ok,
so everyone has heard of ice cream.
(i hope.)
and they have probably heard of sorbet.
maybe even sherbet.
or gelato.
or frozen yogurt.
but what about water ice?
or granita?
ever heard of those?
(all are some sort of frozen delight that one can find in
malaysia, singapore, turkey, the philippines, south asia, or germany)
basically,
there are a million different frozen possibilities.
but what the freak is the difference?
haven't you ever sat there thinking
"what the crap is difference between sherbet and sorbet?"
or
"what the hell is water ice?
isn't that sorbet?"
god knows i have.
it plagues me.
and i have looked it up.
(thanks wikipedia)
and i am going to buy myself a sexy ice cream book any day now.
(the perfect scoop by david lebovitz has been recommended to me)
and hopefully that will clarify a lot of things,
but i think the real question is
why the crap are there so many different frozen possibilities?
so let's dissect this--
what are the differences between all of these things?
ice cream:
has greater than 10% milk fat.
but normally no more than 18% milk fat.
(delicious)
ice milk:
(also called low-fat ice cream):
less than 10% milk fat.
(lame)
frozen custard:
just like ice cream
but with eggs in it.
(apparently that is what most homemade ice cream is.)
soft-serve ice cream:
between 3% and 6% milk fat.
and stored at a warmer temperature than ice cream.
hence the softness.
dippin' dots:
(my personal favorite)
ice cream that has been flash frozen with liquid nitrogen.
gelato:
has less butterfat than ice cream,
between 4% and 8%.
(now we are measuring it in butterfat, not milk fat. so confused.
thanks a lot wikipedia.)
it also has a lower sugar content than ice cream.
in further reading,
it seems gelato is a much more fancy and volatile frozen dessert;
it holds it's peak flavor for only a little while,
and has been stored at the correct temperature.
that's why many gelateria's make their own gelato.
fancy.
semifreddo:
has equal parts milk and whipping cream.
frozen yogurt:
has 0.5-6% milk fat.
and is made of yogurt.
(duh)
sherbet:
between 1% and 2% milk fat.
can we pause and discuss the saying of the word sherbet?
it's spelled sherbet--
one would think it is said "shur-bit"
but it is actually pronounced "shur-burt"
explain.
(i can not tell you how much this confusion stresses me out)
sorbet:
no dairy.
just water.
(and flavoring,
normally fruity flavoring)
granita:
like sorbet,
but instead of smooth,
it has been agitated during the freezing process.
basically, it is little sorbet-ish crystals.
(as it freezes,
you scrape it with a fork.
or at least that's what dolcetto did.)
italian ice or water ice:
like sorbet,
with the flavored water and all,
but may contain egg whites?
(i don't get it.
it's called water ice--
how can it have anything other than water and flavoring in it?
i mean egg whites?
what?
i'm so confused.)
shave ice:
a huge block of ice is shaved
and a concentrated flavor is put on top.
snow cone:
like a shave ice,
but instead of the ice being shaved,
it is crushed.
concentrated flavor is still put on top.
i don't know that all my questions are answered with all of this.
but i guess it is a start.
i wish i had each of these kinds of frozen delights in front of me,
all the same flavor,
to see if i could really figure out the difference.
because, while i have this handy little guide,
i am still pretty flippin' confused.
and i will probably still use the term ice cream for every frozen thing i eat.
it is just too freakin' complicated.
i can't handle it.
and now i want to eat some ice cream.
or should i make some?
hmmm...
seeing as how i have 5 flavors in my freezer right now,
maybe eating
and not making
is the best option.
plus, mom just got me a present:
awesome.
ps. if you are interested -
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