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If Ice Cream, Please Organic Delicious!

Ice cream is one of the most popular sweets in Germany. Especially in summer. It should be sweet, fruity, creamy or extra chocolaty. And most varieties are really tasty too – but what makes the difference? You can probably already guess. Exactly – the ingredients.

You can get ice cream almost everywhere: whether in ice cream parlors, supermarkets, in cafés, at gas stations or on mobile ice cream trucks. If you fancy ice cream, you don’t have to look far and the selection is huge. In addition to your own personal taste, you can pay attention to what your ice cream is made of.

Ingredients – what you should pay attention to

How does the creaminess get into the ice cream? How much sugar does the ice cream need and how much fruit is really in your fruit ice cream? You can pay attention to these ingredients.

1. Milk

The classic milk ice cream is still the most common on the shelves and in the ice cream parlors. It usually consists of water, milk and/or cream, sugar and – in the case of conventional ice cream – certain flavors. If you consciously feast but don’t want to do without milk ice cream, find out where the milk used comes from. Because the proportion of milk is almost 70 percent and is therefore the biggest lever in milk ice cream. The seals on the packaging, such as the EU organic seal or the Demeter logo, give you information about this. Because: if you have milk ice cream, then please with sustainably produced organic ingredients.

Alternatively, you can of course also make sure that you buy creamy ice cream made from milk alternatives or fruity sorbets. These come without any milk alternatives and are still creamy. There is now vegan ice cream in almost every supermarket.

2. Sugar

Industrially produced sugar is repeatedly criticized. Nutritionists in particular always point out that too much of it is added to our food and that we eat too much of it – above all unconsciously and uninformed. Well, it can’t be missing in sweets most of the time. And if we consciously decide to feast, we can treat ourselves to some sugar. But then it is best to use the raw cane sugar that is not processed as much.

Sugar has a special function in ice cream: it contributes significantly to consistency and creaminess. If not enough sugar is added to the ice cream, it will harden and form crystals. Incidentally, this applies to vegan ice cream as well as milk ice cream.

3. Fruit content

The fruit content of fruit ice cream is regulated by law for the definition. Fruit ice cream contains at least 20 percent fruit. For ice cream made from citrus fruits such as lemon, orange or passion fruit, it is at least 10 percent if the citric acid content is at least 2.5 percent. At 25 percent, sorbets contain the highest proportion of fruit. If it consists of citrus fruits, the fruit content is at least 15 percent. In contrast to fruit ice cream, which can also be processed as a milk product, sorbet always does without milk. When buying in the supermarket, you can find out the fruit content by looking at the list of ingredients. The same for all: Flavors may be added.

4. Air

Are you wondering what air is doing in ice? Not much, but that’s exactly the point: when it comes to the information on the packaging, it’s precisely the air that makes the difference. Usually milliliters and grams are specified. Two packages with the same milliliter specification can, however, provide different gram specifications. The reason: the composition of the content. In the case of ice in particular, the manufacturers can achieve different volumes by smashing the ice with more or less air – without increasing the weight. In the supermarket you can simply compare the packaging with each other. The ice cream with fewer grams for the same milliliter contains more air and is therefore a larger sham.

For sustainable consumers, it is not easy to make a sustainable, healthy and right decision, even when eating ice cream. What you can rely on – at least in the refrigerated section – are well-known seals, logos and brands. You can usually enjoy the ice cream from organic brands, which you already trust with other products, even in summer.

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Food

Organic Ice Cream: Less is More!

If you want to avoid cheap milk, you can’t avoid organic ice cream when it comes to ice cream either. Here you can find out what the advantages of organic ice cream are and where you can find the largest selection.

According to statistics, the average German licks and spoons eight liters of ice cream. Whether in the supermarket or at the ice cream parlor around the corner: More and more people are turning to organic ice cream. The main ingredient in ice cream is usually milk and cream. Reason enough to make sure that high-quality ingredients are used when it comes to ice cream. The choice of an organic ice cream makes sense in any case.

What can be organic about ice cream?

In addition to milk, ice cream also contains a lot of cream, sugar, egg yolk and skimmed milk powder. With organic ice cream, all of these ingredients must come from organic farming.

