Uncover the Secrets of New England-Style Ice Cream: A Chewy, Taffy-Like Delight
Are you ready to dive into a frozen treat that's both chewy and taffy-like? New England-style ice cream is a unique and delightful variation of the classic dessert, with a rich history and a few key ingredients that set it apart. From Herrell's Ice Cream to Hood, these shops and manufacturers have perfected their own recipes, but there are a few essential features that define this style. Get ready to discover the secrets behind this delicious treat and where to find it.
The Key Features of New England-Style Ice Cream
New England-style ice cream is churned at a slower rate, resulting in a low overrun. This means the ice cream base has less air and smaller, more closely packed air pockets, helping to maintain a thick, dense texture. This texture is perfect for a heaping of mix-ins like cookies, brownies, and candy. Additionally, New England-style ice cream tends to be higher in fat, contributing to a richer, denser texture and a slower melting speed. The fat wraps around and protects the tiny air molecules and ice crystals, making it the perfect base for an ice cream chock-full of fillings.
Where to Find a Scoop of New England-Style Ice Cream
If you're ready to try your hand at finding the perfect New England scoop, you're in luck! There are quite a few key New England ice cream shops to try for the perfect chew. Herrell's Ice Cream is a Massachusetts icon with two locations in Northampton and Amherst. Well known for its thick, mix-in-forward ice cream that comes in flavors like black raspberry mudpie and cookie combustion, the shop's been highlighted in publications from Bon Appétit to USA Today. Hood's New England Creamery Ice Cream is another classic New England brand with a deep history in the region, and this product line is advertised as its creamiest ice cream to date. If you want to try your hand at the customizable marble slab "mix-in" preparation method popular in the region, stop by a Cold Stone Creamery.
Making New England-Style Ice Cream at Home
There's no definitive recipe for New England-style ice cream, as so many of the region's creameries and shops make the dessert using their own recipes and based on individual preferences. One important aspect of achieving an optimal texture is by lowering the speed of your churn in order to prevent too high an overrun. Whipping too much air into your ice cream will produce too fluffy a scoop. If you can slow the churn speed on your ice cream maker, make sure to keep it at a lower speed setting. If you have an ice cream maker that works at a single speed, adding stabilizers can help keep your ice cream thick. The Hood New England Creamery uses guar gum and locust bean gum as thickening agents. If you can't find these stabilizers, you can use arrowroot or xanthan gum. As for those ice cream mix-ins? Well, that's a whole other can of worms (or nuts or chocolate chunks). You can either add your mix-ins towards the end of the churning process or afterward, either by layering them into your ice cream container or working them together on a cold surface, marble slab-style. Just make sure that your mix-ins are chopped small enough and pre-chilled so they don't impact your ice cream's texture. Or, if you're feeling flavorfully fickle, you can always opt for toppings rather than mix-ins.
