Perhaps one of the best things about summer is that all the ice cream stores and stands and frozen yogurt stores suddenly become alive with people. New flavors, custom ice cream cups, frozen yogurt supplies, and more flood the stores, ready for sunny days when everyone is craving a sweet treat. There’s nothing better than stopping by your favorite ice cream store and licking a few different flavors off plastic tasting spoons before deciding on one. (Especially since so many of the plastic tasting spoons are so fun now, with bright colors and ergonomically shaped.) The ice cream industry has seen a lot of changes in recent years–from innovations like ice cream cups with lids to the increasingly popular gelato cups or frozen yogurt cups. However, one thing is for sure: Americans will always love to indulge in a sweet treat in the summer and beyond.
Ten Fun Facts About Ice Cream You Probably Didn’t Know Before
- A little under 10% of milk that dairy farmers produce is used to make ice cream.
- The International Ice Cream Association (yes, that exists!) member companies recently surveyed customers and found that vanilla still remains the most popular flavor, coming in at 28%.
- Ice cream has about 50% more air after it’s been churned.
- Your average Joe Schmoe on the street will eat ice cream about 28.5 times this year.
- Ice cream started being produced on the industrial level in Boston, MA.
- Ice cream cones were born in 1904 during the St. Louis World Fair.
- Before milk based ice cream, it was made from ice.
- Sunday is the best day for ice cream sellers to sell ice cream.
- July has been dubbed National Ice Cream Month in the United States.
- To finish off an ice cream cone, you’ll need about 50 licks per cone.
Ice Cream vs. Frozen Yogurt vs. Gelato
It’s easy to get confused with all the different kinds of frozen treats available, but let’s try and break it down for you. Each one is equally as yummy in its own way!
Ice Cream
Ice cream is the most traditional and well known frozen treat on the market. It is strictly defined as a milk based frozen treat that contains no less than 10% milkfat and with no more than 50% air after churning.
Frozen Yogurt
You may have heard health magazines tout frozen yogurt as the healthier alternative to ice cream, because of its lower fat content. It also can be a bit tarter (you’ll find a lot of fruit variations with frozen yogurt) and has yogurt cultures. Frozen yogurt chains have also popularized adding a variety of toppings to frozen yogurt.
Gelato
Gelato is often associated with Europe, specifically Italy. The milkfat is a bit lower than ice cream, at 3.8% and gelato is made with whole milk and little air churned into it. it’s denser and softer than ice cream and usually tastes a bit richer (or so many people claim).
With all this ice cream know-how in mind, go out and enjoy a frozen treat or get some samples on plastic tasting spoons while wowing your friends and family in the process.
