how to make chocolate cake

PERFECT CHOCOLATE CAKE

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 c. milk
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. Jamaican allspice
1 egg yolk
2 c. cake flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1 c. superfine sugar
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons water
1/2 c. milk
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoons dark rum
2 egg whites, whipped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch layer cake pans.
Whisk together chocolate, milk, allspice, brown sugar and one egg yolk in the top of a double boiler, stirring until a custard is formed and mixture thickens. Cool. Stir in baking soda and salt. Sift the flour onto waxed paper.

In bowl of electric mixer, whip the butter, gradually adding sugar and two egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a cup, stir together 3 tablespoons water, 1/2 c. milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon dark rum.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternating with the vanilla/milk/water mixture. Stir in the chocolate custard mixture and beat until smooth, approximately two to three minutes at medium speed of mixer.

In a clean bowl, using the wire whisk attachment of your electric mixer, beat two egg whites until soft peaks form; gently fold into cake batter.

Turn into greased layer cake pans. Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes or until cake tester or toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Turn out onto wire racks to cool. Level with a serrated knife if required, then stack and frost with chocolate frosting.

Note: This recipe calls for superfine sugar, not to be confused with confectioners or 10X sugar. If you don't have superfine sugar you can pulse regular granulated sugar in the food processor to substitute. Domino supplies superfine sugar in 1 pound packages at the supermarket or in larger quantities at the bakery supply or foodservice outlet. Superfine sugar dissolves readily and works best for cakes, helping to produce a lighter texture.

cake history

Although clear examples of the difference between cake and bread are easy to find, the precise classification has always been elusive.[9] For example, banana bread may be properly considered either a quick bread or a cake.

In ancient Rome, basic bread dough was sometimes enriched with butter, eggs, and honey, which produced a sweet and cake-like baked good.[9]

Early cakes in England were also essentially bread: the most obvious differences between a "cake" and "bread" were the round, flat shape of the cakes, and the cooking method, which turned cakes over once while cooking, while bread was left upright throughout the baking process

cake

Cake is a form of food that is usually sweet and often baked. Cakes normally combine some kind of flour, a sweetening agent (commonly sugar), a binding agent (generally egg, though gluten or starch are often used by lacto-vegetarians and vegans), fats (usually butter, shortening, or margarine, although a fruit purée such as applesauce is sometimes substituted to avoid using fat), a liquid (milk, water or fruit juice), flavors and some form of leavening agent (such as yeast or baking powder), though many cakes lack these ingredients and instead rely on air bubbles in the dough to expand and cause the cake to rise. Cake is often frosted with buttercream or marzipan, and finished with piped borders and crystallized fruit.

Cake is often the dessert of choice for meals at ceremonial occasions, particularly weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. There are countless cake recipes; some are bread-like, some rich and elaborate and many are centuries old. Cake making is no longer a complicated procedure; while at one time considerable labor went into cake making (particularly the whisking of egg foams), baking equipment and directions have been simplified that even the most amateur cook may bake a cake

how to make pizza

So you want to learn how to make pizza yourself? Making pizzas is quite easy when you know the steps involved. Follow this step by step guide to making your own pizzas at home, and delight everyone with the flavor of your hands.

Step 1. Preparing your tomato pizza sauce


Melt the butter with the olive oil and slowly but completely sauté the garlic and onion in a skillet.


Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and puree. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for two hours. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes with a potato masher.


Continue to mash, stir, and simmer partially covered until the sauce reaches the consistency of a rich soup.


Step 2 Making Pizza Dough


Making your own pizza dough by hand is both challenging and satisfying. Home made pizza dough, "from scratch," is without a doubt the single most defining factor that differentiates a great pizza from any other pizza that you will ever have. And, the personal gratification that comes of successfully making pizza at home for yourself, your loved-ones and your friends makes it all the more worthwhile.


