Scooping, Serving and Storing
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1
Chapter 7 · Scooping, Serving and Storing
Skill goal
Serve and store ice cream at its best and build four classic desserts.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
You can make a perfect ice cream and still spoil it at the table. Serving temperature, scooping and storing decide whether it tastes smooth and creamy or hard and icy. This chapter is about the last steps: taking ice cream out of the freezer, scooping it, building a dessert and putting it back.
The rules
- Stand ice cream for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping, so it is soft enough to scoop and the flavour comes through. Cold dulls taste.
- Warm the scoop in a jug of hot water and shake off the drops. Dip again between scoops.
- Sweep, don't dig: drag the scoop across the surface in a curl.
- Cover the surface: press cling film or baking parchment on the ice cream before the lid goes on, to stop ice crystals forming.
- Put it straight back: don't leave the tub out for more than about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Never refreeze melted ice cream (general guidance). If it has gone soft but is still very cold, it can go back, but the texture suffers.
| Dessert | Contrast | Best ice cream |
|---|---|---|
| Sundae | Hot sauce and cold ice cream | Vanilla or chocolate |
| Affogato | Hot coffee on cold cream | Vanilla |
| Ice cream sandwich | Soft cookie and cold filling | Any firm, scoopable flavour |
| Knickerbocker glory | Fruit, cream and crunch in layers | Vanilla, strawberry |
Hot sauces, serving and allergens
Hot sauces: warm chocolate sauce and hot coffee scald. Warm the sauce gently, test a drop on your wrist before serving, and keep it away from small children. Never reheat a sauce in a sealed container in the microwave.Serving and storing: don't leave ice cream out for more than about 20 to 30 minutes, put the tub back as soon as you have scooped, and don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely (general guidance). Scoop with a clean, dry or hot-water-dipped scoop, not a used spoon, to keep bacteria out.
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Sundae with warm chocolate sauce
A glossy chocolate sauce takes 5 minutes: melt chocolate in hot cream. Pour it over cold ice cream and add sliced banana and nuts. Warm, not hot, so it doesn't melt the ice cream at once.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1 batch vanilla ice cream (any from this course)
- 100 g dark chocolate, chopped
- 100 ml double cream
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 handful toasted chopped nuts (optional)
- 1 banana, sliced
- Heat the cream and golden syrup in a small pan until just steaming (don't boil). Take off the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth and glossy.
- Leave the sauce for 2 or 3 minutes to cool a little. Test a drop on your wrist: it should be warm, not hot.
- Scoop the ice cream into glasses, add the banana, pour over the sauce and scatter with nuts.
Hot sauce, allergens and serving
Hot sauces: warm chocolate sauce and hot coffee scald. Warm the sauce gently, test a drop on your wrist before serving, and keep it away from small children. Never reheat a sauce in a sealed container in the microwave.Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Serving and storing: don't leave ice cream out for more than about 20 to 30 minutes, put the tub back as soon as you have scooped, and don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely (general guidance). Scoop with a clean, dry or hot-water-dipped scoop, not a used spoon, to keep bacteria out.
Level 1 · Hot and cold
Affogato
'Drowned' ice cream: a scoop of vanilla with hot espresso poured over it. The ice cream melts into a creamy sauce. Make the coffee last, and eat at once.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 100 ml strong hot coffee or espresso (decaf if you like)
- 4 small glass or cup per person
- Chill the glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes. Put a scoop of ice cream in each.
- Make the coffee and pour a quarter over each scoop at the table. Eat at once with a spoon.
Hot coffee and caffeine
Hot sauces: warm chocolate sauce and hot coffee scald. Warm the sauce gently, test a drop on your wrist before serving, and keep it away from small children. Never reheat a sauce in a sealed container in the microwave.Coffee: use decaffeinated coffee for children and for evening dessert.
Serving and storing: don't leave ice cream out for more than about 20 to 30 minutes, put the tub back as soon as you have scooped, and don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely (general guidance). Scoop with a clean, dry or hot-water-dipped scoop, not a used spoon, to keep bacteria out.
Level 2 · Assembly
Ice cream sandwiches
Soft ice cream between two cookies, pressed together and refrozen until firm. Use a cookie that is not too hard, and wrap each sandwich tightly once frozen.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 8 chocolate chip or oat cookies, shop-bought or home-baked, cooled
- 1 batch ice cream, slightly softened (10 minutes out of the freezer)
- 1 baking parchment and a tray
- Line a tray with parchment. Put 4 cookies upside down on it.
- Put a thick scoop of softened ice cream on each, flatten slightly and top with a second cookie, pressing gently until the ice cream just reaches the edge.
- Freeze for 1 hour until firm. Wrap each in parchment or cling film and store in a covered box in the freezer for up to a week.
