In: Biology
1. What would happen if you would freeze the ice cream without churning? Would it become hard or soft? Please explain your answer.
Answer: Ice cream should be solid but soft. If the ingredients of ice cream are just mixed and are frozen without churning, one would just get a hard, solid frozen cream
When the mixture is frozen, water starts freezing and it forms ice crystals, these ice crystals makes the mixture solid. The size of these crystals is important in determining the consistency of the final product. These ice crystals should be as small as possible to make the ice cream soft.
Churning of the ice cream mixture helps in forming a perfect ice cream in many ways, churning breaks the large crystals making them smaller and smaller, churning enhances breaking of fat droplets and also their dispersion which forms a thin base and can take in more air. More air results in increasing the volume. Thus churning makes the ice cream fuller, stable and softer.
Note: Moreover increasing the amount of fat in the ice cream will allow it to take in more air which improves its stability and texture. Large crystal formation can also be prevented by adding more sugar or some alcohol. Intermittent churning while the mixture is freezing helps to give the right consistency.