Main Difference – Gelato vs Ice Cream
The difference between gelato and ice cream is a question to many food enthusiasts. Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream; however, there are other differences between them rather than simply the linguistic difference. The main difference between gelato and ice cream is that gelato is low in fat and has less air than ice cream.
What is Gelato
Gelato is the Italian term for ice cream. It commonly refers to the ice cream made in the Italian style. Gelato is creamier, denser and smoother than other types of ice cream. This is because it is served at a warmer temperature than ice cream. At the same time, it contains less fat (4-9%) than ice cream.
Milk, cream, and sugar are the primary ingredients of gelato. It rarely uses egg yolks, unlike ice cream, and uses more milk than cream, which results in low-fat content. Gelato is prepared by cooking all the ingredients together into a custard first. When this mixture is cooled, it is churned to incorporate air and increase its volume. Another difference between gelato and ice cream is that gelato is churned at a lower speed than ice cream. This is what makes gelato dense and creamy.
What is Ice Cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food which is typically eaten as a dessert or snack. Primary ingredients of ice cream include milk, cream, and sugar. It uses more cream than milk and uses egg yolk to bring the mixture together. Ice cream contains a higher fat content than gelato because of this heavy use of cream. In addition to the main ingredients, it uses different flavorings, colorings, and stabilizers.
The process of making ice cream involves cooking the mixture of ingredients into a rich custard and then churning to incorporate air and cooling below the freezing point of water to prevent visible ice crystals from forming. The speed of churning is typically higher than that of gelato. In addition, it is served at a warmer temperature than gelato.
Difference Between Gelato and Ice Cream
Meaning
Gelato is ice cream made in Italian style.
Ice cream is a sweet, frozen food, eaten as a snack or dessert.
Fat Content
Gelato has a low fat content.
Ice cream has a high fat content.
Milk vs Cream
Gelato uses more milk than cream.
Ice cream uses more cream than milk.
Creaminess
Gelato is more creamy, silky, dense and smooth than ice cream.
Ice cream is not as creamy, silky, dense or smooth as gelato.
Air
Gelato has less air churned into it.
Ice Cream has more air churned in it.
Egg Yolks
Gelato rarely uses egg yolks.
Ice Cream often uses egg yolks.
Serving Temperature
Gelato is served at a warmer temperature than ice cream.
Ice Cream is served at a cooler temperature than gelato.
Image Courtesy:
“Steve always got whiskey cream” by Connie Ma (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
