Zachary Hayes

Ice Cream

Project & Presentation

*Capstone Project (READ CAREFULLY) (Jun 3, 2020 at 12:13 AM)

Capstone Essay

Zachary Hayes

Mr. Caballero

Period 4

April 8, 2020

Ice Cream

In 2017 25% of Americans said that ice cream was their favorite treat, making ice cream America’s favorite dessert (Callebaut). The average American eats 23 pounds of ice cream (IDFA), but most people don’t know how it is made. Portland, Oregon is where the most ice cream is consumed (IDFA) and before this project I couldn’t fathom how this delicious treat was made until I started making them. I just assumed that the reason why it was so good was because of all the chemicals they put in them, but that is not true. I decided I was not just going to be another ignorant person, I was going to learn about ice cream. I first started by making ice cream but sometimes it inexplicably froze overnight or its texture was granular. To realize my issues I had to read the Salt and Straw cook book cover to cover. I shouldn’t have had to do this because if it is America’s favorite dessert, how come I knew nothing about it. I plan to teach everyone about ice cream and how simple it’s science is to make but yet how rich its history is.

Many historical figures might have different views on life but quite a few enjoyed ice cream. Some of these figures include rulers, presidents and explorers. About 2000 years ago Alexander the Great savored eating ice and snow flavored with nectar and honey (Bader). In AD 54-86 Nero got runners to go up a mountain and get him snow which he flavored with fruit juices (Foodservice). When Marco Polo visited the far east between 1270 and 1290 it is said that he came back with a recipe for a frozen treat similar to sherbet (Bader). In the 1700s cream ice appeared continuously at the table of Charles the First (Foodservice). Ice cream wasn’t just a confection made for rulers of bygone ages. George Washington loved ice cream, he even had his own icecream device he called “The cream machine for ice”. He additionally had an ice cream serving spoon (Bader). Thomas Jefferson also loved ice cream, but he had his own ice cream recipe. During WWII if a warship rescued an American pilot they got 20 gallons of ice cream. This wasn’t the only time ice cream was served during WWII, in 1945 Americans built a floating ice cream parlor. This parlor made 5,400 gallons of ice cream an hour. At the end of world war II in 1946 Americans celebrated their victory by eating ice cream, they ate 20 quarts of ice cream per person. In 1984 Ronald Regan declared that July is officially national ice cream month. National ice cream day is the third week of July (Foodservice). Astronauts in space used to only have crumby freeze dry ice cream aboard their spacecraft. But this all changed in 2006 when they brought aboard real creamy ice cream. Many people love ice cream whether they are in the past or if they are in the present.

Ice cream was not just made by one person, this was a collaboration over time to make the ice cream we know and cherish. Ice cream is dated back to the 2nd century BC, but no one is credited for making it (Foodservice). Over a thousand years ago chinese emperors ate a frozen concoction of heated milk, flour, and oil from an evergreen tree made by putting it in a metal tube and then putting it in the snow. The first mention of ice cream in the new world by a guest of william bladen in 1744. On May 12 1777 the first ad for ice cream appeared in the new york gazette (Foodservice). Aunt Sallie Shadd became famous for a treat she made from frozen cream, sugar, and fruit. Dolley Madison, the President’s wife loved this treat and made the official dessert of the white house. Even though Sallie Shadd made ice cream, Augustus Jackson is considered the father of ice cream. He mixed salt into his ice cream to lower the freezing temperature. He made it way easier to make ice cream. Soon in 1843 the hand churned ice cream bucket was made by Nancy M. Johnson . Soon the process of making ice cream was even further streamlined. In the late 1800s manufacturing ice cream was possible due to new technologies (Foodservice).

