Ice cream and gelato are well-loved frozen desserts enjoyed by people of any age. Gelato is the traditional Italian Ice Cream. The word “gelato” comes from the Latin word “gelatus” meaning “frozen”. While both gelato and ice cream contain cream, milk and sugar, there are differences, too. The major differences between gelato and ice cream lies in the level of fat, ratio of milk to cream, flavors and textures, and overrun.
Ingredients
As the name implies, "ice cream" contains more cream than milk. With more cream comes with more fat. Ice cream with more amount of fat has a smoother texture. But since fat is pricey, non-premium brands with less fat use emulsifiers and stabilizers to help bring the mixture together and maintain an ideal texture. Hence, expensive ice cream brands have 14% to 18% of fat, while affordable brands often go as low as 10%.
Meanwhile, gelato is made with more milk than cream. Italian gelato, though, only has about 5% to 7 % fat. Thereof, gelato typically contains half the fat and a fraction of the calories compared to regular ice cream. Another ingredient that distinguishes the two is eggs; ice cream includes egg yolks while gelato is rarely contains egg yolks.
Flavour and Air
Gelato’s flavours tend to taste more intense because there's less fat coating. More fruit flavour comes through because it is not competing with the fat. Conversely, ice cream is best for flavours you want to linger. Because the extra fat helps carry the flavour through and hold it on your tongue for longer.
Besides, gelato is churned at a slower speed than ice cream, so less air is incorporated into the freezing mix. This means gelato ends up thicker in texture compared to ice cream. This helps keep gelato dense and intensifies its flavour. This is the reason behind gelato being able to pack much more flavor than any other traditional ice cream and, Gelato takes its flavours from natural ingredients.
The density of gelato allows for more fruit flavour per spoonful, inversely, an ice cream holds more air than its Italian Gelato. In fact, ice cream contains up to 60% more air than gelato does. With super-premium ice cream or Gelato, consumers are getting less air and more product, which means they’re getting more actual ice cream for their money.
Temperature and storage
Ice cream is typically served frozen, around 0 degrees F (-18 degrees C), whereas gelato is typically stored and served at a slightly warmer temperature, around 15 degrees F (-9.4 degrees C). This means gelato is not quite completely frozen, making the texture softer and silkier than ice cream. The gelato doesn't numb the mouth as much as ice cream, allowing the taste buds a fuller flavor experience.
Meanwhile, typically Gelato is produced fresh by using a Batch freezer and is extruded immediately. The extruded Gelato is highly viscous and has a semi-frozen consistency. Gelato also has a short shelf life and generally must be sold the same day that it is made. On the other hand, the ice cream is typically produced in an industrial scale continuous freezer which is aerated and frozen. It can keep longer time with stabilizer and emulsifier.
Why does gelato melt so fast?
Gelato is churned at a much slower speed so less air is incorporated into the freezing mix, making gelato denser than ice cream. Soft serves and industrial ice creams tend to have very high overruns of 100% or more, while the overrun is usually 30% for gelato. The air interspersed throughout the network of ice crystals and fat in ice cream keeps ice cream colder for longer, meaning that gelato is prone to melt faster.
Texture
Gelato is richer, silkier and denser than ice cream. Ice cream is milkier, creamier and sort of ice crystal than gelato.
Is gelato healthier?
Gelato may contain high sugar but it is mostly comprises of natural ingredients that making it healthier and taste, lighter, and arguably more refreshing. It is to be noted that no stabilizer or emulsifier is recommended for the formulation of gelato. Besides, Gelato typically offers fewer calories and lower fat content per serving than ice cream. Because gelato is richer, creamier, and has less air than ice cream, you don’t have to eat as much to feel satisfied.
