A scoop of your favourite frozen treat can't go wrong, whether you're enjoying an extravagant ice cream sundae, an apple pie, or simply a sneaky taste straight from the carton of mint chocolate chip. However, you're not alone if you've ever wondered what the distinction between ice cream and gelato is while standing in the freezer aisle.
They're both cold, sweet, no-bake treats that taste fantastic with a drizzle of hot fudge, so yes, ice cream and gelato seem to be comparable. But once you taste both of them, you'll realise that they're truly quite different from one another. The components used to make ice cream and gelato are comparable, but that is about all they have in common. Each sweet treat has a unique history, method of preparation, and characteristics, from flavour to texture. One isn't always superior to the other. It all boils down to your particular preferences when deciding between gelato and ice cream.
How do these desserts compare?
1. Ingredients
Milk and cream are two of the primary ingredients in both ice cream and gelato, but the proportions of each determine how each dish turns out. Gelato is created with a higher ratio of whole milk to cream than "ice cream," as the name suggests, which contains more milk than cream. Eggs are another component that sets the two apart; ice cream contains egg yolks, whereas gelato is often devoid of eggs. These varying amounts and components have an impact on the mouthfeel and amount of fat in each dessert (the texture of the food in your mouth as you eat it). Gelato only has 5–7% fat, but ice cream legally must have a minimum of 10% fat.
2. Preparation
The two differ not just in their components but also in their methods of preparation. Both ice cream and gelato require churning to achieve their creamy, scoopable sweetness, but the rate at which they are churned—and the amount of air that results—varies. Gelato has a thicker consistency than ice cream because less air is swept into the mixture when it is churned at a slower rate. Gelato contains 25–30% air, whereas ice cream can contain up to 50% air.
3. Storage
Once prepared, ice cream and gelato are kept in a freezer or refrigerator at specific temperatures to preserve their proper consistency. Gelato is normally held and served at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream, typically about 15 F. Ice cream is typically served cold, around 0 F. Gelato's texture is softer and silkier than ice cream since it is not nearly entirely frozen, as opposed to ice cream.
4. Flavour
You can sample a wide variety of flavours, from classics like vanilla and coffee to more odd ones like sweet basil and sweet potato, by visiting any ice cream shop or looking inside the case at the grocery store. However, the flavour spectrum for gelato is significantly more constrained. A few traditional flavours, such as vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, and stracciatella (vanilla with crunchy chocolate pieces), as well as pistachio, tiramisu, and a variety of fruit flavours, are available in gelato form, though they are not always the same combinations as those you find in the ice cream section.
5. Texture
The differences in the two delicacies' chemical makeups and storage methods have an impact on how they taste and feel on your tongue. Colder food slightly numbs the tongue, making it more challenging to taste the food, and fat coats the tongue, producing a layer between the taste buds and the food you are eating. The flavours of gelato are stronger and come through more because it is warmer and lower in fat than ice cream; these characteristics also contribute to a smoother consistency, while ice cream has more of a fine crystal texture.