Organic ice cream must not contain any artificial flavors. Sweeteners, stabilizers, synthetic colors, preservatives and flavor enhancers are also banned under the regulation. As a natural stabilizer substitute, locust bean gum is often used in organic ice cream. Refined sugar is replaced with whole cane sugar, agave or corn syrup.

Organic ice cream is always GMO-free. The organic products do not contain any cheap vegetable fat and are not excessively whipped with air.

These seals guarantee the quality of organic ice cream

EU organic seal: The aim of the EU organic seal is to promote organic farming. Products that bear this seal must come entirely from organic farming. One exception: Five percent of a product may come from conventional agriculture – but only if the ingredients are not available on the market in ecological quality. Mineral nitrogen fertilizers are forbidden, as are chemical-synthetic pesticides, and species-appropriate animal husbandry is prescribed. Additives are only permitted to a limited extent in processed foods – currently 49 instead of the 316 in conventional products. These must be natural flavors or extracts obtained from natural raw materials.

Bioland: Bioland has a very extensive quality assurance system that goes beyond the EU organic guidelines. Animal welfare is also a priority here. During the controls, not only is it ensured that the barn is big enough – the animal itself is also checked regularly. In contrast to the other two large cultivation associations (Naturland and Demeter), Bioland also attaches great importance to regionality: in order to bear the seal, the producers must be from Germany and South Tyrol. You can find a list of all Bioland ice cream manufacturers on their website.

Naturland: Another important seal for products from organic farming is Naturland. Naturland is one of the largest organic farming associations. The demanding label not only contributes to ecological improvements in the cultivation and processing of food worldwide, but also takes social aspects into account. Human rights and working conditions are the focus. The label is credible due to extensive and regular controls by external, state-approved bodies.

Demeter: With around 1,500 German member companies, Demeter is the smallest of the three important cultivation associations. In contrast to the others, Demeter farms practice biodynamic agriculture. Demeter is the strictest farming association with regard to the guidelines – both in terms of animal husbandry and arable farming and processing.

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Cooking Tips

Can Ice Cream Go Bad? You Should Pay Attention to That

Can ice cream go bad? This question is important both the next time you visit the ice cream parlor and for ice cream in your own freezer. We explain how you can extend the shelf life of ice cream and what you should pay attention to before consuming it.

Whether as a ball of ice cream in a cone, as a bar or on a stick: ice cream is particularly popular in summer. But can ice cream go bad? Here you can find out when you should stop eating the popular candy and what role the cold chain and best-before date play in this.

What role does the cold chain play?

Maybe you know it: You just bought an ice cream in the supermarket and were stopped on the way home. Suddenly you realize you’ve been carrying the fresh ice cream around with you for an hour in the heat. Can ice go bad if the cold chain has been broken for so long?

If you transported the ice in a cooler or in a special cooler bag, you may be lucky. But: Just to be on the safe side, check whether your ice cream is still good. If ice crystals have formed on the surface, this is a clear indication of an interrupted cold chain. In this case, you should not refreeze the ice cream. This is because germs can easily develop that can cause food poisoning.

Even if you have stored the ice cream in the freezer at home, you should still pay attention to the cold chain. It is best to fill smaller portions of ice cream into a bowl instead of leaving the whole pack out for a long time. Make sure to use a clean spoon or ice cream scoop for this.

Can ice go bad in the freezer?

If the cold chain is maintained throughout, you don’t have to worry. In this case, ice will last for many months. Of course, there is also a best-before date for ice cream. But you don’t necessarily have to stick to it. As a rule, you can still eat ice cream after a week has passed.

It’s best to do a little “taste test”: If your ice cream tastes fresh, it’s still edible. On the other hand, if it tastes slightly sour or has a different consistency, you should better dispose of it.

Tips for the ice cream parlor on the shelf life of ice cream

You can also easily recognize good ice cream in the ice cream parlor with a few tips. If you like to get vanilla ice cream at the ice cream parlor around the corner, next time you should take a closer look at the ice cream parlor. Is the water in the scoop clear or stale? Are the ice tubs clean? Does the ice cream itself look smooth and creamy? These indicators already tell you whether the ice cream is good or whether it could be contaminated.

A clear red flag that indicates “bad” ice is a friable surface. Then you can be sure that the ice has definitely been thawed before. The risk is great if you ingest germs and pathogens with the ice cream.

