The food science behind designing an ice cream • Hacker News Board

Re: The food science behind designing an ice cream

#11

Post by lstodd » Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 12:51 AM UTC

socalgal2 wrote: post #4

lstodd wrote: post #2

Icecream was solved in 1950s in USSR.

I've had lots of different ice creams. I enjoy the differences. Turkish Ice Cream is chewy for example. I like soft serve sometimes too and the quality varies widely from icy (meh) to smooth (yum) to light and creamy (yum). There's a branch in Japan that advertizes it's 25% whipped cream. it's great! What's 1950s USSR ice cream like?

Process makes the product, not percentage. You can for example attempt to make icecream from say typical 30% and end up with uneatable slop only because you didn't start with whole milk out of the cow.

Turkish I would not consider an icecream at all (and I lived in IST for half a year).

it is hard to convey in words the sheer delight. has to be experienced.

Re: The food science behind designing an ice cream

#12

Post by striking » Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 1:39 AM UTC

lstodd wrote: post #10

striking wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've not personally had it but from my experience with fresh high quality high milk fat dairy (which I believe Soviet ice cream to be), the richness, high fat content, lack of air bubbles and stabilizers help keep it from melting.

Best ingredients possible make the product remarcable. For icecream you make it from cream, not milk, not some substitute, just the real milk cream. Not the processed crap that's sold along the same crap milk. The real thing, made from real milk at the spot. And then you have the product. It's enshittification reversed.

Yep. The only place I have had anything like this is at the University of Connecticut dairy farm. They make the ice cream on campus from dairy cows that live on campus. And it's lovingly made by bushy-tailed, bright-eyed students, so the technique is immaculate as well.

There are some facsimiles where I live now but nothing could ever replace the real thing.

Re: The food science behind designing an ice cream

#13

Post by IAmBroom » Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 3:39 PM UTC

striking wrote: post #8

socalgal2 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had lots of different ice creams. I enjoy the differences. Turkish Ice Cream is chewy for example. I like soft serve sometimes too and the quality varies widely from icy (meh) to smooth (yum) to light and creamy (yum). There's a branch in Japan that advertizes it's 25% whipped cream. it's great! What's 1950s USSR ice cream like?

I've not personally had it but from my experience with fresh high quality high milk fat dairy (which I believe Soviet ice cream to be), the richness, high fat content, lack of air bubbles and stabilizers help keep it from melting.

> I've not personally had it...

> which I believe Soviet ice cream to be...

Wow.

Re: The food science behind designing an ice cream

#14

Post by striking » Mon, Jun 29, 2026, 4:49 PM UTC

IAmBroom wrote: post #13

striking wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've not personally had it but from my experience with fresh high quality high milk fat dairy (which I believe Soviet ice cream to be), the richness, high fat content, lack of air bubbles and stabilizers help keep it from melting.

> I've not personally had it... > which I believe Soviet ice cream to be... Wow.

I mean. I looked up https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plombir

The standard at which it was made appears to be a historical fact.