07 April 2016

Why Is Salt Used in Ice Cream?

Do you make ice cream at home or did your parents or grandparents ever make it?  Have you ever wondered why you use salt in the process of making ice cream?

If you’ve ever seen the old-fashioned hand cranked ice cream machines, you know there is a space for the ice, which also happens to be the space for salt. 

Why salt? The aspect to ponder is the freezing point. Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Any temperature above 32 starts the melting process – which isn’t good for ice cream.

Ice cream freezes at a lower temperature than water because its sugar and fat contents hinder the development of ice crystals; therefore, a colder temperature is required to freeze the ice cream.  Ice alone will not sufficiently cool the ice cream base, as it will melt before the base has cooled to an adequate temperature.

Salt can help lower the freezing/melting point of water.  Just think of how ice melting salt impacts the roads. Similarly, adding salt to the ice that surrounds the ice cream base provides a temperature cold enough so that the ice cream inside can thicken and freeze before the ice outside the base entirely melts.

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