Make ice cream yourself

If you want to be on the safe side, you can of course prepare the frozen candy yourself. Then you can also be sure that there are no additives (such as flavor enhancers or preservatives and colorings) in the ice cream. However, even with the homemade varieties, make sure to use up the dessert quickly after the cold chain has been broken. Put ice cream that you don’t need back in the freezer as quickly as possible and use clean utensils to serve.

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Food

Recognizing Good Ice Cream: You Have to Pay Attention to This in the Ice Cream Parlor

High, creamy mountains of ice in many bright colors – what looks delicious is often an indication of additives. We’ll show you what to look out for when you go to the ice cream parlour.

Treat yourself to a refreshment on hot days – the nearby ice cream parlor is just the thing. But how do I recognize high-quality ice cream that is free of additives? The inscription “from own production”, which adorns many ice cream parlors, could be a first clue. Or?

“Homemade ice cream” can mean many things

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy, because the terms “from our own production” or “homemade” are not legally binding. Making it yourself can mean a lot: Mixing ready-made powder, “refining” a ready-made base with fresh fruit or chocolate, or making your own ice cream from scratch. The consumer advice center is therefore calling for more transparency from ice cream manufacturers.

Then maybe a better look at the ingredients? This is not always possible either, because ice cream parlors are not obliged to provide them. They only have to declare allergens and individual additives, such as dyes. Bright, bright colors in the ice cream case are a possible indication that the ice cream was produced industrially and with additives. Even if the ice cream in the display case towers impressively, this is anything but a sign of quality. Rather, it is an indication of the use of emulsifiers.

Emulsifiers ensure that the ingredients mix well and the ice cream does not melt as quickly. But they also have downsides. The emulsifier polysorbate 80, which is often contained in ice cream, is suspected of promoting obesity and intestinal inflammation. Lecithin – the most common emulsifier – is harmless to health. However, it often comes from genetically modified soybean plants, which are grown in monocultures.

Under certain circumstances, the high ice towers also indicate insufficient cooling. You can also see how hygienic it is in an ice cream parlor by looking at the aprons, ice cream scoops and containers. If these are contaminated, there is a risk of an increased number of germs in the ice. During a hygiene check in Saarland, the ice usually did well. On the other hand, there were complaints about two out of three cream samples.

Nut ice cream – without nuts?!

Especially when it comes to nut ice cream, people cheat. It often doesn’t contain what should be in it: nuts. Pistachio ice cream, for example, is often tricked out by using flavors such as bitter almonds to compensate for the missing nut content or almost completely replace it.

In order to make the pistachio ice cream look like pistachios, manufacturers often help. Coloring plant dyes ensure a rich green and suggest pistachios in the ice cream. If chemical dyes are used, this must be stated on the label. So it’s best to take a closer look when you choose your ice cream in the ice cream parlour.

Note: If the sign says “pistachio-flavored ice cream” or “walnut-flavored ice cream” or something similar, you can assume that the flavor comes only from the added flavors and not from real nuts. Then you should rather reach for another ice cream.

If in doubt: ask or do it yourself

If you want to be sure what’s in your scoop of ice cream, you should check with the ice cream shop. You can also make ice cream yourself – even without an ice cream maker. Tip for vegans: sorbet should be free of milk components. But here, too, you better ask if you want to be on the safe side.

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Food

Donut Ice Cream Cone: The Ice Cream Cone

All those who are not currently working on their bikini figure should definitely try this sweet food trend: Donut Ice Cream Cone is the name of the threat that is getting a lot of attention on Instagram and Pinterest! Instead of a usual ice cream cone, you bite into a donut dough that has been rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with ice cream.

Food trend Donut Ice Cream Cone

When you cross donuts with an ice cream cone, the result is a seriously sweet treat: the Donut Ice Cream Cone! The donut dough croissants are appetizingly filled, for example with nut nougat cream and ice cream or berry compote and cream.

The ice cream cone 2.0 and its variations are of course real calorie bombs – a donut alone has 258 kilocalories – but every now and then a small sin is certainly allowed. In Prague, the birthplace of the trend, not only ice cream lovers can be seen with the donut ice cream cones: many foodies travel to the Czech capital to try the latest trend for themselves.