Soon many different ice cream creations we all know and cherish today started being created. Ice cream sodas became popular in 1874 by Robert M. Green in Philadelphia when he ran out of sweet cream to put on sodas he put ice cream. People loved it and soon in the 1950s ice cream soda was being served at counters by soda jerks. Soon the ice cream sundae made its debated entrance. Some say it was made in Wisconsin in 1881 where a soda fountain shop owner put chocolate sauce over ice cream. The other popular belief is that in Ithaca New York a priest was served ice cream with cherry syrup and a candied cherry on top and suggested to name it after the day, Sunday (Bader). Revolutions in the ice cream in centuries leading up formed the ice cream we all currently know and love. Alfred Cralle coined a spoonful of ice cream as an ice cream scoop in 1897 (Foodservice). About three years later the first ice cream cone was made and credited to Italo Marchiony (Foodservice). He made cups of dough and filled them with ice cream (Bader). At the Saint Louis Fair of 1904 an ice cream vendor ran out of cups but a waffle vendor, Earnest A. Hamwi rolled his waffles into cones to help out the vendor. Innovators weren’t the only people to innovate using ice cream.

A multitude of shops have opened which have changed ice cream trends and succeeded in the process. In 1920 Harry Burt covered ice cream in a chocolate coat, his daughter tried it and said it was too messy. His son suggested adding a stick and that was the start of the good humor bar. In Hartsdale New York in 1934, Tom Carvel’s ice cream truck got a flat tire. All the ice cream in his truck melted but people still bought it and loved it. This is because frozen ice cream numbs the consumers taste buds. Tom Carvel later opened his own ice cream shop at that same location. But soon he had competition, in 1938 JF Grandpa McCullough and his son Alex made Dairy Queen. they started out with an all you can eat sale (Bader). Ben Cohen was taking an ice cream course in 1978 and soon founded Ben and Jerry’s. During the 1960s to 1970s Reuben Mattus, a Polish immigrant, made Haagen Dazs. There were three flavors initially, vanilla, chocolate, and coffee. Ice cream innovation is far from done and revelations and innovations are bound to happen.

The ice cream industry is changing very quickly and adapting to their consumers' needs. To enhance comprehension of ice cream trends knowing the target audience is important. The primary consumers of ice cream are families. Most of the ice cream sold is sold on a regional or local level to consumers. Store owners say premium ice cream is their most popular type of ice cream, while ice cream parlors say normal ice cream is their most popular type of ice cream. The most time for ice cream is from March to July, this is when most ice cream is made. The Great lakes region is considered the most successful ice cream market by many store owners (IDFA). The ice cream industry has grown exponentially over time resulting in a huge ice cream industry. In 2017 1.4 billion gallons of frozen treats of the likes of ice cream were produced. With that large amount it is no wonder ice cream is an 11$ billion dollar industry with 26,000 jobs with 1.6 billion dollars of up front pay (IDFA). Most people get ice cream with 87% saying they have eaten it within 6 months. Ice Cream industry will grow by 3.3% from 2019-2023 (Callebaut). Ice cream trends as a whole are splitting into two different styles, healthy and indulgent. Calorie counts are becoming popular due to having self conscious consumers, these counts are displayed in the front of the package in large font. There are ice creams now that are dairy free to appeal to lactose intolerant consumers, some ice cream brands also make vegan ice cream. People who this will appeal to are very calorie conscious and would sacrifice taste for a compromise between no ice cream and creamy indulgent ice cream. With more indulgent flavors, when asked what innovations they want to see in ice cream 47% of consumers said they wanted to see flavor combinations (Callebaut). Some other ways ice cream has been trying to appeal to the dark side of people is with indulgent flavors. As a whole 57% of people said that they would want more indulgent flavors, while 37% of people agree that they would pay more for them. These flavors would have an extravagant amount of toppings to garnish the frozen treat. These types of buyers don’t care about calories but more about the taste of their ice cream. Over all, 40% of retailers are seeing an increase in demand for premium ice cream while 15% and 17% are seeing an increase of people buying sorbet and gelato. Less than 4% of people want lowfat or nonfat ice cream (IDFA). Trends of ice cream say alot about the buyers of ice cream and can hint at the future of ice cream.

