Differences between Gelato and traditional ice cream

The term Gelato is not only to follow the traditional preparation of ice cream in Italy, but it goes beyond its origin. Less fat? More creaminess? We explain the differences here. ​ Gelato and ice cream share three ingredients: dairy, sugar, and air. The difference?

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Gelato contains more milk and less cream and is shaken less, so the volume is visually less and its fat content decreases. Gelato is served 6-8°C warmer than ice cream. This helps to better appreciate its flavors, since the tongue when eating it is not so numb from the cold. It is served with a flat spatula called a shovel, whose maneuver helps to smooth the dessert.

The ice cream has more cream (high fat content) and is churned so fast that it generates more air (its volume increases and it looks bigger). Ice cream is usually scooped out with a deeply rounded spoon, as its higher fat content allows it to form firm, round balls.

Gelato is much smoother in texture and denser than ice cream, giving it a more concentrated and intense flavor than traditional ice cream.  The flavor of Gelato comes mostly from natural sources.

Air content is typically higher in ice cream, making it soft and light in texture. However, it has more butterfat than Italian, so it has less flavor. This is because butterfat coats the tongue, so it takes longer for the taste buds to detect it.

Gelato has less fat and less sugar! Gelato is made almost entirely with milk (90%), so it has a lower fat content and, as it does not contain stabilizers, it melts faster. Also gelato is lower in sugar! It has between 16 and 22% sucrose and dextrose, it is balanced with the amount of water to prevent it from freezing.

Ice cream is made from cream (butyric fat) so it must have at least 10% fat. It may also contain stabilizers, such as guar gum (a thickener and stabilizer obtained from guar beans) that bind the water and fat in the ice cream mix and keep the batter free of large ice crystals.

AussieBlends® offers a wide variety of Ice Cream Mixes to cover the requirements of ice cream makers. This Company offers Dairy Mixes, Vegan Mixes, No Added Sugar Mixes, and Sorbet Mixes. Their Ice Cream Mixes are blended for different ice cream preparation processes like Gelato, Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream, Soft Serve, and Rolled Ice Cream.