Is there a better dessert that ice cream? What a silly question. Of course not.
There are plenty of frozen treats we enjoy. People who love ice cream no doubt also love gelato. They are both delicious but there are differences in these sweet treats besides their names. This is not to say one treat is better than the other. It’s just that there are some ways in which ice cream and gelato are different.
The differences often come down to these factors: Fat, air and temperature. Ice cream is made with cream (of course). It also must have at least 10% fat content to be labeled as ice cream. Many ice cream recipes also call for egg yolks. Gelato is made with milk rather than fat, usually whole milk. Gelato is also always free of any egg yolks. If it does include any egg yolks, the amount is usually very small. Milk and milk fat help with the textures we all love in our frozen desserts. It adds smoothness and creaminess and delivers firmness, thanks to the milk and the milk fat.
A big difference between ice cream and gelato is texture. This is because of the churning process and the amount of the air whipped into the mixture. Then there’s the speed factor. Ice cream is churned faster to let in air and increase volume. Gelato in churned at a slower pace. This results in Gelato being denser, milkier and slower to melt.
Then there’s the temperature factor. Ice cream is usually served at around 10 degree Fahrenheit. Gelato is served a little warmer, about 10 to 15 degrees, than ice cream. This is because gelato has less fat and air.
There are different types of sweeteners that can be used in ice cream and gelato. The most common sweeteners found in our dairy desserts are sugar and corn syrup. When sugar is put into the ice cream mix, it forms a physical barrier to crystallization. When sugar is dissolved in water, it forms a syrup. The amount of sugar can vary in both ice cream and gelato, depending on the recipe.
You’ll often find stabilizers in dairy desserts, especially ice cream. Stabilizers keep the frozen desserts cold as they travel from the plant to the store refrigerator shelf. Some natural stabilizers are things like guar gum and carrageenan.
There’s no wrong choice when choosing between ice cream and gelato. If you love great ice cream made with top ingredients and a lot of care, you’ll probably also love gelato.
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