Summer is here, and with it comes an entire month to celebrate our favorite thing... Ice Cream! Sharing a cool treat with family and friends is an essential part of the season, but what we might forget is the sheer amount of thought and effort that goes into creating the perfect ice cream flavors. If you’re looking to open a shop of your own, create new flavors or just want to brush up on properly cleaning and sanitizing your ice cream machine, keep reading!
All About Cone-Trol
In the simplest terms, ice cream is a mix of milk, cream and sugar. However, even this initial mix of ingredients can make a huge difference in terms of taste, texture and consistency. Some products can be harder or softer depending on the amount of sugar, fat, or air that is churned in during the mixing process. Base flavors are then mixed in (after careful planning) to attain the desired flavor profile. For the final step, add-ins like cookies or candy are folded in to complete the process.
A simple combo like mint chocolate chip might seem relatively easy to make, but could take lots of trial and error to perfect. On the more complicated side, wild new flavors and mixes are being created every day. Flavors like cheesecake, rhubarb, and pb&j are challenging the limits of base flavors, while new add-ins like marshmallows, cereal, and donuts are mixing it up like never before.
What’s The Difference?
The different styles of ice cream go a long way toward attaining that perfect consistency and taste you want for a new flavor. Lighter, fruity flavors might pair best with a sorbet base. For the more sugary sweet flavors, you might want to use a custard that lends itself well to add-ins. A basic ice cream mix is something everyone is familiar with, but this classic treat can vary greatly in sweetness and texture based on its initial formula.
Keep It Clean
All that work designing, mixing and testing new ice creams would be for nothing if they were created in a dirty machine. Cleaning and sanitizing your frozen dessert equipment with a trusted solution is essential to producing delicious, consistent products.
Did you know that those different types of ice cream we just talked about can have different effects on your equipment? Here’s a breakdown:
- Custard tastes amazing in part because it’s a high milkfat product. This means it’s more prone to milkstone that needs to be removed.
- Ice Cream contains a bit less milkfat, but you'll still need
to remove milkstone and other residues to avoid an environment where bacteria can grow. - Sorbet has a lighter consistency, so milkstone is less of an issue. You might think the lightness means less cleaning needs, but that high sugar content can create a breeding ground for bacteria that you’ll need to stay on top of.
No matter what kind of exciting new flavors you come up with, remember the most important thing is keeping your customers safe. Improper cleaning and sanitizing can lead to poor products and dangerous outbreaks, costing you business and repeat customers.
We Can Help!
While you're concocting new flavors and managing your business, we can help help keep your machines clean and sanitized. Stera-Sheen Green Label is a 3 in 1 solution, meaning that it effectively cleans, sanitizes and removes harmful milkstone. To learn more about Green Label and our other solutions, click here.
