Frozen Dessert Industry & Machine Articles

Thank you to Singing Dog Vanilla for this incredible information. Do you know the difference between Mexican vanilla, pure vanilla extract, artificial vanilla flavor or other vanilla options available?  If you use vanilla in your business, you’ve probably researched available vanilla products but found it difficult to determine if you are comparing similar items.  This short tutorial will help you evaluate vanilla extract differences of various products.     Pure Vanilla Extract Pure Vanilla Extract (Ingredients: Water; Alcohol; Vanilla Bean Extractives) Vanilla Extract is defined by the FDA in CFR 21, part 169. It must be extracted from no less...

First we want to thank Singing Dog Vanilla for providing this incredible information.  So, what is vanilla powder? The popular definition of Vanilla Powder has evolved since our company started. When we first entered the vanilla business in 2004, Vanilla Powder was a vanilla flavored sugar or dextrose. This was used for sprinkling on coffee or as a dusting for pastries.  Often the vanilla flavor itself did not come from real vanilla. Some vanilla powders on the market today do have flavoring that is derived from real vanilla but they are using another, non-vanilla base, or bulking agent. Searching the term “vanilla powder” on...

 In this segment of Scoop School we get some insight on how to prevent weathering from damaging our machines during an off season.  In the colder months, your ice cream sales may see a slight decrease. You don't want your used ice cream machines or your batch freezers to experience maintenance issue from simple overlooked things such as standing water. Standing water in the machine can freeze during your winter season, especially if they're not being actively used. Scoop School suggests getting in contact with your manufacturer at the beginning of the winter season, and at the end of the...

 Mr. C gives us his best portion control advice.  Traditional shops use multiple size "scoopers" to portion their product. What will happen from time to time is employees get confused and improperly portion a scoop. This slight mistake can cause your customer to feel cheated and not want to return. Scoop School gives us suggestions on how to combat this issue by using only one portion size for your entire menu. By using only one size portion scoop, you can base your entire menu around this size. For example, Mr. C uses a 3 oz scooper for product. This means...

 In this episode of Scoop School, we get the rundown on how to dispense our soft serve ice cream toppings without getting bits and pieces all over the counter. For ice cream makers, this is a very agitating issue that can make your work station look filthy. Not to mention if you accidentally get bits of topping into your puree or ice cream you've cross contaminated your inventory.  A simple solution is to use a plastic cup with a detachable dome-shaped lid. Store your toppings in the cup for easy mess-free dispensing. When you're ready to dispense, the toppings (sprinkles,...