Easy Guide on how to prepare homemade ice cream
To testify how much ice cream is loved is enough to say that there are over 37,000 ice cream parlors in Italy. Everyone loves it and everyone wants it. Here is an easy guide on how to prepare homemade ice cream!
What are the ingredients of ice cream?
Ice cream is a food made up of simple and genuine ingredients, generally milk, eggs, sugar and fruit.
We can therefore call it a complete food because it contains proteins, vitamins, fats, sugars and water.
However, a distinction is needed between the terms “Gelato” and “Sorbetto”: with the former we generally mean a product containing fats and proteins (eggs, milk); while with the second we refer to a product where these nutrients are totally absent, as it is made only from water, sugars and fruit.
The choice of ice cream ingredients is essential during the preparation phase: these must always be very fresh and of the highest quality.
Is it possible to find Vegan ice cream in Florence?
In Florence something is moving and many ice cream parlors in the city are offering a vast choice of Vegan flavors to never give up the pleasure of good ice cream!
Here is a selection of ice cream parlors in Florence with the widest choice of vegan flavors:
- VIVALDI GELATERIA
- ICE CREAM FESTIVAL
- GELATERIA DEI NERI
How to make homemade ice cream
Everybody likes ice cream and you can eat all year round, in summer, in winter or at the end of a meal for dessert!
To create a top quality ice cream it is essential to use the best ingredients available.
If in the preparation of two equal ice creams we use the same formula and the same process, but we start from ingredients of different quality, the final result will be different in taste and aroma.
After selecting the best products and weighing all the ingredients, we will begin the ice cream making process which includes the following steps:
Pasteurization
Pasteurization allows controlling the bacterial load and at the same time helps to mix and emulsify the ingredients. Pasteurisers are machines that automatically perform the heating-cooling process.
Homogenization
A good homogenization allows a uniform distribution of all the ingredients, a better emulsion and a finer and softer consistency, as well as helping to incorporate the air.
Maturation
A good maturation improves the quality of the ice cream, contributes to the subsequent incorporation of the air, helps to obtain a finer and creamy structure and to reduce the ice crystals in the cooling.
Freezing
After pasteurization and rest the mix is ready to freeze. We define ice cream as a liquid mixture that becomes pasty due to simultaneous stirring and cooling. This is what happens in the whipping phase.
Temperature reduction
The faster the temperature reduction phase is achieved, the smaller the ice crystals will be and the better the ice cream consistency.
Storage
The right storage temperature is between –22 ° and –24 ° C. This temperature keeps the ice cream stable.
Where to taste homemade ice cream in Tuscany
If after reading this Easy Guide on ice cream you want to taste a delicious homemade ice cream we are waiting for you in Tuscany at the Ristorante L’Olivaia in Villa Campestri Olive Oil Resort!
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