As foodies become more widespread the term “gelato” is increasingly misused. Gelato is not interchangeable with ice cream. While they share ingredients, the technique involved is completely different. It’s like saying a chocolate chip cookie is the same thing as a brownie. You would have to lack a mouth not to know the difference.
While both are creamy and pair wonderfully with chocolate drizzle, gelato is more dense, smooth, and fluid. It’s usually served with a miniature spade instead of in a cone. It’s also served slightly warmer than ice cream, meaning your mouth is less numb and can taste more of the flavours.
Ice cream and gelato both contain cream, milk, and sugar, but gelato doesn’t use egg yolks. It also has more milk and less cream than standard ice cream.
Gelato is churned slowly, resulting in a more dense dessert with less air. This also makes it more elastic, resulting in these beautiful swirled mounds.
If you want to cool down on a hot day, ice cream’s the best bet. It won’t melt as quickly.
If you’re after an intense, satisfying flavour hit, you want a gelato. Pile it high and dig in.
