Perfect Sorbets

[WhateverYouWant]

Actually the sorbet recipe I had included some rum, and I wondered what leaving the alcohol out might do. I wasn't sure if it was just in there for the flavor.

Both sugar and alcohol lower the freezing point of the water in the mix, so it will be less icy. Corn syrup can be better than sugar because it's less sweet and you can use more of it.

I use dark spiced rum in my pineapple sorbet, and it does provide great flavor. It also provides for less crystalization in the churning process, but doesn't really help avoid it in storage. In fact, too much of it can actually make things worse if and when it warms up and refreezes.

 

[WhateverYouWant]

So what you're saying is that I should wait until a -15 to -30 degree F' February day, and put my ice cream maker outside

Yup. But from what I understand about the haagen-daz process is that it is churned at more of a conventional temperature to a soft serve consistency, and then "finished" in the blast freezer. Kinda like searing a steak at a higher temp, and then finishing it in the oven at a lower one.

Not quite sure what your results will be starting at -30°, but still worth a try.

 

[jeffnc]

Both sugar and alcohol lower the freezing point of the water in the mix, so it will be less icy.

I don't really understand. It still has to freeze, so how does the freezing point change anything?

 

[WhateverYouWant]

I don't really understand. It still has to freeze, so how does the freezing point change anything?

What freezes in ice cream or sorbet is the water content. The difference between great mixtures and not so great mixtures is the size of the ice crystals, the smaller the better. Lowering the point at which the water freezes results in a smoother mixture.