- Let each stand for 2 minutes before eating.
Allergens, small children and freezer
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.Small children: hard lumps, frozen fruit pieces and nuts can be a choking risk for very young children, so keep pieces small and sit with them while they eat.
Freezer storage: keep the freezer at -18°C or colder, store ice cream in a covered, labelled container, and eat it within about a month for the best taste and texture (general guidance). Don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely, and throw it away if it has been left out for hours.
Level 3 · Layers
Knickerbocker glory
A tall glass built in layers: fruit, ice cream, cream, sauce and crunch. Build it just before serving, with a long spoon, and keep the ice cream in the freezer until the last moment.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 4 scoops ice cream (vanilla or strawberry)
- 200 g strawberries or raspberries, washed and cut small
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 100 ml double cream, whipped
- 4 wafers or crushed biscuit
- 1 tbsp chocolate sauce (from the first recipe)
- 4 tall glasses
- Toss the fruit with the sugar and leave for 10 minutes until juicy. Whip the cream until it just holds soft peaks.
- In each glass put a layer of fruit, then a scoop of ice cream, then a spoonful of cream, then a drizzle of sauce. Repeat the layers if the glass is tall.
- Top with whipped cream, a few pieces of fruit and a wafer. Serve at once with a long spoon.
Whipped cream, hot sauce and allergens
Whipped cream: whip it just before serving, keep it cold, and throw away any that has been out for more than about 2 hours.Hot sauces: warm chocolate sauce and hot coffee scald. Warm the sauce gently, test a drop on your wrist before serving, and keep it away from small children. Never reheat a sauce in a sealed container in the microwave.
Fruit: wash fresh fruit before use. If you use frozen berries, heat them until boiling and simmer for a minute before using them cold, as is usual UK advice for frozen berries (general guidance: check the pack).
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Experiments
Experiment
Serving temperature
Straight from the freezer or standing.
- Scoop and taste the same ice cream straight from the freezer and after standing for 10 minutes.
Look for: The cold one is hard to scoop and tastes of little. The one that has stood tastes sweeter and creamier. Cold hides flavour.
Experiment
Warm scoop
Dry or hot.
- Scoop with a dry scoop, then with a scoop dipped in hot water.
Look for: The warm scoop slides through in a smooth ball. The dry scoop drags and tears. Dip it between scoops.
Experiment
Cover the surface
Film or no film.
- Store two tubs of the same ice cream for a week, one with film pressed on the surface and one with just a lid.
Look for: The one without film has a layer of ice crystals on the top. The film keeps air off and the ice cream smooth.
Experiment
Sauce temperature
Hot or warm.
- Pour hot chocolate sauce over one scoop and warm sauce (test on your wrist) over another.
Look for: The hot sauce melts the ice cream in seconds into a puddle. The warm sauce makes a pleasant contrast and the scoop stays whole.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate sundae | ||||
| Affogato | ||||
| Ice cream sandwich | ||||
| Knickerbocker glory | ||||
| Serving temperature | ||||
| Warm scoop | ||||
| Surface cover | ||||
| Sauce temperature |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hard to scoop | Too cold | Stand for 5 to 10 minutes; warm the scoop |
| Icy top layer | Air on the surface | Press film or parchment on top |
| Melted sundae | Sauce too hot | Cool the sauce until warm |
| Soggy sandwich cookies | Left too long | Eat or wrap within a few hours |
| Ice cream gone grainy | Melted and refrozen | Eat what has melted; don't refreeze |
| Messy scoops | Dry scoop | Dip it in hot water between scoops |
Hot sauces, serving and allergens
Hot sauces: warm chocolate sauce and hot coffee scald. Warm the sauce gently, test a drop on your wrist before serving, and keep it away from small children. Never reheat a sauce in a sealed container in the microwave.Serving and storing: don't leave ice cream out for more than about 20 to 30 minutes, put the tub back as soon as you have scooped, and don't refreeze ice cream that has melted completely (general guidance). Scoop with a clean, dry or hot-water-dipped scoop, not a used spoon, to keep bacteria out.
Whipped cream: whip it just before serving, keep it cold, and throw away any that has been out for more than about 2 hours.
Allergens: ice cream usually contains milk (cream, condensed milk), and often egg, nuts, peanuts, soy (in some chocolate and cookies) and wheat (cookies and cones). Check labels, and never serve a nut-containing ice cream to someone with a nut allergy without telling them. Coconut cream or oat cream can replace dairy cream in some recipes, but the texture changes.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I stand ice cream before scooping.
- I scoop with a warm scoop.
- I cover the surface before storing.
- I serve hot sauces warm, not hot.
- I don't refreeze melted ice cream.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Ice Cream 1, chapter 8 is An Ice Cream Party: planning a sundae bar.