CHAPTER XXIV
THE GREAT AMERICAN DISH
To be one hundred per cent American, each one of us must eat at least two and a quarter quarts of ice-cream annually. This is the national American dish, despite Boston’s claim for the baked bean and the South’s for beaten biscuits.
Rich and poor, the be-butlered and the maidless make their own ice-cream. The more remote from civilization, the more each individual housekeeper makes her own ice-cream.
It is no longer a luxury; it is now recognized as a food. The Government classifies it, and it is experimented with at most of the State agricultural colleges and State experimental stations. Its making has become an industry standardized by the Government and certain rules must be adhered to by every manufacturer.
The introduction of ice-cream as an industry not only stimulated purchasers of ice-cream, but has stimulated machinery builders. To-day the making of large plants and small household freezers comprises a large industry.
For these mechanisms many problems of refrigeration, ice, brine, rock salt and packing arise. Some of these problems are important to the housekeeper as a maker of ice-cream, some as a buyer, and some not at all.
Kinds of Ice-Cream
In this sketch we will, of course, only touch upon those parts of this problem that are of interest to the housekeeper—doing her own work or with assistance.
Ice creams are classified under various heads and sub-heads. Nearly every one interested classifies them differently. For the sake of convenience, we will give here one classification.
I. Plain uncooked ice-cream
Known as Philadelphia ice-cream, which consists of sugar, flavoring cream with or without condensed milk.
1. Plain with flavoring.
2. Fruit with flavoring.
3. Nut with flavoring.
4. Bisque with marshmallow, macaroon cake, wafers and other bread products well dried out.
II. Cooked
French ice-cream—sometimes called Neapolitan (though Neapolitan is really the many-colored layer ice cream only) made of cream, sugar, eggs and flavoring.
1. Parfaits
Highly flavored fruits, nuts, spices (Nesserold pudding, Roman and English plum puddings).
2. Custards
Flavoring, cornstarch, vanilla.
III. Sherberts and Ices
Water and milk, sugar, white of egg, fruit juices, etc.
1. Ices (granites frozen by oscillation and frappés—semi-frozen like mush.
2. Water Sherberts—Ices and egg, sometimes called soufflé.
3. Punches—with liquor (passing out).
4. Milk Sherbets.
5. Lacto—skimmed milk bases.
IV. Mousse
Rich cream sweetened and whipped, frozen in molds without oscillating or turning the freezer.
V. Fruit layers
Stabilizers and fillers.
Stabilizers—such as gelatine, ice-cream powders and gum tragacanth, are used in commercial ice-creams to give the product body, but manufacturers should, according to law, admit this addition if necessary.
Housekeepers often use gelatine; it is quite wholesome and not dangerous in any way.
Freezing
Apart from the recipes, with which this chapter shall not deal, the most important part about ice-cream is the freezing of the mixture. Its dangers are many.
First of all, freezing incorporates air into the mixture and therefore increases its bulk.
Ice-cream can be frozen too slowly or too fast, and experience here is the best teacher.
If frozen too rapidly, says the Omaha State Experiment Station, the ice-cream doesn’t expand very much (this is more important to the commercial maker of ice-cream). Without the air incorporated, it is soggy and heavy. It will also be grainy and will fall apart.
If frozen too slowly, it is buttery, greasy, non-expansive and fat will rise.
If frozen too long, it will be churned creamy, it loses expansion, it is greasy, soggy and heavy.
These are the reasons why cream is not a velvety, smooth, ungrained stand-without-hitching quality.
Here are some other defects and their causes:
First, the cream must be clean and creamy, combined with flavoring material which blends with the cream to a full delicious flavor.
There may be defects in the flavor, due to the cream used, such as sour, old, bitter or metallic cream flavor.
It may be due to the filler or stabilizer, such as a starch, gum or gelatine.
Defects may also be due to other ingredients. It may be too sweet, not sweet enough, coarse flavor due to flavor material, stale fruit, rancid nuts, moldy nuts.
The cream must be firmly frozen to be smooth and velvety. If it is not, these conditions may prevail:
| Icy: | Due to improper packing. |
| Coarse: | Too thin cream or packing while too soft. |
| Sticky: | Due to fillers, such as gelatine or a sweetened condensed milk. |
| Buttery: | Use of cream partially churned before freezing, or to cream too cold when put into freezer, or because freezer was operated at too high speed. |
The Cure
First, buy a good freezer, never less than a gallon, because you can always freeze a little in it and always be ready for a crowd.
There are various types of freezers on the market. (1) those that you turn by hand, (2) by motor, (3) ones that aren’t turned at all, (4) ones that are oscillated only and in which, at home, two flavors can be frozen at once. In this type it takes longer to freeze cream, but as the arm only works back and forth it is not so tiring. The can in the tub is partitioned in two segments and the paddles and dasher only turn half way.
The freezer that isn’t turned at all needs no lyric from me. It tells its own story in making good ice-cream of a smooth mousse-like consistency, but real ice-cream. It is rapid and restful.
The various motorized freezers are good for large families and the small motors attachable to small freezers geared for motors are joys.
There are some kitchen units that are clumsy, some that are convenient which turn the freezer, polish the silver, sharpen the knives, in fact do everything but shine one’s boots. (See Chapter XXV).
