Ice Cream Fillers 305 



cream is partially frozen and not at the beginning of 

 the process. 



Fillers. As before stated, in the Neapolitan or 

 French types of cream eggs are used; the increase in 

 body or smoothness being very slight, the value of the 

 eggs is more nutritive than otherwise. All kinds of 

 starches are used to give more substance to a cream 

 with a low percentage of fat. Rennet in various forms 

 is used for the same purpose. Gelatin has been used 

 in commercial creams for some time. It not only adds 

 body but, if carefully used, prevents the crystallizing of 

 moisture upon standing, and keeps the cream smooth. 

 Gum tragacanth, a vegetable gum, is used for the same 

 purpose as gelatin; its tenacity is so great that only 

 a very small amount is needed, and for this and other 

 reasons it is gaining favor. Whether or not these 

 fillers or binders should be used is questionable. Suf- 

 fice it to say that they are, strictly speaking, adultera- 

 tions, and so, from the standpoint of purity in food 

 products, should be discountenanced. 



Freezing and packing. Authorities differ on the 

 amount and kind of salt that should be added to the 

 ice in freezing. In most cook-books coarse salt in the 

 proportion of one of salt to three of ice is recom- 

 mended, but some recent experiments* show that, if 

 the ice is very fine, the proportion may be 1: 12 or 

 even 1 : 20. It is important that the greater propor- 

 tion of salt be placed midway or on top, as salt at the 

 bottom of the freezer is largely wasted. 



*Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 155. 

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