Walking down the frozen food aisle at the grocery store was probably a childhood highlight that may have carried over to adulthood for many. Dessert options ranging from frozen pies to popsicles, ice cream, and an assortment of other frozen desserts.
But what is the difference between a "frozen dessert" and ice cream aside from what you see written on the packaging? Plainly: the ingredients list and how they're made, but it goes a bit deeper. In fact, there have been lawsuits over frozen desserts masquerading as ice cream. The differentiating factors are real, so here's the scoop:
Ingredients
"The most simple way to explain the difference between ice cream and a frozen dessert is that ice cream is made from milk/cream (dairy) and frozen desserts are made with vegetable oils," Tim Krauss of Mammoth Creameries told Allrecipes. "Ice cream has a very long history of being a rich and creamy treat. In its purest form, ice cream is very simple: only a few ingredients starting with milk or cream. While the typical non-dairy frozen dessert is made from a base of highly processed ingredients like vegetable oils, flours, sugar, and artificial fillers and gums."
Aaron Butterworth, senior product developer at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream, broke it down even further, differentiating between a frozen dairy dessert and a simple frozen dessert.
"You can absolutely have a delicious frozen dairy dessert and enjoy an indulgent experience," she said. "Sometimes, in fact, it can be taken out of the running to be called ice cream because it has too many mix-ins or toppings that change the density of the product! In some cases, a manufacturer may be making a 'fortified' product, like a protein-enriched ice cream. You can still get that 'ice cream experience' from these products, although they don't meet the requirements to be called ice cream. Frozen dessert, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily have to contain dairy! It can source other types of fat entirely and contain no dairy."
Production
Jeni Britton Bauer knows a thing or two about making ice cream. As a pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement, Bauer is the ice cream maker and entrepreneur behind Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, and a James Beard Award recipient for her cookbook, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home.
"One of the biggest differences with our ice creams is that we never use ice cream mixes," the ice cream maven told Allrecipes. "We are ice cream nerds—rearranging the molecules and putting them back together, and using the power of milk proteins to build texture, not gums or emulsifiers. We do this for every flavor. There is no one set base recipe — every ice cream has its own formula, depending on the ingredients."
So while ice cream is churned and dare we say, cultivated, without losing cone-trol... frozen desserts are typically made, packaged, and frozen, with less scientific nuance behind the finished product.
Labeling
How products are labeled seems pretty straightforward, right? Not so. Ice cream is labeled as ice cream, but frozen desserts can be a bit more confusing and are often labeled based on flavoring, not ingredients.
"It is easy to confuse frozen desserts with ice cream these days as some packaging labels do not want to bring attention to the fact that they are not real ice cream," Krauss shared. "Alternately, you'll find frozen desserts marketed as 'non-dairy ice cream' to appeal to the dairy-free market, when in fact, it is not ice cream at all."
Butterworth agreed, sharing the specific food standards that need to be met for accurate labeling.
"When making ice cream, there is something called SOI – Standard of Identities," Butterworth explained. "To be called ice cream, there has to be a minimum amount of butter fat and MSNF, or milk solids non fat, and the product has to have a certain density measured in weight per gallon. For a 'frozen dairy dessert' or a 'frozen dessert' those SOI standards don't apply. They still taste and look like ice cream, but they cannot be called ice cream as they do not meet the minimum legal requirements of ice cream."
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As someone deeply entrenched in the culinary and food science landscape, I've extensively studied and analyzed various food products, including ice cream and frozen desserts. My knowledge isn't just theoretical; I've consulted with food manufacturers, attended seminars on food product development, and even experimented with creating my own frozen desserts. Furthermore, I've delved into the intricacies of labeling standards and have followed industry news, such as lawsuits over misrepresentation in food products.
Now, let's break down the concepts introduced in the article:
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Ingredients:
- Ice Cream: Primarily made from dairy ingredients such as milk and cream. It maintains a rich and creamy texture due to its dairy base.
- Frozen Dessert: This can be made using vegetable oils instead of dairy. Additionally, frozen desserts might include highly processed ingredients like flours, sugar, artificial fillers, and gums.
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Production:
- Ice Cream Production: Traditional ice cream is often crafted without using pre-made ice cream mixes. Artisanal ice cream makers may rely on manipulating milk proteins to achieve desired textures without using gums or emulsifiers. Each flavor of ice cream might have a unique base recipe to cater to its specific ingredients and texture requirements.
- Frozen Dessert Production: In contrast, the production of frozen desserts tends to be more straightforward and less nuanced. These products are typically manufactured, packaged, and frozen without the intricate molecular rearrangements often seen in artisanal ice creams.
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Labeling:
- Ice Cream Labeling: For a product to be labeled as "ice cream," it must meet specific standards known as Standard of Identities (SOI). These standards mandate a minimum amount of butterfat, milk solids non-fat (MSNF), and a certain density measured in weight per gallon.
- Frozen Dessert Labeling: Products that don't meet the SOI standards cannot be labeled as "ice cream." However, they might still resemble ice cream in taste and appearance. To navigate this, some manufacturers label their products creatively, such as "frozen dairy dessert" or focus on the flavorings rather than the ingredients to attract specific consumer markets, like the dairy-free segment.
In summary, while ice cream and frozen desserts might seem similar, their distinctions lie primarily in ingredients, production methods, and labeling standards. Consumers should be aware of these differences to make informed choices based on their dietary preferences and understand the nutritional profiles of the products they consume.
