Our Italian batch freezer does not have air pumps, all air is naturally incorporated by the ingredients & the freezing process.
Air incorporation is one of the best hidden secrets about gelato, and one of the many reasons why real, artisanal gelato is so much better than regular ice cream!
Let’s start by saying that a quality gelato needs air to create a soft, creamy structure, but we don’t need too much of it!
What is “air incorporation” anyway?
The technical term is “overrun”, and by that we mean all the air that the single gelato flavor is able to incorporate while is churned and frozen in the batch freezer.
In artisanal gelato the air is incorporated naturally, at the beginning of the freezing process thanks mainly to the ingredients in the mix and the work of the beater. There are no air pumps in my freezers, therefore the product is not over inflated, resulting in a much denser, creamier and flavorful treat!
What helps or doesn’t help air incorporation?
Ingredients and the correct gelato making process play a big role in air incorporation and this is why some flavors do incorporate more air than others. Ingredients like egg yolks, milk powder and milk proteins will help incorporate more air, while high fat content, high total solids, nut pastes or cocoa powder will result in denser, heavier gelato. Other factors that help achieve an optimal air incorporation are the correct aging of your gelato base (a traditional hot process, like I use) and making sure you always pour cold (36-38F) mixes in the batch freezer to facilitate the freezing process.
There is also normally a difference in air incorporation between regular dairy gelato & sorbetti (dairy free & fat free). Sorbetti do incorporate less air because they do not contain fat, eggs and have a higher sugar content.
Why air incorporation is so important, especially for the consumer?
Without air (which cannot be frozen) gelato will result in a hard product that is similar to popsicles. There is though a big difference between incorporating the right amount of air (artisanal gelato) and over inflating your products because it saves money on ingredients! Since we normally sell gelato & ice cream by volume (pints, quarts, cups or spoons) rather than weight, the more air I can whip into my products the less ingredients I’ll need to fill up those containers. For example, regular ice cream and low quality gelato have 80-100% or more air incorporation, that means that your pint is actually half or more filled with air. This is why those products are so light and flavorless, you are just eating (and paying for) a lot of air! The ideal air incorporation in gelato is between 30-35%, while for a sorbetto should be around 25-30%, big difference!
If you really want to know, let the product melt completely on your table to see how much product you actually bought. Be prepared to freak out!
This is also a reason why true artisanal gelato is more expensive than ice cream, because you are actually eating more product and much less air!
You don’t want to pay for air do you?
Hopefully this was helpful & valuable!
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A presto amici!
Vincenzo