Donut Ice Cream Cone vs Trdelnik

The Ice Cream Cone Donut is based on the traditional Trdelník pastry from Slovakia. It is a kind of tree cake that is rolled up on sticks, baked over an open fire, and then refined with chopped nuts and sugar. When the trdelnik has cooled, it is sliced ​​and served.

Whether it’s the traditional Trdelník pastry or the trendy Donut Ice Cream Cone: both treats promise sweet snacking fun that you should try – especially if you’re visiting Prague or Bratislava.

And everyone who can’t make it to the countries of origin of Trdelník or donut ice cream cone in the near future will also find a super delicious recipe for the Hungarian tree cake Trdelník here.

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Food

Make Avocado Ice Cream Yourself – with Chocolate and Mint

Summer, sun, sunshine – and ice cream! This vegan ice cream simply tastes like summer: fresh mint, crunchy chocolate, and creamy fine ice cream. We can’t get enough of this green avocado ice cream. And you don’t even need an ice cream maker. It’s so easy to make your own avocado ice cream.

Make your own avocado mint ice cream

You’ve certainly never eaten ice cream like this: fresh mint gives the creamy-green avocado ice cream a particularly refreshing note – and really helps to cool off on hot days. The crunchy pieces of chocolate give a certain crunch effect. And on top of that, it’s also vegan ice cream!

To make the avocado ice cream yourself, you only need a few ingredients: coconut milk, avocados, mint, chocolate, and possibly some agave syrup. Although avocados have a relatively high number of calories and a high-fat content, healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids predominate.

Mint and lemon provide vitamin C and at the same time provide a fresh kick. The whole thing is also done in no time at all: you only need 15 minutes until the ice is in the cooler – but then you have to wait. But anticipation is often the best joy!

We fell in love with the creamy avocado ice cream – just try it out and enjoy the fresh licking fun on hot days.

The recipe for the avocado mint ice cream with chocolate

For 6 servings

  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 3 ripe avocados
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • Agave syrup (optional)
  • fresh mint (or mint extract)
  • 100 g chocolate drop (or to taste)
  • Besides that
  • cling film

Preparation steps

  1. Open the coconut milk and scoop out the solid part at the top – don’t shake the can first – and pour it into a large bowl! Using a hand mixer, beat the solid coconut milk until fluffy, and then pour into a cake or casserole dish.
  2. Split the avocados, pit and scoop out the flesh, and place in a food processor. Blend together with the lemon juice, agave syrup, and mint leaves until smooth and creamy.
  3. Put the avocado mixture on the fluffy coconut cream, sprinkle the chocolate chips over it, and mix the mixture carefully but evenly.
  4. The surface of the mass should be relatively smooth. Now place cling film on top and press lightly so that there is no air between the film and the ice cream mass. Place the ice cream in the freezer for at least two hours.
  5. Let it thaw and enjoy.
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Food

Quark Berry Frost Ice Cream for Hot Days

Refreshing, delicious, and guaranteed without artificial additives. The quark and berry frost is almost like homemade ice cream, the shift change looks pretty and the dessert melts in the mouth of children and adults alike.

Hot weather, no ice cream machine, and the ice cream parlor the other day tasted more like aroma than real ingredients? Then just try this dessert. By the way, it also makes a great end to a nice dinner! The recipe itself is easy, but it will take some time.

Ingredients for 4 persons

  • 500g low-fat quark
  • 6 tbsp lemon juice
  • 80g and 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 250g whipped cream
  • 300g frozen berries (wild fruit mix or raspberries taste best)
  • 75g butter
  • 150g butter biscuits

Preparation

  1. First, let the berries thaw sufficiently so that they can be pureed.
  2. Add 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of sugar to the berries and then puree the berries with a hand blender to a fine pulp.
  3. In another bowl, mix the quark with the remaining lemon juice. Add 80g of sugar and a pinch of salt.
  4. Then whip the cream until stiff and fold it into the quark mixture.
  5. Everything is now piled up in a freezer-safe, preferably square container: Start with 4 tablespoons of quark mixture and smooth it out. Place the container in the freezer for half an hour, then take it out again and pour 2 tablespoons of berry mixture over it, smooth it out, and so on until the quark and berry puree is completely used up.
  6. When everything is layered, crumble the butter biscuits and toast them in the butter. Top the layered dessert with the crumbs and freeze completely.
  7. If you have completely frozen your quark berry ice cream, let it thaw for a few minutes before serving. But it can also be enjoyed semi-frozen.
  8. In any case, it should be firm enough to be able to cut it into 1.5 cm thick slices in the container and then serve them. Delicious!

