficult. Everything had to be done by hand. Mixing ingredients was done in a pan. The pan was placed in a box of ice, salt and ice water so the mixture could freeze slowly.

Because this was a very long and expensive process and because ice cream couldn't be made in large amounts, it wasn't for everyone. In 1848, the ice cream machine was invented. Although it was a simple machine that was controlled by hand, it became easier to make ice cream. It wasn't long until there were ice cream machines that could cool fast and produce large amounts of ice cream. Ice cream became cheaper and more people could afford to enjoy it.

Sources: www.todio.nl