Difference Between Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Soft Serve

Frozen Yogurt vs Ice Cream vs Soft Serve
 

There are many different types of desserts that are eaten by people after meals and also whenever they feel the need for them. These sweet dishes are loved by people of all ages but especially by kids. Ice cream, soft serve, and frozen yogurt are the most popular of desserts that also confuse many people because of their similarities. When you are standing in an ice cream parlor and see all these varieties displayed on its counter, you are likely to make a mistake calling out one for another when you do not know their differences. This article attempts to find out the differences between ice cream, soft serve, and frozen yogurt.

Ice Cream

Ice cream is perhaps the most loved and most popular of desserts that are made from milk. It is made using milk and cream after adding sugar and other flavors and served frozen. The ingredients are stored in the refrigerator after introducing air to prevent the formation of ice crystals during freezing. Ice cream is neither solid nor liquid, and it can be gulped down with ease as it is very smooth.

In US, the term ice cream can only be applied to the frozen dessert when it has at least 10% of milk fat. Ice cream is mostly eaten in cones though it is also served in glasses and plates.

Soft Serve

This is a special kind of ice cream that is very soft because air is introduced to it during its making. Soft serve is served in cones mostly. Soft serve, because it contains more air than milk and cream, is of lower quality than an ice-cream and is also quite inexpensive. In US, an ice cream is soft serve if it contains only 3-6% of milk fat. Soft serve gets made at higher temperatures than ice cream. People feel that they are having a creamier product when eating a soft serve though the fact is that they are drawing in lots of air. Many manufacturers add air to the tune of 50-60% by volume, but it lowers the taste of the product. The air content should remain around 40%, to maintain the quality of this dessert.

Frozen Yogurt

As the name implies, this is a dessert that is made up of yogurt that has been frozen. It is not ice cream and has a tart taste that differentiates it from an ice cream. As it makes use of yogurt and not cream, the milk fat content in frozen yogurt is also lower than in an ice cream. There is no regulation on the making of frozen yogurt by FDA though there are regulations imposed by a few states, in US. Frozen yogurt contains bacteria culture that differentiates it from other types of ice creams.

What is the difference between Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, and Soft Serve?

• Of the three desserts, ice cream has the highest milk fat content while frozen yogurt has the lowest milk fat content.

• Soft serve is a type of ice cream that feels creamier because of all the air introduced into it during freezing.

• Frozen yogurt has a tart taste while ice cream and soft serve are very sweet.

• Frozen yogurt has bacteria culture that is not there in ice cream and soft serve.