Useful additional knowledge

You can also always apply a thin layer of liquid couverture after alternating quark and berries and let it freeze before you start with the next layer of quark. It looks lovely when sliced ​​and gives your dessert a vendetta effect. If you enjoy garnishing, you can do that with sprigs of mint or lemon balm.

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Cooking Tips

Tips and Recipes for Making Ice Cream Yourself

Useful tips for making ice cream and making simple ice cream recipes yourself. For your own ice cream making in summer or for a great dessert with homemade ice cream.

Cool ice cream in the summer is one of the best rewards after a long day at work or school. If there is no ice cream in their own freezer, families can now easily make their own ice cream. It can be made either with an ice cream machine or simply in the freezer.

What is an ice machine?

An ice machine is generally a device that produces an ice cream mass from a liquid. The ice cream machines all have a very similar structure. They usually consist of a large bowl into which the liquid is filled. There is a cooling liquid on the rim of the bowl. The bowl is chilled in the freezer for about 10 hours before making. The cooling liquid on the edge then continues to cool and freeze the ice mass.

A small motor with a dough hook ensures the movement of the mass and the even icing of the entire liquid. An ice machine can usually be purchased for 50 euros. However, it must be stored in the freezer for around ten hours before each use so that the walls of the key are permanently cooled.

What ingredients do you need to make ice cream?

There are countless recipes for making ice cream, but most of them are based on the same ingredients. These include milk or cream, sugar, fruit, or chocolate. The best flavors of ice cream can be made with these simple ingredients. The milk or cream provides the creamy consistency of the ice cream. Although cream naturally tastes better, milk has far less fat and fewer calories.

So if you want to make low-calorie ice cream, you should choose milk instead of cream. Sugar is also an integral part of ice cream. It makes the ice cream sweet and makes it taste better. Sugar is a natural flavor carrier and intensifies the taste of the ice cream. Although sugar increases the calories, of course, it should still be present in the ice cream. Most ice cream flavors contain fruit or chocolate (or both). The fruits are usually pureed or chopped.

Which fruits are suitable for making ice cream yourself?

The fruits, which can be easily pureed and chopped, are particularly suitable for making ice cream. Hard fruits like apples are not suitable for making ice cream yourself. So if you want to make your own ice cream, you should use fruits such as bananas, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries. But exotic fruits such as mangoes or watermelons can also be used. Frozen fruit is also ideal for ice cream. These are already chilled and just need to be pureed.

Which chocolate when making ice cream?

Here the user has a free choice. You can use the chocolate you like best. If you add chocolate to the ice cream, you no longer need additional sugar because it is already contained in the chocolate.

What to look out for when making ice cream yourself?

Actually, all the ingredients are simply pureed together to create a creamy mass of milk/cream, sugar, and fruit/chocolate. This mass should then rest in the fridge for at least an hour to get a lower temperature. If you immediately put the warm mass in the ice cream machine, you will not get a satisfactory result. When using frozen fruit, this step is no longer necessary, the mass can be put into the machine immediately. Make some recipes for ice cream yourself

General fruit ice cream (for two people):

  • A cup of cream or 250 milliliters of milk
  • Two tablespoons of sugar
  • Approximately 250g grams of fruit (strawberries, bananas, blueberries…)

All ingredients are pureed together until a creamy mass is formed. This is chilled for about an hour and finally added to the ice cream maker. After about thirty minutes in the machine, the ice cream is ready.

Chocolate ice cream (for two people):

  • A cup of cream or 250 milliliters of milk
  • Half a bar of chocolate (about 50 grams)
  • Possibly nuts

The chocolate needs to be liquefied. To do this, liquefy the chocolate either in a water bath or in the microwave. This is then added to the cream or milk and mixed with the nuts. Be sure to refrigerate afterward as the chocolate will be hot. After cooling, simply put in the ice cream maker, after about 20 minutes the ice cream is ready.

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