Step 3 Panning the Prepared Pizza Dough


Panning the dough is the step where you use a rolling pin or machines to create the pizza base with your dough. There are machines that help you sheet and pan the pizza dough, or you can use the hand tossing method or the rolling pin if you want to do it yourself.


Depending on the style, size, composition and number of pizzas you choose to make, the methods of sizing, shaping, trimming, and ultimately, panning the pizza dough, will vary.


step 4 Topping the Pizza


First, spread the pizza sauce evenly over the surface of the dough. Spoon the sauce out to the edge of the dough sheet, leaving "un-sauced" about 3/4" to 1" of the dough crust.


Next, layer the shredded cheese creating an evenly distributed bed of cheese on which to arrange your toppings. (You will use another cup of cheese for finishing off the top of the pizza.)


From this point on, let your eyes, nose, creativity and taste buds take over to add other toppings to your pizza.


Some toppings, (fresh vegetables, certain cheeses and fatty meats), are higher in moisture and fat content and you have to take this into account when you use them, to ensure your pizza doesn't turn out soggy.


Step 5 Baking the Pizza


The final step is to bake to pizza. When you oven is at the right temperature place a prepped pizza in the center of the middle rack to allow for maximum air circulation around the pan.


Make adjustments to your baking process one at a time until you've found the perfect balance of rack position, temperature and baking time to suit your oven.


Signs to look for that the pizza is ready are:


- The cheese has melted on top and is beginning to brown,


- The crust edge has browned, from a medium to a golden brown, and,


- Carefully lift the edge of the pizza to inspect its bottom. The bottom dough should be evenly browned.


If these signs are evident, your pizza is done!

pizza records

The largest pizza was at the Norwood Pick 'n Pay hypermarket in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to the Guinness Book of Records the pizza was 37.4 meters in diameter and was made using 500 kg of flour, 800 kg of cheese and 900 kg of tomato puree. This was accomplished on December 8, 1990.[14]
The most expensive pizza was made by the restaurateur Domenico Crolla, which included toppings such as sunblush-tomato sauce, Scottish smoked salmon, medallions of venison, edible gold, lobster marinated in the finest cognac and champagne-soaked caviar. The pizza was sold at auction for charity for £2,150.[15]

pizza in diffrent countries

Pizza in Australia
The usual Italian varieties are available, but there is also the Australian, or australiana, which has the usual tomato sauce base and mozzarella cheese with bacon and egg (seen as quintessentially Australian breakfast fare). Prawns are also sometimes used on this style of pizza.

In the 1980s Australian pizza shops and restaurants began selling gourmet pizzas, pizzas with upmarket ingredients such as salmon, dill, bocconcini, tiger prawns, and such unconventional toppings as kangaroo, emu and crocodile. Wood-fired pizzas, cooked in a ceramic oven heated by wood fuel, are also popular.

Pizza in Brazil
Pizza was brought by Italian immigrants to that country. São Paulo, calling itself "The Pizza Capital of the World", has 6000 pizza establishments and 1.4 million pizzas are consumed daily.[5] It is said that the first Brazilian pizzas were baked in the Brás district of São Paulo in the early part of the 20th century. Until the 1950s, they were only found in the Italian communities. Since then, pizza became increasingly popular among the rest of the population. The most traditional pizzerias are still found in the Italian neighborhoods, such as Bexiga and Bela Vista. Typically, pizzas follow the Neapolitan variety, rather than the Roman one, being thicker and more doughy and oftentimes lacking tomato sauce.

Pizza in India
Pizza is a emerging fast food in Indian urban areas. With the arrival of branded pizza, it has reached to many cities.[citation needed]

Pizza outlets serve pizzas with several Indian based toppings like Tandoori Chicken and Paneer. Indian pizzas are generally made more spicy as compared to their western counterparts, to suit Indian taste. Along with Indian variations, more conventional pizzas are also eaten.

