When it’s hot, it’s not just children who want a good ice cream, everyone can want a chocolate ball or a strawberry sorbet! Even though it’s a simple everyday pleasure, there are a few things you need to watch out for to avoid being scammed. Sometimes the prices are exorbitant even though the ice creams are not homemade. To stop being fooled, we asked for advice from Denis Lavaud, master ice cream maker since 2003 and creator of artisanal Angélys ice cream (available in stores and supermarkets). Our expert reveals some valuable tips for recognizing real artisanal ice cream.
How to find a good ice cream parlor?
During the summer period, the ice cream shops wage a real war. Don’t let yourself be intimidated by all the marketing deployment to attract you. Ice expert Denis Lavaud shows you how to avoid all the icy traps.
1. Artisan, ice cream master, who to turn to?
“The term “artisanal” means nothingregrets Denis Lavaud, cThis means that you have a CAP and that you are registered with the Chamber of Trades and Crafts. You can very well make homemade ice cream with milk powder.…”. It is the same with the term master ice cream maker it is not regulated. On the other hand, the name “artisanal ice cream master”, is granted by the Chamber of Trades and Crafts after several years of practice. “In comparison, it is obtaining a star at Michelin Guide“, explains Denis Lavaud.
2. Pay attention to color
And no, even if it looks nice, neon blue smurf-flavored ice cream is a first indicator of poor quality ice cream and reveals the presence of coloring. Same “ the right test, look at it pistachio color. It’s supposed to be khaki, not kiwi green. So it’s less of a seller but it’s a sign of artisanal quality.” Vanilla ice cream is not a dubious yellow, but white.
3. Avoid bins that form mountains of ice cream.
Your senses are your best allies, look at the presentation bins in the window, “if you see large pile of overflowing ice creamis that they are full of preservatives. To flee”. These huge tubs of ice cream presented in a frozen and creamy swirl also have the particularity of not melting. There is therefore a good chance that ice cream contains a good amount of gelatin. An artisanal ice cream parlor will present small containers, filled to the brim.
4. No more than 40 flavors!
Yes, it’s tempting but if you see an ice cream parlor that displays a huge range of flavors, that means that most of the ice creams and sorbets are made from powder and water. “It’s impossible to manage, 30 to 40 flavors is the maximum that a real ice cream parlor can make each day.”
Premixes, the hyper-profitable trick of unscrupulous ice cream parlors: inexpensive, practical and quick to make, premixes are ready-made ice cream or sorbet bases, made from milk powder, emulsifier and fat. A little water and a spin in the turbine and you will have the illusion of artisanal ice cream.
5. The lemon and vanilla perfume test, the unstoppable tip
Denis Lavaud is categorical, “ask your ice cream parlor to let you taste the lemon sorbet, it is fatal. By taste, you will know straight away if it is fresh lemon or lemon concentrate. You will thus have an overview of the rest of the quality of the ice creams offered, and in turn you will know if the sorbet is made with a mixture of industrial powder or if it is homemade. “Also test the vanilla ! also advises Denis Lavaud, it is necessary that the small vanilla grains crack slightly under the tooth. If this is not the case, it is because the ice cream was made with waste from vanilla pod“.
Angélys ice cream
Angélys ice creams are made in France and are certified “Homemade ice creams from France“. Sorbets (we recommend the raspberry flavor which is not always available depending on the harvest), contain between 60% to 70% fruit. Ice creams contain more than the 5% fat required by French regulations “Made in France” products are guaranteed to be free of coloring, palm oil or preservatives. Its “whole pod vanilla” ice cream was Flavors of the Year 2020. Denis Lavaud infuses nearly three pods per liter of ice cream!
Making artisanal caramel ice cream
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