Steps to make commercial style ice cream are surprisingly simple but requires industrial grade machinery to replicate. The legal composition for ice cream in the US is no less than 10% milk fat and a minimum of 20% to total milk solids. The minimum weight per gallon is 4.5 pounds. Ice cream composition varies in each class of ice cream which are economy, market, premium, and super premium. The average measurements of ice cream are 38.3% total solids: 12% milk fat, 11% milk solids, 15% sugar, and 0.3% stabilizer emulsifier. The general way ice cream is made commercially is by first combining the liquids in a mixing vat which feeds into a pasteuriser (Britannica). After 3 minutes of mixing a pump moves the mixture to a pasteurizer which heats up to 162 degrees and kills all bacteria. While it heats the cream up it mixes in dry ingredients like dry skim milk, plant based emulsifiers and stabilizers. Stabilizers prevent the ice cream from crystalizing, while emulsifiers help the mixture bond with air during the mixing. The other ingredients used are sugar and corn syrup. Then the ice cream is put in a homogenizer breaking up the fat globules and giving a smooth texture (Sandwiches). The mixture is then homogenized and frozen for up to 12 hours. The ice cream is then pulled from the freezer at 22 degrees fahrenheit and the desired ingredients are added (Britannica). The process of making commercial ice cream has few steps but requires large machinery.

Science is the fundamental process that determines the texture, consistency, and flavor of ice cream. Ice cream is made from air, sweeteners, fats, ice crystals and other solids. Air generally makes up 30%-50% of an ice cream, the structure the longer the flavor takes to release. Sweeteners lower the freezing point of ice cream and improve the texture of the ice cream. Fat is the thing that makes ice, this fat comes from milk and improves the richness of the ice cream, ice creams have to have at least a 10% milkfat content. Ice crystals can make or break an ice cream. Ice crystals form when water in ice cream freezes, these crystals should be small or the ice cream will have a granular texture (Swartz). When making ice cream ice crystals determine consistency, big ice crystals make coarse and crunchy ice cream. While smaller ice crystals make for a creamy texture. one way to get smaller ice crystals is to get an emulsifier. The way an emulsifier works is that it joins together the fats and water that naturally separate otherwise. Emulsifiers also keep things like heat shock from happening. Heat shock is the process where ice cream melts and gets refrozen, this results in an icy texture (Malek). Another way to prevent a granular texture is to freeze the ice cream quickly to ensure the crystals get smaller crystals (Reactions). Though if the freezing process is done over longer periods the ice crystals get bigger and bigger. To give an example, liquid nitrogen freezes faster than ice cream freezer bowls. The reason for this is that the time it takes to make ice cream using this method is shorter so there is a smaller window for having ice crystals forming (Reactions). Other solids are just other things put into ice creams like chocolate chips and minerals. Other solids take up free space from water limiting the possibility of ice crystals forming (Swartz). Understanding the science of ice cream is important because it is fundamental to understand before making frozen concoctions.

Through my learning of the ins and outs of ice cream, I hope to spread the knowledge of ice cream. I want people to understand ice cream as a whole without having to do extensive research. In the future I hope to keep making ice cream and persevere through failure. Failure is sometimes success because we can learn from it, like Tyler Malek said, “For every success I have ten faliures.” I will not let hardship interfere with my intentions. I hope people will understand and cherish ice cream when national ice cream month comes around. Perhaps they will fathom how far it has gone to be eaten by them.

Works Cited

Bader, Bonnie. Curious about ice cream. Publisher, Penguin Random House, 2017.

"Ice cream." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 7 Feb. 2020.

https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/ice-cream/275028 . Accessed Apr.

4 2020.

“Ice Cream Sales & Trends.” IDFA, n.d,

https://www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/ice-cream/ice-cream-sales-trend

April 7 2020.

“Ice Cream Sandwiches | How It's Made.” Youtube, Science Channel, June 24 2016,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlb4mfQv6-s. April 11 2020.

“How science affects your ice cream.” Youtube, Reactions, 5 years ago

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-rlapUkWCSM. March 1, 2020