And it ain't just the same as icecream! An unknown food critic once said a frozen custard stand is 'where God gets His ice cream'. For thousands of frozen custard fans, this is probably not an exaggeration. Frozen custard is to regular ice cream what cream is to milk. Frozen custard is richer and creamier that standard ice cream because of a higher butterfat content, slower production time and less air blended into the mix. Recipes for the custard mix can be traced back to the 1900s, but the commercial machines used to create frozen custard weren't invented until 1920 or so. The custard mix recipes also varied widely, although the basic ingredients of cream, sugar and egg yolks remained consistent. Some frozen custard recipes called for a boiled mixture, while others suggested using chilled ingredients and raw egg yolks. With the advent of commercial freezer units designed specifically for frozen custard, a number of families in the eastern and midwestern United States started their own ice cream stands during the 1930s and 1940s. Much like its ice cream counterpart, frozen custard is served on cones or used as a base for milkshakes, floats, sundaes and blends. Frozen custard gets its creaminess from a higher percentage of butterfat compared to standard grade ice creams. In order to be considered a true custard, the mix must contain at least 10% butterfat, but it's not unusual to see butterfat percentages as high as 18% or more. Because of concerns over the use of raw eggs, many modern frozen custard stands have either eliminated egg yolks altogether or modify their processing to ensure safety. The frozen custard mixture is also stored in a refrigerated hopper before entering the freezing chamber, which keeps the temperature well below the recommended minimum. Frozen custard is most often served at 26 degrees Fahrenheit (a full 16 degrees warmer than the 10 degrees Fahrenheit at which ice cream is served). One reason frozen custard is noticeably thicker than standard soft-serve ice cream is the churning process inside the freezer unit. The beaters inside the chamber of a frozen custard machine turn much more slowly than those in a soft-serve ice cream machine. This slow churning prevents excessive air from being mixed into the custard as it freezes. Standard ice cream beaters are designed to incorporate air into the product, a process called overrun. As the frozen custard solidifies, it falls into a waiting freezer ready for serving. Frozen custard is rarely offered outside of these frozen custard stores. The process of making it can be labor intensive and time-consuming, which works well for individual stands maintaining a limited supply, but not for a commercial production line. A typical frozen custard stand often limits its offerings to a few flavors - chocolate, vanilla, and a featured flavor of the day. This practice allows each frozen custard machine to be dedicated to one flavor run, and the quality of the products can be maintained. Consumer demand for a variety of flavors would also make commercial frozen custard difficult to market. Frozen custards stands are primarily found in the Midwest or Eastern Seaboard regions of the US. In days gone by the purists only made vanilla and chocolate but Culver's were the first to introduce a daily flavour. My favourite "apple pie", chunks of apple and pastry crust...who needs cookie dough! The good part - they only make it once a month, so at least the addiction won't get me in too much trouble...
(Those in the know will know what I mean!...)
