Temperatures rise and consumption of ice creams. The of the country with its 595 million liters per year it is the first producer di ice creams of European Union. However, the sale of domestic ice cream makers. A trend that is explained by the rediscovery of the pleasure of preparing homemade ice cream with raw materials chosen in person, therefore healthier. But there are other reasons as well to prefer a DIY ice cream.
- 1. IT IS LESS The price of the gelato in recent years it has risen by 25%: a small cone can cost from 2 to 3.50 euros, a cost per kilo that is around 25 euros. "Even by purchasing high quality raw materials, it would be impossible to spend so much producing an ice cream at home and paying for the purchase of the ice cream maker", explains the nutritionist Valentina Viti. Ice cream maker that can cost from 40 euros (for the accumulation models) to 400 (for the compression models).
- 2. YOU CHOOSE YOUR INGREDIENTS Milk, cream, fresh fruit, nuts, sugar and eggs are the basis. "We will choose where to buy them, whether organic or not, guaranteeing naturalness, freshness and quality", continues the expert. "This does not mean that these parameters are not respected in artisan ice cream parlors, but it is not easy for the buyer to orient himself in the various proposals and understand what he is eating: many Artisan ice cream, for example are obtained by employing semi-finished bases in powder form, sometimes with the addition of aromas e dyes».
- 3. YOU CAN REPLACE THE SUGAR Sugar in ice cream is not just for sweetening, it is necessary to lower the freezing point. "The higher its content, the lower the freezing temperature of the product, the temperature at which the ice cream will maintain a smooth and easy-to-mix consistency," says Viti. «In artisanal ice creams there is generally a content of XNUMX/XNUMX cup sugar ranging from a minimum of 15% to a maximum of 22%. The common sucrose is used in conjunction with other simple sugars such as glucose syrup, invert sugar, maltodextrin, fructose and dextrose ». A mix that guarantees ideal consistency and conservation but also a high number of calories. "In the domestic ice cream, however, we can replace sucrose with fructose. Taking advantage of its greater sweetness and its effect on freezing and using a smaller quantity, for example 8-10%, without interfering with the final consistency ».
- 4. YOU CAN SIGNIFICANTLY LIMIT FATS The alternative to reduce calories is to use inulin. "It's a fiber first of all beneficial for the intestine, and being a fructose polymer, it can be added in the recipe of our ice cream to contribute to the ideal consistency, while the sweetness will be given by the fresh fruit used in the recipe. Inulin in this can effectively replace milk and cream fats "We have seen how by using 3% inulin it was possible to reduce up to 25% of fats with good textural and sensory characteristics of the final product", continues the nutritionist. "Replacing the fat with inulin increases the viscosity of the ice cream, improves the incorporation of air and produces an ice cream with soft and homogeneous textures".
- 5. CUSTOMIZE THE RECIPE BASED ON NUTRITIONAL NEEDS Preparing an ice cream at home means being able balance ingredients and tastes based on your dietary needs and not only have the alternative between fruit ice cream (lighter because it is fat-free, but with a sugar concentrate that raises blood sugar levels) or ice cream with creams (more caloric but slower to digest and therefore more satiating). «With the do-it-yourself you can check the quality, composition of ingredients, percentages and combinations, so as to customize the recipe based on your nutritional and dietary needs and obtain an ice cream recipe to be eaten even every day for a snack. For example based on yogurt, fresh fruit and dried fruit, light and nutritious ».