Pizza in Pakistan
Pizza was introduced in Pakistan in 1993. A Mr. Manzar Riaz from Lahore is credited with introducing it to Pakistan when he opened up the country's first pizza outlet.[citation needed] Pizza Hut opened its outlets in Pakistan in 1993 which was three years before India had its first Pizza Hut outlet in 1996. Unlike in India where the pizza has become widely popular, the pizza in Pakistan is only popular and well known only in the liberal provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Kashmir. The pizza is still virtually unknown in the conservative provinces of North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan.[6]

As of 2009, Pizza sales in Pakistan generate over $2 billion annually, which is the second largest pizza sales revenue after the US[citation needed]. Pakistan has the world's largest Pizza Hut store in Karachi with a seating capacity of over 5,000 people.

pizza history

The Ancient Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese. The Romans developed placenta, a sheet of flour topped with cheese and honey and flavored with bay leaves. Modern pizza originated in Italy as the Neapolitan pie with tomato. In 1889 cheese was added.[1]

King Ferdinand I (1751–1825) is said to have disguised himself as a commoner and, in clandestine fashion, visited a poor neighborhood in Naples. One story has it that he wanted to sink his teeth into a food that the queen had banned from the royal court—pizza.

how to make cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/4 - 2 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Cup shortening or 1 Cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 - 3/4 Cup packed brown sugar (total sugar should equal 1.5 cups)
3/4 - 1 Cup white sugar (total sugar should equal 1.5 cups)
1 - 2 tsp. pure vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 - 3 Cups chocolate chips
1 Cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Steps1Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
2In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Gently mix these together and then set this bowl aside.
3In a large bowl, beat together shortening/butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and pure vanilla. When those are completely mixed together, add eggs and mix again until completely combined.
4Slowly add the dry ingredients from the medium bowl to the wet ingredients in the large bowl, mixing until the dry ingredients are totally combined. At this point you should have a moderately thick cookie dough.
5Add chocolate chips, and if you want you can also add chopped walnuts. Mix together.
6Scoop up a golf ball size amount of dough with a spoon and drop in onto a cookie sheet. Leave at least an inch of space between the cookies because they'll spread out when they cook. You can usually fit 12 cookies on a cookie sheet at a time.
7Put the cookies in the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes. You'll want to check them after 8 minutes, but if they look doughy, you'll want to cook them for another couple of minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for 3-5 minutes.
8Using a spatula, lift cookies off onto wax paper or tin foil. Let cool for about 5 more minutes.
9Eat and enjoy!

cookies

In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat-baked treat, containing milk, flour, eggs, and sugar, etc. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have different meanings—a cookie is a plain bun in Scotland,[1] while in the United States a biscuit is a kind of quick bread similar to a scone.


6.3 Similar desserts
7 Notes


Etymology
Its name derives from the Dutch word koekje or (informal) koekie which means little cake, and arrived in the English language through the Dutch in North America.

Description

A cookie cake is a large cookie that can be decorated with icing similar to other cakes.Cookies are most commonly baked until crisp or just long enough that they remain soft, but some kinds of cookies are not baked at all. Cookies are made in a wide variety of styles, using an array of ingredients including sugars, spices, chocolate, butter, peanut butter, nuts or dried fruits. The softness of the cookie may depend on how long it is baked.

A general theory of cookies may be formulated this way. Despite its descent from cakes and other sweetened breads, the cookie in almost all its forms has abandoned water as a medium for cohesion. Water in cakes serves to make the base (in the case of cakes called "batter"[2]) as thin as possible, which allows the bubbles – responsible for a cake's fluffiness – to form better. In the cookie, the agent of cohesion has become some form of oil. Oils, whether they be in the form of butter, egg yolks, vegetable oils or lard are much more viscous than water and evaporate freely at a much higher temperature than water. Thus a cake made with butter or eggs instead of water is far denser after removal from the oven.

Oils in baked cakes do not behave as soda in the finished result. Rather than evaporating and thickening the mixture, they remain, saturating the bubbles of escaped gases from what little water there might have been in the eggs, if added, and the carbon dioxide released by heating the baking powder. This saturation produces the most texturally attractive feature of the cookie, and indeed all fried foods: crispness saturated with a moisture (namely oil) that does not sink into it.

