People often thinks that ice cream and gelato are the same things but they are not. Ice cream is an American frozen dessert. Ice cream and gelato both are frozen desserts but they have major key differences between them right from the origin to their key ingredients to the serving. On the other hand, Gelato is an Italian dessert that started gaining popularity in 2009 in US, following successful branches in Australia and then in Middle-East, mostly Western Europe and Eastern Europe.
Here are the differences between ice cream and gelato:
Ingredients:
While the basic ingredients like milk, cream and sugar remain same in both the desserts, the difference lies in the proportion. Gelato contains more amount of milk and lesser amount of cream as compared to ice cream. Eggs can be a major ingredient or no ingredient at all in these desserts, depending on which style of dessert you want to make.
Butterfat:
Ice cream contains more butterfat as compared to gelato. The minimum fat contained in ice cream is 10 percent. It generally varies between 14 and 25 percent. Whereas in gelato, the percentage of fat lies between 4 and 9.
Overrun (amount of air):
The whole mixture of ice cream is churned at very higher rate and this makes more and more incorporated in the ice cream. Ice cream contains nearly 80 percent overrun which makes it fluffy. In gelato, this is not the case. It is churned at very slower rate and make incorporate less air. It contains nearly 35 percent overrun in it which makes it a dense and an intense dessert.
Flavor and Texture:
Both ice cream and gelato comes in wide range of flavors. The difference lies in their texture. Gelato is smoother, creamier and dense ice cream. Its taste is more intense as compared to ice cream. On the other hand, ice cream is more of a fatty and fluffy ice cream. Due to the presence of more air, it’s lighter.
Serving Temperature:
Ice cream is served at very cold temperatures due to which its cups are able to hold it properly. The time you pour the spoon of ice cream in your mouth, it remains in your mouth for a comparatively longer period and slightly gives you the taste. Gelato is served at warmer temperatures. Due to this, during serving, its appearance seems smoother, silkier and creamier to you. And the time you pour a bit of it in your mouth, you immediately feels the immense taste of it.
Nutrition:
Gelato is healthy than ice cream from the nutritional point of view. It contains only natural ingredients and no more added flavors or essence. Gelato is eaten by every age group people. Due to its all these specialties, the numbers of gelato users are increasing.