July 26th, 2007 | Category: General
ERNIE TO THE RESCUE
Posted by: Turkey Hill Team
A few days ago we posted an entry about the homogenizer and its role in the ice cream making process (it breaks up the cream so that it mixes well with the rest of the ingredients to make a smooth, creamy finished product). Many of you posted questions about the homogenizer in your comments, so we turned to Ernie for the answers. Here’s what he had to say:
1. What does (the homogenizer) weigh when it’s full?
Product is constantly passing throught the homogenizer at the rate of 38,000 to 40,000 pounds per hour.
2. How many gallons of cream do you mix at a time?
It varies, but we do process around 500,000 pounds of ice cream mix a day.
3. When you add the cream to the rest of the ingredients, how many gallons of ice cream do you get from one batch?
That depends upon the flavor, and how much of the really “good stuff” (fudge, pecans, chocolate chips, cookie, cookie dough, etc) is added. After making a large batch of ice cream mix it is flavored in smaller quantities, frozen and whipped in a continuous freezer, after which the good stuff is added and then it is packaged.
4. How did they make ice cream without the homogenizer?
In the days before the homogenizer, they would have mixed together the milk, cream and sugar and then placed this mixture in a batch freezer to be frozen. Ice cream during this period was sold close to the manufacturing plant and was meant to be consumed quickly.
5. If the homogenizer is so important, then why does home churned ice cream tastes so good?
That has a lot to do with the temperature of the ice cream, and the fact that it is consumed immediately after churning (similar to question #4). Ice cream begins freezing around 27 degrees F and the best flavor release is in the high teens.
6. How much does one homogenizer cost?
Depending on size it could run anywhere from $125,00 to $250,000, plus another $50,000 to $75,000 for installation.
7. Are the different ingredients put in the machine in the same order all the time?
In order to make a quality ice cream you must follow a recipe for quantity and blending order of all of the ingredients.
8. I wonder how long it takes to clean the homogenizer between batches?
The homogenizer and blend tanks associated with this process along with several other pieces of equipment are washed daily and take about 6 hours to clean.
9. If the cream wasn’t homogenized and you still made ice cream with it, would it separate in the ice cream carton or would it actually just not mix well to begin with?
You’re right about it not mixing well, but the frozen state of the ice cream would keep it from separating in the package.
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
20 Comments
That is so cool that you actually read your comments. And then take the time to respond to them.
I have a question that I probably will send to Ernie:
Has Quintin Frey ever really liked one comment (or two, or three)?
Last night I had a bowl of B****S ice cream and I realized how much I missed my TH!
Mint Chocolate Chip hunters unite!!!!!!!!!!
July 30th, 2007 at 9:18 amThanks so much for taking the time to answer your consumers questions. I love Turkey Hill even more now that you have shown me not only that you can make great ice cream, but you care so much about your consumers. THANK YOU!
July 28th, 2007 at 2:53 amWow!! Ernie knows everything!!
July 27th, 2007 at 6:30 pmHow bout a chocolate Duetto!!
July 27th, 2007 at 3:04 pmYeah for the homogenizer! Best thing that happened to ice cream!! Tonight’s the night for Turkey Hill chocolate mixed with Cherry Duetto!! It’s great! Try it.
July 27th, 2007 at 12:01 pmMany of the turkey hill flavors as well as some of your competitors now list extra creamy or double churned. What do these terms mean. What are you doing differently to make it extra creamy with the same ingredients?
July 27th, 2007 at 11:11 amI am so happy that the homogenizer is now available to create all the yummy ice cream that is made today.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:54 amhomemade ice cream is great, but turkey hill is just as good and easier to get.
thanks.
One comment on this question: ” Are the different ingredients put in the machine in the same order all the time?
In order to make a quality ice cream you must follow a recipe for quantity and blending order of all of the ingredients.”
The computers that typically control plants like this one actually let you enter and store recipes so that the same thing is done each time. Of course, the amounts tend to be measured in gallons.