History
Cookie-like hard wafers have existed for as long as baking is documented, in part because they deal with travel very well, but they were usually not sweet enough to be considered cookies, by modern standards.[3]

Cookies appear to have their origins in 7th century AD Persia, shortly after the use of sugar became relatively common in the region.[4] They spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. By the 14th century, they were common in all levels of society, throughout Europe, from royal cuisine to street vendors.

With global travel becoming widespread at that time, cookies made a natural travel companion, a modernized equivalent of the travel cakes used throughout history. One of the most popular early cookies, which traveled especially well and became known on every continent by similar names, was the jumble, a relatively hard cookie made largely from nuts, sweetener, and water.

Cookies came to America in the early English settlement (the 1600s), although the name "koekje" arrived with the Dutch. This became Anglicized to "cookie" or cooky. Among the popular early American cookies were the macaroon, gingerbread cookies, and of course jumbles of various types.

The most common modern cookie, given its style by the creaming of butter and sugar, was not common until the 18th century

how to make brownies

Things You'll Need:
Mixing bowl
Measuring cup
8x8 Baking pan
Spatula
Mixing spoons
Measuring spoons
Oven preheated to 325 degrees F
Cocoa (6 tablespoons)
Butter (1/4 cup)
Salt (1/4 teaspoon)
Sugar (1 cup)
Vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
Flour (1/3 cup)
Toasted pecans (1 cup -optional)
Eggs (2)
Step 1
Melt 1/4 cup butter in microwave safe bowl. Once melted, mix in 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Go ahead and preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

Step 2
Add to the butter/cocoa mixture 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup flour, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix well until batter is smooth. You can use a mixer or mixing spoon, which ever you prefer. If you wish to add the toasted pecans know is when you would.

Step 3
You can know flour the bottom and sides of the baking pan. First you will take a paper towel and dip it into some butter and spread that around the pan. Then you will sprinkle flour on top of the butter. Move the pan around to try and evenly distribute the flour. This should prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.

Step 4
Pour your brownie batter into the baking pan now. Put into over that you have preheated to 325 degrees F and allow them to bake for 32-36 minutes. When it is getting close to the time you will take the brownies out, take a fork or a toothpick and stick into the middle of them to see if it comes out clean. If so then the brownies are done and you can let them cool now

brownies orgins

The brownie's first public appearance was during the 1893 Columbian Exposition. A chef at the Palmer House Hotel[2] created the confection after Bertha Palmer requested a dessert for ladies attending the fair that would be smaller than a piece of cake, and easily eaten from boxed lunches. These brownies feature an apricot glaze and walnuts, and are still being made at the hotel according to the original recipe.[3]

The earliest published recipe for a brownie like those of today appeared in the 1906 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer. This early recipe produced a relatively mild and cake-like brownie. The name "brownie" first appeared in the 1896 version of the cookbook, but this was in reference to molasses cakes baked individually in tin molds, not true brownies.[4]

A second recipe appeared in 1907 in Lowney’s Cook Book, by Maria Willet Howard and published by the Walter M. Lowney Company of Boston, Massachusetts. This recipe added an extra egg and an additional square of chocolate to the Boston Cooking School recipe, creating a richer, fudgier brownie. The recipe was named Bangor Brownies, possibly because it was created by a woman in Bangor, Maine.[4]

brownies

A chocolate brownie is a flat, baked square or bar, sliced from a type of dense, rich chocolate cake.[1] Brownies come in a variety of forms. They are either fudgy or cakey, depending on their density, and they may include nuts, frosting, cream cheese, chocolate chips, or other ingredients. A variation that is made with brown sugar and no chocolate is called a blondie.

Brownies are common lunchbox fare, typically eaten by hand, and often accompanied by milk or coffee. They are sometimes served warm with ice cream (à la mode) or topped with whipped cream, especially in restaurants.

how to make icecream(video)

famous icecream shops

Northampton, Mass.