In buying these units don’t be “pulled in” by salesmen talk. Watch for compactness, durability, cleanability, lack of danger in use, replaceable parts, and ease of manipulation. In the use of motors the attachment must be so made that the connections will not be catching in gearing, etc. Above four quarts, hand work is heavy and we would advise turning the freezer by a motor.
In the non-turning freezer, the chamber for the ice and salt is separated from the can so that the freezing mixture cannot enter the ice-cream.
It is cheaper to buy ice-cream, the home-made kind tastes far better. When you buy ice-cream, it is wise to watch the containers in which it comes, and to know where it is made. The Government is very particular, but slight slips in the ice-cream organizations can breed the most dangerous of bacilli. At home you can watch everything; above all, cleanliness of ingredients.
Freezing Mixture
The greatest of all the science of ice-cream making is the mixture of ice and salt. Most cook books say three parts ice to one of salt for home use. For hardening after it is frozen eight parts of ice to one of salt, and the mixture must cover the can entirely, top and sides.
Of course, the ratio of ice to salt regulates the freezing. The United States Government Bulletins are full of these ratios if you want to look up this matter.
On this subject Bowen of the United States Department of Agriculture in Bulletin 98 says:
“When two solid bodies, as salt and ice, mix to form a layer, a certain amount of heat becomes latent, called the latent heat of solution. Since this latent heat is taken from the mixture itself the temperature falls correspondingly. The temperature obtained by a salt and ice mixture depends on relative proportions of the mixture and to less extent on the salt at which the heat is supplied from the outside, the size of the ice lump and salt particles and the amount and density of the resulting brine. Hence it is impracticable to give other than approximate temperatures with fixed ratios of salt and ice.”
It usually takes thirty minutes at least to freeze a gallon of ice-cream.
Freezers
Electric freezers come from about $75 up and can be had for alternate (A. C.) or direct (D. C.) current.
The advantage of the freezer with its own directly-connected motor, rather than a motor which has to be connected, is readily apparent to those who have suffered the annoyance of belting, pulleys, and countershafts. Being self-contained, such an outfit may be readily located at will; to operate merely requires securing it in place and connecting the wires. You have, therefore, no belts with attendant annoyance and expense, no countershaft with its necessity for continued attention and causing vibration, nor is there dirt and oil being thrown here and there. In addition to the mechanical advantages secured by the motor-driven ice-cream freezer unit, there are had by its use cleanliness and increased space.
Every freezer should be so made that the action of scrapers and dasher is continuous. Some freezers have a device in which the scrapers are hung on the dasher so their lower ends rest on the bottom of the can, and the friction between ends of scrapers and can bottom when in motion moves the scrapers against the side of the can, and holds them there positively and continuously.
Tubs
The tubs should be strong and if possible bound with welded wire hoops or metal bands. If the tub is metal this is unnecessary. Tubs are made of pine, white cedar, etc. The zinc tub is a good substitute for the wooden tub, but the wooden one is good if made water tight and smooth and easy to clean. All parts of the freezer should be non-rustable, especially the can.
The best cans are made with drawn-steel bottoms. They do not leak, do not fall out, as may happen with those having the tin plate or cast bottoms.
The best bodies of the can are made of heavy tin plate. The top of can is strongly wired and turned over, while the bottom of can is made to fit over and under the drawn steel bottom.
All gears must be completely covered so that neither ice nor salt can get in the cogs nor the fingers be caught and injured. Some freezers have gearing enclosed in a box-like fixture.
The inside parts touching the cream should be of harmless metal, generally of pure block tin. All outside parts should be smoothly finished, galvanized usually.
The ice space between the can and the tub must be so arranged as to use the least amount of ice and salt, and freeze as quickly as possible.
The cross bars which connect the handles and cover and clamp on the opposite side are often a source of agony. These must be simple in operation. Some freezers have a clamp, some a key. This is a matter of choice and manufacturer. Some cross bars are hinged and others are dove-tailed.
Freezers are supplied with fly wheel instead of cranks to turn. The fly wheel costs a little more but it is far more convenient, as it requires less turning.
Some freezers have a glass peep hole in the cover of can so one can see the progress of the freezing and obviate loss of time and cold by opening the can.
Scrapers are made of rolled steel bars ground straight and fine to fit can and to insure clean scraping of the cream, so that all parts of the mixture are being frozen continuously.
The dashers and beater are usually of malleable iron heavily coated with pure block tin. Generally (and better so) there is one scraper for the bottom of the can and two metal scrapers for side.
Buying Freezers
The same principals hold in buying freezers as any other culinary utensil. They must be seamless, smooth, easily cleaned, non-dangerous, non-corrosive, non-chipping, and be made by a reputable manufacturer.
Besides the freezer must have ease in running, quick freezing, economy, convenience, and give practical results.
Freezers are equipped with best standard motors. The motors should be so placed as to eliminate danger of motors burning out or being injured by careless handling of the ice and salt.
In ordering a motor outfit include the following—your voltage, Direct or Alternating Current; if Alternating what Cycle and Phase. (See Chapter I).
Buy a freezer with thought. All machinery pays better when the best is bought and close attention has been given to the purchase.