There's actually a difference between ice cream and gelato
If you thought gelato and ice cream were the same product with a different name, then you would be wrong, as pastry chef Nancy Silverton recently explained.
Earlier this year, Silverton, 71, appeared on David Gelb’s Chef’s Table podcast to discuss gluten-free dishes, mushrooms on margherita pizza, and the stark differences between frozen sweet treats.
“It’s funny because when you’re in the ice cream world, there’s certain - or there were - certain laws. For instance… a sorbet cannot contain any dairy,” the Max & Helen’s menu designer explained.
“An ice cream has to have eggs and dairy,” she continued, explaining that tubs of the good stuff are usually made from half milk and half cream.
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Silverton, who started her small batch American gelato and sorbetto company, Nancy’s Fancy, in Los Angeles in 2015, said that chefs like herself often use a certain machine that has less air in it than a regular ice cream maker.
Air may give ‘volume’ to a product. But while air is ‘cheap’, it does not ‘deliver flavour’, the American baker reasoned.
Another stark difference between ice cream and gelato is the ratio to cream and milk.
Those who specialise in crafting high-butterfat ice cream are likely to use more cream than milk in their recipes.
On the flipside, gelato pioneers opt to use more milk than cream.
The restaurateur reasoned that by using less-calorific ingredients, you’re more likely to experience a ‘cleaner finish on your palate’.
“So when you take a bite of gelato, the flavour comes out much quicker because the butter fat tempers the flavour.”
Silverton said that she believes gelato lovers can taste flavours ‘right away’ because of the high milk and low cream content.
And, unlike when licking ice cream cones, fans don’t have to wait for it to thaw to taste their delight.
A third and final difference Silverton referenced is that there is no requirement for gelato to contain eggs.
For example, Nancy’s Fancy’s vanilla gelato does not contain eggs. Other flavours, such as the company’s butterscotch budino, are listed as vegan.
According to experts at Pasta Evangelists, a lack of eggs, coupled with less cream and more milk, means that dairy-based gelato usually has a much lower fat content than traditional ice cream.
So if you’re watching what you eat or you’re trying to be more health-conscious, then gelato may be for you.
Another swap you can make for ice cream is frozen Greek yoghurt, with pots available in Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, and other major UK supermarkets.
But be warned - yoghurt can be a fantastic thing to add to your diet, but you've got to be selective when it comes to flavours.
“On its own, yoghurt is indeed very healthy,” nutrition researchers Angelina Baric and Anthea Christoforou told The Independent.
“The problem is when things like jam-like fruit with preservatives or artificial vanilla flavouring are added. They make yoghurt taste better, but can push it into unhealthy territory.”
Always check the label before purchasing. Because let’s be honest - nobody wants a nasty surprise when doling out the desserts!
Ella Scott