From cce834faff43022b5c345fdda6217d0eafde38db Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: George Ho <19851673+eigenfoo@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2023 22:49:17 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Add blog post on ice cream science --- content/blog/ice-cream-science.md | 120 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 120 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/blog/ice-cream-science.md diff --git a/content/blog/ice-cream-science.md b/content/blog/ice-cream-science.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..e4b500e63 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/ice-cream-science.md @@ -0,0 +1,120 @@ +--- +title: Ice Cream Science for Starters +date: 2023-11-16 +tags: + - food +draft: true +--- + +I've recently fallen down the ice cream science rabbit hole. + +## What Makes a Good Ice Cream? + +Jeni Britton Bauer (of [Jeni's](https://jenis.com/) fame) [thinks there are +four +qualities](https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxenGxugerSnIvkm7u28uDK6H5GSpSBEUy) +that make for good ice cream: + +1. Flavor + - Not just what you taste on your tongue, but also what you smell with your + nose (or even the nasal passage in the back of your mouth!) +1. Texture + - How creamy or icy, smooth or gritty the ice cream feels between your + tongue and the roof of your mouth. A good ice cream typically has a + smooth, creamy texture with no detectable ice crystals or graininess. +1. Body + - The structure and elasticity of the ice cream: how well the ice cream + holds its shape and scoops into a ball, and how evenly it melts. A good + body means that the ice cream is firm, holds its shape well, and melts + slowly and evenly. An ice cream with poor body might be too hard, too + soft, or melt too quickly. + - https://www.dairyscience.info/index.php/ice-cream/228-ice-cream-hardness.html +1. Finish + - The aftertaste and "aftermouthfeel" of the ice cream after its been eaten. + A good finish has a pleasant aftertaste (where the flavors remain + enjoyable and don't become off-putting or too intense as they linger), and + leave the palate feeling clean and not oily or greasy. + +## The Components of Ice Cream + +Broadly speaking, there are eight components in ice cream: fat, sweeteners, +milk solids, flavorings, emulsifiers, stabilizers, water and air. + +For a quick overview, take a look at [this guide from +Underbelly.](https://under-belly.org/the-components-of-ice-cream) Here, I give +a brief overview of each component. + +### Fat + +Fat impacts all four qualities! + +- **Flavor:** not only does fat (especially butterfat) taste good on its own, + but it also absorbs and delivers other flavors. Fat also stretches out the + intensity of the flavor (e.g. think about the difference between a strawberry + ice cream and a strawberry sorbet). +- **Texture:** once churned, fat traps air globules, which lends a creamy + texture to the ice cream. + +- **Body**: fat makes the ice cream firmer and slows melting by stabilizing the + air bubbles +as a solid chunk at cold temperatures, fat is rock hard (just think about frozen butter). +- **Finish:** fat lingers on the palate after the ice cream has been eaten. + +Here is [a practical guide to fat in ice +cream](https://www.dreamscoops.com/ice-cream-science/fat-in-ice-cream/) and +[here is more science discussion on their +role.](https://icecreamscience.com/role-fat-ice-cream/) + +### Sweeteners + +- **Flavor:** sugar is (rather famously) sweet, but not all sugars are equally + sweet. Ice cream makers estimate the _relative sweetness_ of sugars: that is, + their sweetness compared to sucrose. +- **Texture:** sugar clings on to water, and the more water that clings onto + the proteins, the less "free water" there is to pool together and create + large ice crystals, thereby making the ice cream smoother. +- **Body:** sugar lowers the freezing point of water, keeping some of the water + fluid below freezing temperatures --- more simply, it keeps the ice cream + soft and scoopable. + +- https://icecreamscience.com/sugar-in-ice-cream/ +- https://under-belly.org/sugars-in-ice-cream/ +- https://www.dreamscoops.com/ice-cream-science/sugar-in-ice-cream/ +- https://www.dairyscience.info/index.php/ice-cream/220-ice-cream-sweetness.html + +### Proteins (or milk solids non-fat a.k.a. MSNF) + +- **Texture:** as proteins (usually, casein and whey from the dairy) denature + and unfurl they cling on to water --- similar to how sugars do, and with a + similar effect (smoother ice cream). + +- https://icecreamscience.com/protein-in-ice-cream/ + +### Flavorings + +- **Flavor:** duh! + +- https://under-belly.org/introduction-to-flavor/ + +### Emulsifiers + +- https://under-belly.org/ice-cream-emulsifiers/ +- https://icecreamscience.com/why-are-emulsifiers-used-in-ice-cream/ +- https://www.dreamscoops.com/ice-cream-science/using-emulsifiers-ice-cream/ + +### Stabilizers + +- https://icecreamscience.com/stabilizers-ice-cream/ +- https://under-belly.org/ice-cream-stabilizers/ +- https://www.dreamscoops.com/ice-cream-science/using-stabilizers-ice-cream/ + +### Water + +- https://under-belly.org/ice-cream-solids-water-ice/ +- https://www.dreamscoops.com/ice-cream-science/ice-in-ice-cream/ + +### Air + +- **Texture and Flavor:** the less air in ice cream, the denser it feels in + your mouth (and therefore, the richer and creamier it tastes). +- https://www.dreamscoops.com/ice-cream-science/air-in-ice-cream/