It’s cool (and sometimes scary) to see a regular ol’ pc turning big pumps and such on & off.
(from a former controls engineer who sometimes misses it)
July 27th, 2007 at 12:31 amThanks for all the great information.
I am learning so much from this blog.
Keep up the good work! Let me run and have some ice cream.
:)
July 26th, 2007 at 9:14 pmI enjoyed reading Ernies answers more the the blog on the homogenizer. You could speed up the cleaning the homogenizer from its six hours by having the kids lick it clean like the do with the beater when you make home made ice cream.
July 26th, 2007 at 7:54 pmCJ,I work in the food industry. If a product starts to thaw, it’s usually safe if it still has ice crystals and is 40 degrees or less. Any higher your asking for trouble with bacteria growth a high possibility. I would throw it out and buy new like the T.H. team suggests.
July 26th, 2007 at 5:21 pmJase is right, CJ.
Unfortunately after ice cream has thawed completely and is refrozen, it loses alot of its texture and creaminess (most of the air that was whipped into it is gone when it melts and doesn’t return when it’s refrozen).
We know it hurts to do this, but you might have to send it to that big ice cream bowl in the sky. Look at the bright side, this gives you an excuse to go out and buy three or four brand new containers of ice cream!
July 26th, 2007 at 5:04 pmCJ,
Use this saying “When in doubt, throw it out” It can be used for food, paperwork, toys, etc.
Buy some new ice cream!!!
July 26th, 2007 at 4:45 pm:-0 Yeah!!!!!!!!
You Rock!!!!!!!!! :-0
July 26th, 2007 at 4:34 pmA complicated machine and process. Interesting.
Does ice cream spoil if it is thawed and then refrozen?
Our son (unbeknownst to us obviously) turned down the controls on our fridge to ‘0′ the other evening. So all night the refrigerator and freezer were off. My husband realized the next morning when he tasted the warm, spoiled milk on his cereal.
Should we throw away the ice cream that was in the freezer and get new or is it alright to eat now that it’s frozen again?
I’ve just recovered from a terrible stomach bug and don’t want to eat ANYTHING that might remotely irritate my stomach?
Ready to enjoy ice cream again…
July 26th, 2007 at 4:21 pmThanks for answering our questions. I did check back to see if they were answered. Yesterday’s blog was talking about old advertising on barns and such. Well, our newspaper ran an article and photo of a old billboard. Ice Cream was 22 cents a quart! You could probably view it online. It’s the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper. Article is on page D1 on the front page of Arts & Living. The day before(Wed.) they ran an article on double churned ice cream. It’s on page D1 in the Food and Classified section. I found it very interesting. By the way you never answered.. does any one get to lick the bowl? Yes I know, that wouldn’t be too sanitary. It would be fun though!
July 26th, 2007 at 4:16 pmNo problem, Dani. We read all of your comments, even if we can’t repond to all of them. Some of the best comments(the funniest, most heartwarming, most complimentary) often get passed around the office via email, from the marketing staff to the production staff, all the way up to the president of Turkey Hill Dairy, Quintin Frey.
July 26th, 2007 at 3:37 pmIt’s always fun to read about companies in our own backyard!
July 26th, 2007 at 2:56 pmFor us ladies who live for chocolate but worry about calories, your chocolate cherry cordial is the answer!
Thank you for taking time to tell us more and answer some of the questions. I was very curious myself about how long it took to clean that thing!
July 26th, 2007 at 1:44 pmWow! It’s so cool to know you actually CARE about your consumer’s comments and concerns, that you’re actually READING these and responding! Thanks Ernie! You rock!!!
July 26th, 2007 at 12:05 pmThese comments are intended to be a discussion of the information presented in the blog postings. Any product-related questions or other issues not related to the post should be referred to our consumer response team through the link on our Contact Us page, as they are the true experts in answering any questions or concerns you may have about Turkey Hill and its products.
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