"Steve Herrell, the great-grandfather of East Coast ice cream (he invented mix-ins: candy and cookies smooshed into the ice cream on a marble slab) still owns this place, which offers incredibly high-quality ice cream. It's still made by the batch, by hand. I'm crazy about the chocolate pudding flavor." 413-586-9700

Double Rainbow
San Francisco

Even though it offers more than 30 flavors, DR knows better than to overlook the power of popular chocolate. "I tend toward chocolate, anyway, and at Double Rainbow, there is an ultra-chocolate ice cream that is a deep, deep amazing chocolate that is almost indescribable." 415-982-3097

Brown's Old Fashioned Ice Cream
York, Maine

In operation for almost 40 years, "this is the quintessential summer ice cream stand on the way to a lighthouse (locals know it as Nubble Lighthouse). Once you get there, you'll notice that there are plenty of walk-up order windows, which is what any good stand should have. The ice cream is good, but it's the incredibly beautiful setting that's the draw — that's why I go." 207-363-1277

Mary Ann's Dairy Bar
Analomink, Pa.

"Located in the Pocono Mountains, this 35-year-old wooden stand" nestled in shady woods "reminds me of 'how it used to be.' They make wonderful flurries — very dense, very good — with soft ice cream, candies and cookies. I order mine with chocolate ice cream, Reese's peanut butter cups and Heath bars. It's a little rich for most people, but I love it." 570-424-5968

Toscanini's Ice Cream
Cambridge, Mass.

"Located on Central Square, the shop recently had a face lift," to make it roomier, "but it still employs kind, conscientious people behind the counter, which I think is important. All the ice cream here is homemade, and they offer really interesting flavors," such as signature tastes Burnt Caramel and Cocoa Pudding. "And the chocolate hazelnut is just superb." 617-491-5877

Mad Martha's Ice Cream
Vineyard Haven, Mass.

Open from May to October, "Mad Martha's has quite a reputation (it's frequented by a number of celebrities, including Steven Spielberg and Sen. Ted Kennedy), and it's well deserved because the homemade ice cream is delicious" and made daily. If you have to be somewhere eating ice cream, this is it." 508-693-5883

Incredible Ices
Port Jefferson, N.Y.

"I love Italian ice, but it's hard to find really good ones. For me, it needs to be icy and granular, not stabilized and super-smooth. The ices here are refreshing, and there is a tremendous number of flavors. The last time I visited I went back three or four times in the span of a couple days." 631-476-3737

Ted Drewes' Frozen Custard
St. Louis

Ted makes "a rich, smooth frozen custard with cream and egg yolks. It's a wonderful product not to be confused with soft-serve ice cream, which contains chemicals." The house specialty is called a concrete: custard mixed with "a ton" of tasty add-ins, and handed to the customer upside down. 314-481-2652

Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Youngstown, Ohio

"Jerry and I were in town (for a speaking engagement) and everyone told us to go to Handel's. We did and we weren't disappointed. They have really good homemade ice cream" in 35-40 flavors made daily. 330-788-0356

who invented icecream

Unlike pottery, arrow heads and metal tools, traces of ancient ice creams are not really something that archaeologists can unravel. The ice cream history is therefore elusive and not very well known. People living in climates where ice and snow formed naturally are believed to have enjoyed a form of sorbet since prehistoric time by flavouring snow with fruit, berries and honey. This was probably especially popular in warm regions with high mountains, since snow could be gathered from the high altitudes and brought down to regions where it provided much sought after relief from the heat.

Even though ice cream itself leaves no visible mark in ancient history, items and buildings used for its creation can. Icehouses are for instance known to have existed as early as 2,000 years B.C. in Mesopotamia. Wealthy Mesopotamians had them built along the River Euphrates and used them to store food. We also know from historical sources that several Egyptian pharaohs ordered ice to be shipped to them in the hot and sunny regions in which they lived.

