Gelato? Sorbet? Sherbet? What The Difference?

 Summer has arrived and the states are eliminating or at least easing up on restrictions so one can go out and get one of those lovely cool treats we associate with summer.  One of the local places has designated Thursdays as half off on their cones so I've taken advantage of it.

Unfortunately, most of us have no idea how ice cream differs from gelato, or sorbet, or sherbet.  I know I don't.  If you read the last column, you know that ice cream has to have at least 10% butterfat according to the United States government to be labeled as "ice cream".

Ice Cream is a mixture with the butterfat that is whipped and frozen to turn it into a wonderful dessert.  The key to good ice cream is the amount of air that has been incorporated into the product but it also needs to have enough fat to make it both light and creamy.  It is also served at the lowest temperatures to keep it more solid.

On the other hand, gelato is an Italian style ice cream that starts with the same base as regular ice cream but it takes more time to make because it is churned at a much slower pace to make sure less air is incorporated so the mixture is thicker.  It often has less butterfat, only four to nine percent, more sugar, and  is served at higher temperatures so the product appears creamier and thicker as it is eaten. Furthermore, the higher temperatures means people experience a richer flavor than ice cream.

There is also soft serve which can use the same base as ice cream but made at a higher temperature with more air mixed in so the final product is softer and lighter. In addition, it only has three to six percent butterfat in the mixture but the more air in it, the richer and creamier the product tastes. Furthermore, it has been around since the 1930's but two groups claim to have been the first.  One is Clavel brand which claims the owner suffered a flat tire and sold the melting ice cream out of his truck and discovered how much people loved it.  The other states Dairy Queen, began serving the mix  created by a father and son team in one of their local stores and it was an immediate success.

Sherbet is still considered a dairy product but it only has one to two percent butterfat in the mixture but it has fruit puree as part of the base.  This limits it's choice of flavors.  In addition, it is made with milk and or egg whites so it has a lighter texture than either ice cream or gelato. This means it's flavor is not as rich as the other dairy based products due to the limited butterfat but it is served at higher temperatures which helps it's flavor seem richer.

Then there is frozen yogurt which is made with a traditional ice cream base that uses yogurt instead of cream.  The friendly bacteria produces a product with a soft feel in your mouth.  The current trend is to use Greek yogurt as the base because it is much thicker and higher in protein.

Similar to ice cream is a frozen custard which has at least 1.4 percent egg yolk solids and at least 10%  butterfat giving it a thicker consistency.  If it has less than 1.4 percent egg yolk solids, it is ice cream so the 1.4% threshold is the difference between the frozen custard and ice cream.

People often mix up sherbet and sorbet since they sort of sound the same but they are very different.  Sorbet has no dairy products in it.  It is primarily a sugar syrup flavored with fruit so it is fat free but still can contain quite a few calories due to the sugar in the base.  This choice due to a lack of dairy products is often labeled vegan.  Furthermore, it's texture is often icier than the dairy based desserts and is served at the slightly higher temperatures to make it appear richer in taste.

Last is the non-dairy ice cream group which is made out of non-dairy milks such as soy, almond, or rice.  Although technically not ice creams, they are labeled as such but can often have more fat than regular ice cream.

If you stumble across something similar to ice cream but the label contains the words "frozen dessert" read the ingredients list carefully.  These often include vegetable oils and milk proteins in the base but are just frozen rather than being churned.  I don't know if these are still around but they were in the 1960's.  I included it just in case.

I hope this helps with your understanding of these popular desserts. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.