A Guide to Frozen Desserts
Cool summer treats on a warm summer day -- nothing signals the lazy, hazy days of summer more than an ice cream cone or frozen novelty dessert. Nowadays the choices are endless -- from the favourite ice cream flavours of chocolate, vanilla or strawberry, to gourmet flavours like cookie dough, pomegranate or pistachio, or perhaps an old-fashioned popsicle is more to your liking.
Frozen desserts come in a variety of forms, but according to standard federal regulations, each must adhere to the standards set out in these regulations to qualify in their specific category.
Ice Cream must contain at least 10% milk fat before the addition of bulk ingredients , and must weight a minimum of 4.5 pounds to the gallon.
French Ice Cream or Frozen Custard also must contain a minimum of 10% milk fat, as well as at least 1.4% egg yolk solids.
Sherbet has a milk fat content of between 1% and 2% and must weigh a minimum of 6 pounds to the gallon. Sherbet is usually flavoured with fruit.
Sorbet is very similar to sherbet, however it contains no dairy ingredients. It is traditionally flavoured with natural fruits.
Italian Gelato is more dense than ice cream due to the fact that it has less air in the product. Generally it has more milk than cream, and also contains sweeteners, egg yolks and flavouring. It is usually served in a semi-frozen state, giving it a texture similar to soft-serve ice cream.
Frozen Yogurt is a frozen dairy treat consisting of cultured milk and non-fat milk, as well as ingredients for sweetening and flavour.
Frozen Novelties come in many varieties including such things as ice cream sandwiches, fudge sticks and juice bars. This catch-all category is very broad and these novelty items may or may not contain any dairy ingredients, depending on the treat itself!