Explanation of terms
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Overrun: The percentage air by which is
captured or incorporated into the soft serve or ice cream when it is frozen
down. An overrun of 40% means the volume of the unfrozen liquid base has
increased in size by 40% during the freeze-down process e.g. 100ml liquid base
+ 40 ml air = serve size of 140 ml. Overrun is influenced by mix's formula (fat
content, solids, % total sugars), mixing ratio with water of powder mixes,
quality of the machine's scraper blades, type of machine (gravity/pump),
condition of the machine, size of the air orifice of machine and volume sold
through machine (low volume causes overbeating of mix resulting loss of its
ability to hold air). |
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Advantages of a high overrun: Usually, the more air (higher overrun),
the better the taste. An overrun of 100% means the product contains 50% solids
and 50% air, making it a light, fluffy, delicious product. Also the more air
you sell, the cheaper your product cost. |
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How can Overrun be maximised? Use only top-quality mixes with a high fat
content, make sure your machine is in a top condition with regular services and
tune-up kits (new scraper blades, seals & O-rings on a regular basis), use
large-size air intake valves or orifices, use the correct mixing instructions
on powder bases - don't water the product down. |
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How do you measure your overrun?
Method:
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Fill a cup (between 300 and 500 ml) with fresh liquid soft serve base. Be
careful not to have a layer of foam on top. |
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Fill a second cup of exactly the same size with frozen soft serve avoiding the
capture of air pockets in the soft serve. (Removing the start shaped cap on the
dispenser nozzle will help to avoid air pockets.)
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Weigh both cups on an accurate scale. |
Formula: Weight of the liquid minus weight of the frozen soft serve divided by
the weight of the frozen mix, multiplied by 100.
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Meltdown Time (Or On-Cone Meltdown
Time): The amount of minutes that it takes for soft serve to start melting from
the moment it was dispensed from the machine to the moment that the first
molten drop runs down the side of the cone at 25º Celsius in a wind-still
environment. Meltdown Time is influenced by factors like the quality of the
recipe (solids %, gums, emulsifiers, sugar content), mixing ratio of powder mix
with water and the condition of machine. A wet, sloppy looking cone will start
melting quickly and is often a sign of blunt scraper blades or overbeating of
the product. |
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Batch Freezer: A special machine for
making Scoop Ice Cream or Gelato. It is not the same as a soft serve machine.
It takes between 7 and 15 minutes to make a batch (1.5 - 10 litres) gelato with
a batch freezer. |
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Thickshake Machines: Freezes special
Thickshake mixes into a thickshake consistency - ready to dispense straight
from the machine. It is designed for high volume users. Flavouring can be done
in different ways, depending on the machine. (Not the same as a Soft Serve or
Granita Machine). |
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