Since we’ve started treating our guests to frozen custard over the last several months, most of the responses we get are invariably the same. “Well, what is it?” Then, “Oh, that’s the best tasting stuff I’ve ever had!” But, for newcomers to frozen custard, it can be confusing. We’ve heard people say that it’s “high in fat and full of eggs,” and “that tastes too good, it can’t be healthy.” On balance, we’ve also heard frozen custard described as “where God gets his ice cream.” So, let’s get the whole “scoop,” shall we?
Dating back to the early 1900’s in Coney Island, frozen custard is a cold dessert that is thought of as highly superior to ice cream, made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar. Why the confusion on an item that has been around 100 years or so?
From our friend Steve Christenson at the Frozen Dessert Institute: “After a strong start on the east coast, the growth of Frozen Custard really took off after the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1930. A short migration north found multiple operators opening stands in the Milwaukee area, which to this day has the highest concentration of custard stores per capita than anywhere in the world… So what makes frozen custard different to soft serve or regular hard scoop ice cream? And let’s face it: it is an Ice Cream. I have a lot of people say to me ‘So how is the Ice Cream business…oops, I mean Frozen Custard business?’ Frozen custard is an ice cream under the standard of identity that the FDA has mandated. It must contain at least 10% butterfat. So Frozen Custard is a type, or flavor of the Ice Cream Family.”
You can see Steve’s smiling face at www.frozendessertinstitute.com.
One main difference between custard and ice cream is the creation process. Ice cream is made using a process called overrun, in which air is blended into the mixture of ingredients until its volume increases by approximately 100%, meaning half of the final product is composed of air. By comparison, custard is blended much slower and may have overrun as low as 20%. The low percentage of overrun and the egg yolk give frozen custard a thick, creamy texture and a smoother, softer consistency than ice cream. In addition, frozen custard is most often served at 18 degrees rather than the -10 to -20 degrees at which ice cream is stored. The higher temperature allows you to really taste the goodness of the natural flavors without numbing your palate the way ice cream does.
We make our frozen custard fresh several times a day by churning our own special blend of all-natural ingredients. We churn the ingredients slowly with care inside a freezer unit. We take our time and handle it with TLC to ensure each and every bite is perfect for you. We couldn’t do it any better unless it was hand-churned the way Granny did it on the farm! We will hand-dip a waffle cone or a bowl, or we can twist in anything from numerous favors and ingredients that we have on hand so you can build your own “twist-rrr” anyway you want. Frozen custard also makes the ABSOLUTE BEST shakes as well. Try vanilla, chocolate, or our strawberry shakes, or invent your own. Our frozen custard is made with the same philosophy that you’ve come to expect from your friends at Andy’s, made fresh and from the highest quality ingredients. Come on in and try our frozen custard today!
You won’t believe what you’ve been missing!
