The “artisanal” or “home house” mentions can be misleading …
Vanilla, strawberry, chocolate for classics. Hazelnut, rum-grape, mint for the most daring. The ice cream – or the “gelato” as our Italian friends say – are among the delicacies that we appreciate the most in summer. The offer and diversity of perfumes are plethoric in seaside villages and in tourist places. But between the “craft ice creams”, the “homemade” or those designed by “glacier craftsmen”, difficult to see clearly and to be certain to come across a quality product.
Already beware of the mention “craft” which is not a quality label. It simply means that the company has the title of craftsman and that it is registered with the Chamber of Trades and Crafts (CMA). This therefore does not impose quality standards of ingredients or particular manufacturing process. Concretely, a glacier can sell “craft ice cream” which are in fact ice made by another company (which it has the title of craftsman) or offer “premix”, in other words “prefabricated” ice cream from milk powder, vegetable fats and emulsifiers. This is often the case with the so -called “Italian” ice creams from large turbine machines as you can see in fairs or in front of the “Churros” or “Granités” trucks. The term “home house” is also not a guarantee of quality. This means that the ice cream is designed on site but nothing prevents being made from premix. The words “glacier artisan” or “master glacier” can mislead because they are not linked to special regulations either.
To identify a real craft ice cream, made from raw and quality raw materials according to the rules of the profession (turbine, maturation, cooling …), the National Confederation of Glaciers de France (CNGF) has created the quality “Ice” French tradition “quality charter” whose approval is granted to glacier craftsmen who justify a know-how of excellence and respect in the strict sense the commitments of the charter (in particular the detention of a title of craftsman, a seniority of 3 years minimum in the profession, the respect of good hygiene practices …). Thanks to an easily identifiable green background logo displayed on the windows or the storefronts of glaciers and itinerant shops (see opposite), “You are guaranteed to taste a real craft ice cream, developed by a professional with confirmed and recognized know-how. “
Other tips also make it possible to locate a good quality ice cream:
► Color: craft ice creams recognize themselves with their soft, pastel and matt colors, recalling the natural color of the product. “”Ice -free or flashy ice creams mean that colors have been added. When you taste them, you must find the original taste of the ingredient as if you are crunching in the product“, Explains the CNGF on its site. A pistachio ice cream is not green (but beige-marron), a banana ice cream is not yellow-dushed (but beige), a vanilla ice cream is not yellow (but cream in color with small blackheads).
► The texture: the artisanal ice cream is densest and melted faster. Industrial ice creams are more airy and melted less quickly due to adding stabilizers and emulsifiers.
► The appearance of the bac: “It is also necessary to be wary of bins whose ice exceeds very much: they are often made from semi-developed products“Generally containing gelatin to ensure the good performance of the product.
► The price? A high price is not necessarily synonymous with quality, especially in tourist areas where even industrial ice is expensive. Likewise, a low price is not always an indicator. We especially think of certain “small village” glaciers which do not practice aberrant prices.
You will understand, there are no universal rules. A simple solution is to ask your glacier questions to discover its know-how.
