Ice Cream? Gelato? Sorbet? Sherbet?

What's the difference?

Is the difference between sorbet and sherbet just a matter of pronunciation?

Is gelato just ice cream that comes from Italy? 

Frozen desserts are one of the most popular treats around the world, and with so many kinds, there are only subtle differences between them. These refreshing treats are not just interchangeable names! 

But good news! We have the answer to your icy-burning questions. So let's dig in deep into the many kinds of frozen desserts we love eating when it's sunny.

ICE CREAM

Commonly, ice cream is made of milk, cream, sugar, and flavourings. However, some companies do use sweeteners, non-dairy milk products, skim milk, and other variations of the classic recipe. All these ingredients are then churned together and frozen all at the same time, giving it a foamy and creamy texture. 

Ice cream is usually served between 6-10 degrees Fahrenheit. It is served at the chilliest temperature amongst most frozen desserts, affecting its taste. Cold temperatures numb our taste buds, not letting strong flavours to come through.

One of the greatest distinctions between ice cream and other frozen desserts is that it contains at least 10% milk fat.

GELATO

Gelato is an Italian dessert, another variation of ice cream. It is usually viewed as ice cream's European cousin since it's made with mainly the same ingredients as ice cream. Even though gelato may translate to "ice cream" in Italian, however, the two are completely distinct desserts. Gelato contains less milk fat and sugar compared to ice cream.

During the churning process, it churns slowly to allow less air in the mixture, giving the gelato a denser texture, but also a soft and glossy look.

What makes gelato different from ice cream is that gelato is served less frozen.  It is usually served between 10-22 degrees Fahrenheit. This is to keep its dense texture from becoming too solid and difficult to eat. Due to the warmer serving temperature, the flavour comes across as much stronger than ice cream.

SORBET

Sorbet, pronounced as "sorbei", this frozen dessert is frequently confused with sherbet. These 2 terms are even used interchangeably. Though the 2 are distinct from one another, their differences are not too big.

Unlike ice cream and gelato, sorbet doesn't contain any milk or cream. It is just fruit that's blended, churned, then frozen. Sugar and flavourings are sometimes added to give an extra flavour. Because it doesn't contain any dairy products, it has very low fat, or in fact, some have no fat at all! However, it contains a lot of sugar.

Sorbet's core ingredient is fruit puree, so it is less versatile in flavours than ice cream or gelato, limited to mainly fruit flavours.

Sorbet is served with a similar temperature as gelato, 10-22 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the warmer temperature, this frozen dessert has a lighter, slushy ice texture, as well as a flavour that comes across stronger.

SHERBET

People often think of sherbet as the same dessert as sorbet, but they do have a small difference. Sherbet is basically made up of the same ingredients as sorbet, however, sherbet contains some cream, milk, or sometimes even buttermilk. This is to give the frozen dessert a richer, creamier texture.

Similar to sorbet, sherbet is limited in its flavours to fruit-based flavours. They are also served at a similar temperature to sorbet, 10-22 degrees Fahrenheit. 

After reading this blog, I am sure that you can now identify the differences. I hope this blog has come informative to you. And that's all for this week's blog post.

SOURCES : 

- differences

- ingredients