Once of the earliest known instances of true sorbet – not only ice and ice houses – are the honey and fruit flavoured snow cones that you could buy in Athenian markets during the 5th century BC. Later on, the Romans adopted a lot of Greek traditions, ice cream eating included. The Roman emperor Nero who reigned from 54 to 68 AD did for instance have ice transported to Rome from the mountains and mixed with fruit and toppings.

In 400 B.C. the Persians invented a cool pudding made from vermicelli and rosewater. This chilled treat tastes a bit like a blend of sorbet and rice pudding, and was often mixed with fruits and saffron. Ice was quite readily available to wealthy Persians since they owned so called yakhchals; naturally cooled refrigerators in which ice collected from the mountains could be stored for longer periods of time.

The Arabs play an important role in the history of ice cream since they began using sugar and syrup instead of honey. In the 10th century B.C., sweet ice cream flavoured with fruits and nuts could be purchased in all major Arab cities. The Arabs also began adding milk to the ice-cream, making it more similar to the type of diary based ice-cream that is most widespread today.

It has been hard to determine when the Chinese began enjoy Chinese ice cream, but the first type of Chinese ice cream is believed to have been flavoured with sugar and sold during the warm summer season. Most historians agree that the upper class enjoyed ice-creamed flavoured with fruit juices during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 B.C.) According to “History of food” by Toussaint-Samat the Chinese may even have created a special ice-cream creation method earlier than the Song Dynasty. This method involved pouring snow and saltpetre over containers filled with syrup. Salt will lower the freezing point of water to subzero. Diary products are still rare in Chinese food, but according to legend Mongols introduced the custom of drinking milk to the Chinese during the Yuan Dynasty and this eventually led to the invention of milky ice-cream.

Ice cream is a tasty desert which can be even tastier if combined with other things like banana bread

how is icecream made

Milk can become homemade ice cream in five minutes by using a bag! This homemade, creamy treat is a summertime delight for kids and adults alike.


What you'll need:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes
How to make it:
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!
Tips:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.


Here's an improvised version of the homemade ice cream recipe from another parent:

These are the homemade ice cream ingredients . . .

1/4 teaspoon imitation vanilla butter and nut flavor
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup 1% milk

These are the other supplies . . .

Plastic sandwich bag (e.g., Ziploc)
12 water softener pellets
1 tray of ice (My ice cube tray makes small cubes, so it produces only about half a tray.)
Large plastic bag

Put the ice-cream ingredients in the small bag, and then put the bag, salt, and ice in the big bag. Hold the bag shut and stir it around on the floor for about 5 minutes. Although the salt pellets hardly dissolved, I got ice cream. It was not as smooth as ice cream, probably because of the low-fat milk. Instead, it was a little like sherbet. I think if I had more ice in the bag, I could have shaken it better. I'd recommend wearing gloves. It is incredible that it is ready in 5 minutes (not counting assembling the ingredients.)


Next, I changed the recipe, using a tablespoon of cocoa, a tablespoon of sugar, and a cup of milk. I really wanted to use carob, but I didn't have any. It was a tad too chocolatey, but good! My daughter has milk allergies, so I suggested she try this with fruit juice. She used straight pineapple juice and got a terrific fruit sorbet.


See Other Ice Cream Recipes:

Coffee Can Ice Cream

Ice Cream in a Can or Kick the Can

Rock 'n Roll Ice Cream

icecream

Ice cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colorings are used in addition to (or in replacement of) the natural ingredients. This mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large ice crystals from forming; the result is a smoothly textured ice cream.
The meaning of the term ice cream varies from one country to another. Terms like frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sorbet, gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, like the USA, the term ice cream applies only to a specific variety, and their governments regulate the commercial use of all these terms based on quantities of ingredients.[2] In others, like Italy and Argentina, one word is used for all the variants. Alternatives made from soy milk, rice milk, and goat milk are available for those who are lactose intolerant or have an allergy to dairy protein, or in the case of soy milk for those who want to avoid animal products.