The Popularity of Ice Cream and Gelato Today
Many different forms of dessert are enjoyed across the United States today, and few of them are as widespread and beloved as ice cream. This frozen treat comes in many different flavors, some classic, and some recent. Ice cream is joined by related frozen desserts such as gelato, frozen custard, sherbet, and even Popsicles and Mexican paletas, too. Some ice cream treats are made with diet-conscious ingredients too, such as kosher dairy or lactose-free ice cream, so that anyone can enjoy these treats. Finding the best ice cream around may mean looking online to find well-rated dessert parlors on specialized websites or apps, or a seeker may use the old-fashioned way: prowl their town or city’s downtown and find an ice cream parlor that’s getting a lot of business. Using the Internet to find ice cream is helpful, but it can also be fun to visit a new town or city and find treats such as ice cream with the naked eye. Stumbling upon a wonderful dessert parlor can be a real treat in more ways than one.
Ice Cream by the Numbers
This frozen dessert dates back over a century, and it has had plenty of time to establish itself as a classic cold treat. It can also be provided either hard serve or soft serve, with the former containing more air and being served at a lower temperature than the soft serve version. Either way, though, plenty of studies and statistics show how popular these frozen desserts are in the United States today. After all, many marketers need to know where and how popular certain foods and beverages are, and that includes frozen treats, too. For example, a study done by the NDP group has found that in any given two-week period, some 40% of Americans will eat ice cream or a similar frozen treat, which is over 100 million people. It has also been found that most American households have a frozen treat in the freezer, and over 90% of households regularly indulge in frozen treats, from gelato to frozen custard and more. It has also been noted that around 8-9% of all American dairy is dedicated to making ice cream, and June ranks as the most productive month for making this dessert. That is just in time for a whole summer of Americans wanting a frozen treat to cool off.
How To Serve
There is more than one way to enjoy frozen treats such as these. Many parlors will serve ice cream on waffle cones, and these cones are a classic image of summer edible fun. These waffle cones are in fact edible, and their crunchy, dry texture and mild sweetness may make for a great contrast with the frozen treat put on top. Some Americans like to share images of their stylish ice cream cones on social media, just for fun. These cones are known for being messy, though, and having more than one scoop of ice cream means that some ice cream might fall off, and in the heat, these treats will start melting. Unless a customer gets a small serving, they might see their treat melting, and these cones don’t make for good leftovers containers.
Laminated paper cups and plastic bowls are popular alternatives. They aren’t edible or stylish, but these containers are ideal for keeping ice cream or gelato inside, mess free. This means no drips or lost scoops, and with a plastic spoon, a customer can mix around ingredients and condiments as they like. What is more, these neat bowls and cups also make for good leftovers containers.
An ice cream parlor may set up a working relationship with local suppliers for everything they need, from paper cups and paper napkins all the way to plastic bowls and lids, not to mention the food itself. The store should have a variety of ice cream flavors on hand, and perhaps gelato or frozen custard or sherbet, too, for variety. Having both waffle cones and non-edible cups and bowls on hand helps the store serve any customer. And at the end of each work day, the ice cream machines can be rinsed, then taken apart and washed in soapy water to prepare them for another day’s hard work.
