The cold hard truth about cheap ice cream

Did you know that getting the most out of your ice cream might be as simple as paying more for it?

Ever wondered why a scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream costs so much more a scoop of Magnolia ice cream? Some might argue that this is a case of brand superiority, but studies show otherwise.

Contrary to popular belief, quantity is in proportion to quality when it comes to this tasty treat. Research has shown that 20-50% of ice cream is literally made up of nothing, or rather, air.

During the early stages of freezing, air is whipped into the ice cream mix, more so in the case of cheaper ice cream. As a result, costs are slashed and volumes multiplied. This enables manufacturers to market these ice creams at attractive prices. Doubling the air content results in soft ice cream, which is commonly served in fast food chains at highly affordable prices.

A quick survey of 20 people revealed that not a single person was aware that cheaper ice cream contained more air than premium ice cream. Melissa Tan, 21, was clearly puzzled, asking: “Isn’t ice cream, regardless of quality, supposed to be made out of cream and not air?”

By weight, ice cream is mainly comprised of water (from milk and cream), sweeteners and flavouring. Milk fat is responsible for giving ice cream its distinctive richness and characteristic texture.

However, manufacturers of cheaper ice cream have discovered a way to deceive the palate. Additives such as guar gum or locust gum enable watery and bumpy “concoctions” to freeze with the consistency of real ice cream, thus fooling consumers.

While premium ice cream brands contain up to 20% milk fats, their cheaper counterparts contain a minimum of ten percent milk fat. Thus, more sweeteners and flavourings are used to compensate for the difference in taste.

Nonetheless, you can take comfort in the fact that the honest goodness of traditional homemade ice cream is not lost in this era. Chronos Chan, co-owner of Tom’s Palette (pictured above) that specialises in homemade ice cream, strongly feels that consumers have the right to know what they are putting into their mouths.

In fact, so insistent is Chronos on delivering fresh and natural ice cream that he is even willing to suffer a few losses along the way. “We do not add stabilizers into our ice cream as it gives a gum-like texture. But without this preservative, the lifespan of our ice cream is greatly reduced,” he explained.

One method of identifying the quality of any ice cream is simply to melt it. Premium ice cream melts into a rich, smooth liquid with little or no foam. On the other hand, cheap ice cream often melts into a sickly liquid topped off with a layer of foam.

The layer of foam is caused by air that escapes as the ice cream melts.

Another telltale sign of cheap ice cream is their density. A quick experiment showed that a cup of premium, homemade ice cream weighed 102g while the exact same amount of commercial ice cream weighed a mere 23g.

So the next time a friend insists that snacking on this sinful dessert is “nothing”, there might actually be some truth in that statement.