FOOD NEWS
How The French Pot Ice Cream Process Creates Unique Textures
BY TOM MAXWELL
The French pot ice cream-making process creates a deliciously rich and creamy texture by incorporating extra eggs and furiously spinning the custard inside 2½ gallon French pots.
In contrast to a regular ice cream machine, this vigorous churning method uses a ton of centrifugal force, which sends the custard flying onto the frozen metal sides of the pots.
The ice cream base is then scraped off the sides of the pots by a corkscrew blade or paddle, resulting in denser ice cream with less air and more butterfat in each bite.
The French pot method is proprietary to Cincinnati, Ohio's Graeter's Ice Cream company, which has used the technique for over 100 years to create seriously delicious ice cream.
Graeter's even uses French pots to create instant chocolate chips. Melted chocolate poured into the pots is instantly frozen and broken up into shards suspended in the ice cream.