Have you ever tried to make your favorite rocky road flavored ice cream at home, but your chocolate ice cream turns out a little crunchier than you hoped? And your ribbons of marshmallow are more like frozen, sugary shards? Chemist Matt Hartings and ice cream maker Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder of Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream in New York City, talk about the science behind how milk, sugar, and eggs turn into your favorite frozen desserts. They’ll chat about the sweet science behind other frozen delights, too—like how the size of water crystals affect texture and how you can make a scoopable vegan ice cream.
If you want to change up your own ice cream recipes, Hastings has whipped up chemistry tips and substitutes so you can successfully customize your favorite frozen treats. Tell us your favorite homemade recipes in the comments below!
Here are some of your frozen dessert recipes.
Try using rich fruit smoothies for the “ice cream in a bag” practical. Flippin’ awesome!
— Lisa Taylor (@ScienceAmbass) July 25, 2019
Ice & salt in a big bag. Ice cream mix / smoothie in a smaller bag sealed well. Put inside the ice bag and roll it back & forth until frozen.
Google “ice cream in a bag” 😍👩🔬🍨https://t.co/BpaeBkREcO
— Lisa Taylor (@ScienceAmbass) July 26, 2019
A DIY suggestion?
– Chocolate ice cream/custard/froyo
+ crushed Andes mints (wafer thin 😂 )
+ diced roasted green chile
Since mint is an aromatic, it hits you & gives that tingly/cool sensation while the chile is ‘hot’ underneath!— factotum. polymath. (@KrisPunke) July 23, 2019
My fave is nice cream-just frozen bananas and mangos and some almond milk in a food processor. So good (and healthier) @scifri
— L J S (@PU51982) July 26, 2019
Further Reading
- Learn how to make the perfect scoop of dairy-free ice cream and more chemistry tips in the kitchen in a Science Friday article with Matt Hastings.
- Find out the melting rates of ice cream in a Science Friday interview.
- Explore more science of frozen desserts on ScienceDirect.
- Read Matt Hartings’ book Chemistry in Your Kitchen for more food science and chemistry.
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Segment Guests
Matt Hartings is a professor of Chemistry at American University in Washington D.C..
Ben Van Leeuwen is co-founder of Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream in New York, New York.
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