When it comes to desserts, I am pretty good at pacing myself and knowing when to say no and move on to the lower calorie treats. But there is one that I can not resist, and that is ice cream. One might say that I have a bit of an obsession. I like to say that i am simply an Expert in Cold Creamery, an Ice Cream Connoisseur if you will. And in my endeavors over the years, I have come up with a mental menu, categorizing the types of ice cream according to my taste. Some may wonder “how do you do such a thing, ice cream is ice cream.” Oh cont-rare my friends, when it comes to creamy indulgences there are many varieties. I shall share my personal highlights, starting with my favorite. Custard. Custard is a form of ice cream that is made with whole milk and more heavy cream than the traditional concrete. Although the fat content is higher, the texture is smoother and firmer than regular ice cream. Custard is made in two predominant flavors,those being vanilla and chocolate, and then a customer can make it their own by choosing from a selection of candy bit, toppings and fruit to be mixed in.
Number two on my list is traditional Concrete Ice Cream. The beautiful scoop that has topped waffle cones, cooled off summer days, and has been Apple Pies better half for decades. This type of ice cream comes in hundreds of varieties ranging from Simple Strawberry to Marshmallow Blasted Rocky Road. Whenever one purchases ice cream in stores, it is usually concrete. Since it is the easiest to make of all cool treats, it will also be the most popular for celebrations and family events.
Coming in Third is Frozen Yogurt. Frozen yogurt is the newest member of the ice cream family, and has only been on the rise for a couple of years. However: FroYo has captured the hearts (and taste buds) of many Americans. This creamy Indulgence has 30-50% less fat that most ice creams and comes in many flavors that are simply delectable. Each FroYo shop has a line of self serve machines for customers to pick their flavor, they can go with one, or swirl them to mix and match. Then they are presented with a variety of toppings including cookie dough bites and even kiwi. But FroYo is not only popular for the health benifits, the taste is incredible too. If the flavor is gingerbread, when you take that first bite you will be reminded of Christmas and the sweet smell of cinnamon. Likewise if if you select salted caramel, the taste will hit you with a perfect combination of salty and sweet. leaving you a tad crestfallen when its all gone
The Fourth place holder in my running is The Italian Born Gelato. Gelato has a thick creamy smooth texture that is similar to custard. the difference between the two is that Gelato is made with half as much heavy cream and less sugar, making it the healthiest choice in the ice cream family. Another great thing about gelato that is similar to Frozen Yogurt, is the taste. There are so many selections, each one being unique and tasting exactly what you would expect. The last flavor i tried was pistachio, and the taste was incredible, it was like snacking on the nuts right out of the bag, only it was in ice cream form!!
The last but certainly not the least is Soft Serve. Sort Serve is found mostly in fast food and buffet restaurants. They are in self serving machines so the customer can swirl as much vanilla or chocolate onto their cone as possible. This is last on my list only because it melts quickly and i like to savor my treat as long as i can. Also it is made with an ice cream powder that is then mixed with a liquid to make it into the creamy texture.
So there you have it. Now you know why ice cream is not all the same. Hopefully you learned something new and next time you want a frozen treat you wont just say “lets go out for ice cream” you will be more educated and say “lets go out for custard” or maybe “mmm frozen yogurt sounds good tonight” Like all desserts though, portion control is important. Although is is hard to resist, ice cream is not something you want to have every day. I for example have it once during the week and then a small serving once on the weekend. This gives me time to think about what i want the most. Speaking of, it just so happens that tonight is such a night, i believe i will go for a scoop of Getato =) what about you? With all the varieties it can be difficult, but every one is delicious, Choose wisely and happy eating .
Food For Thought 