Why Does Gelato Look Stretchy?
- Claire Lee
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
With summer break here, ice cream on the beach seems more tempting than ever. The first image you might think of is a classic scoop on a cone. But have you heard of gelato? This Italian dessert has an almost stretchy appearance, like melted cheese—why is that?
Both gelato and ice cream are emulsions, which means that they are a mixture of fat and water. Fat and water molecules usually repel each other because the former is nonpolar and the latter is polar: one is balanced and the other has induced charges, preventing their interaction. But through emulsion, fat and water can be fully combined to create a smooth texture even at low temperatures for a pleasant eating experience. Egg yolks are commonly used to combine the two, making it an emulsifier. Their molecules have hydrophilic and lipophilic properties, enabling them to bind on one end to water and the other to fat.
Besides egg yolks, there are various other synthetic emulsifiers such as soy lecithin, monoglycerides, and polysorbate 80 available for commercial production.
The distinguishing aspect of gelato is that it has much less fat and air than ice cream. It is made with milk and includes egg yolks rather than cream as its main source of fat.
Surprisingly, most are just 4 to 9% fat. The emulsion is then churned slowly and kept between 10 and 22 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, gelato has very little air and maintains a silky texture when served. By contrast, American ice cream must have at least 10% fat content by mass, with most brands using cream alongside egg yolks to achieve the necessary proportion of fat to sugar. Then, it is churned quickly to incorporate lots of air, making the dessert easy to scoop, but less smooth.
Due to these differences in preparation methods, gelato appears stretchy compared to ice cream.
Claire Lee is a rising senior at Leigh High School in San Jose, California. She is currently a student researcher for miRcore, a non-profit working to democratize medical research for all. She has worked in a confectionary shop and is interested in baking and chocolate.
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