July 08th, 2008 | Category: General
ASK ERNIE: ICE CREAM HOMEWORK
Posted by: Turkey Hill Team
KATHLEEN FROM DAMASCUS, MD ASKS: My name is Kathleen and I am in the 4th grade. I have chosen the topic of ice cream for a class research assignment. My favorite flavor of ice cream is chocolate. I have some questions that I hope you can help me with.
1. How do you decide on new flavors?
2. Do you make ice cream even on weekends and holidays?
3. How much ice cream do you make a day and how many people does it take?
Great choice for a research assignment, Kathleen! That’s the kind of homework you can really sink your teeth into. To answer your questions:
1. We choose our new flavors by taking consumer suggestions and by following new flavor trends. That’s how we came up with our recent flavors that use pomegranate and mango…two very popular fruit flavors currently in use throughout the food industry. We also just like to give our customers something new to try with our Limited Edition flavors. Sometimes these flavors become regular flavors based on customer feedback and sales.
2. Turkey Hill produces ice cream 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including weekends and most holidays.
3. We produce roughly 100,000 gallons of ice cream per day! There are about 650 employees total at Turkey Hill Dairy. Approximately 70 of those employees work in ice cream production, which means there is about 23 people working each shift to make ice cream here at the Dairy.
I hope this answers your questions, Kathleen. Let me know if you need more information for your assignment. Good luck!
Ernie
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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.
111 Comments
Ernie,It’s been a year, to the day, hour, and minute. What about the “German Chocolate Cake” ice cream? That was the BEST ice cream I’ve ever tasted. I ate a gallon a week, when I could find it.
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:06 pmWhen will I be able to get it again? Please!!!
Shorty
Ernie,What about the “German Chocolate Cake” ice cream? That was the BEST ice cream I’ve ever tasted. I ate a gallon a week, when I could find it.
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:06 pmShorty
I would love to have a job making ice cream at TH. It would be fun to come up with and sample all the new flavors!
July 20th, 2008 at 5:03 pmwhere do you enter two delicious.com
July 19th, 2008 at 1:10 pmI hope TH will consider making at least pint size Teaberry- for all us teaberry lovers who can make can’t find it our local scoop shops…I did enjoy some at Knoebels this summer but once or twice a year is not enough for me!!
July 18th, 2008 at 4:53 pmWhy did you do away with “German Chocolate Cake” ice cream? That was the BEST ice cream I’ve ever tasted.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:34 amShorty
Ernie seems like he has one of the best jobs ever! I would love to work in ice cream production since it is one of my favorite foods. But I’m sure Ernie needed a lot of schooling and skills in business, management, personal relations, accounting, finance, cooking, nutrition, business ethics and so much more so he must be very intelligent.
July 13th, 2008 at 7:07 pmWHAT A COOL ASSIGNMENT! I HOPE YOUR YOUR GOING FOR EXTRA CREDIT AND TRYING ALL THE FLAVORS.
July 13th, 2008 at 9:50 amOh, those lucky 23 who get to crank out ice cream for the masses each day!
I wonder, do they get unlimited samples as a job-perk? Would anyone ever get tired of too much TH ice cream?? I should think not! 
July 12th, 2008 at 9:52 amI enjoy your ice cream links. My favorite is Ice Cream Ireland. I remember the biggest ice cream bar I ever had. It was in a small shop in Ireland and the bar was so big I couldn’t finish it. My sister had some and we still had some left. Just goes to show Everyone likes ice cream.
July 11th, 2008 at 6:22 pmThis is so nice of Turkey Hill to do with given us history and a chance to win at their contest! Thanks a bunch to Turkey Hill for all you do for us!!
July 10th, 2008 at 6:17 am100,000 gallons?! Yummy! I wished Turkey Hill was available here in CA.
July 10th, 2008 at 3:17 amWhy not put that ice cream in a cone. You can thank Ernest Hamwi for this invention. At the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis he was a waffle vendor. An ice cream vendor ran out of serving glasses. Ernest folded up his waffles and told the vendor to fill it with ice cream. Everyone loved it. It was easy to handle, edible, and sanitary. Enjoy a cone tonight filled with Turkey Hill ice cream – and even put sprinkles or jimmies on it.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:55 pmPersonally, I would love to suggest new flavors as well as taste test them…what an awesome job!
July 9th, 2008 at 9:48 pmThose were good questions. When a person buys a carton of Turkey Hill they do not stop to think of all the work that goes into making it — from deciding what flavors to the actual production.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:21 pmHope that Kathy got an A on her assignment, with a cherry on top! She deserves it.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:52 pmGreat topic for a report! I never got to do fun reports like that when I was in school. I love Turkey Hill!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pmthe Pomegranate blueberry flavor is awesome!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:17 pmSo much ice cream…how do you stay so slim?!
July 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pmKathleen had very good questions, and the answers were very interesting. We always have Turkey Hill ice cream in the house. When we visit our grandchildren, we take the older ones to the store to pick out their favorite Turkey Hill ice creams and fixins and then go back to their home and have a sundae/cone party! They always look forward to making their own and we always have a good time.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:52 pmHave tried many of the new flavors and look forward to enjoying many new flavors in the future. Ice Cream and especially Turkey Hill is my favorite dessert.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:27 pmWow that’s a lot of ice cream 100,000. So this past weekend my nieces drove me crazy because every 10 minutes an ice cream truck would go by. I only had TH choc (Philly syle) and French vanilla and choc peanut. They wanted choc eclairs so I made some. I scooped out choc flattened them between wax paper. Inserted a stick and refroze. I softed the vanilla. I scooped out 2 scoops flattened and sliced in half. I refroze 1/2. Meanwhile I used oreo crumbs and nilla wafer crumbs mixed equal parts, set aside. I took the smaller choc sticks placed it into slightly scooped out vanilla half. I then covered it with the other scooped out vanilla hlf. I pressed the sides together then pressed each side with the cookie crumbs making sure the sides were done. I placed on wax paper and froze til hard. Viola frozen TH eclairs. They told me it was better than the ice cream mans!
July 9th, 2008 at 6:16 pmAs a Screen Actors Guild actress, I just
July 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pmworked in eight night shoots, filming the motion picture “When In Rome,” arriving home anywhere from 6:30am to 8:00am in the morning. Hot and very tired…and possibly with a low electrolyte balance, now home, I’d take off my shoes and eat with enjoyment the combination of half a pint of Turkey Hill Ice Cream and/or Frozen Yogurt and a banana! INSTANT, PLEASURABLE PICK-ME UP!
After extensive testing (purely a scientific endeavor) I can say with assurance that Turkey Hill ice cream is the creamiest, tastiest ice cream I’ve had the pleasure to indulge in. Now I have to try more of your flavors — the new ones sound verrrry interesting!
Lillian Lee
July 9th, 2008 at 4:09 pmLoved the blog, but was surprised you needed to produce on Sundays. Is that really necessary? Keep making great ice cream!!
July 9th, 2008 at 3:59 pmWhat a yummy subject to write about. I have a question about children that have Crohn’s Disease. Is there an ice cream by Turkey Hill that is for those that cannot have any milk or dairy products? Thank you for all your deeelicious flavors.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:43 pmHi Ernie, I have a question to ask you.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:32 pmWhat ice cream has the less calories? and the lowest carbohyrate? One last question…Why is vanilla ice cream is so like by million of people? I love turkey hill ice cream. I have not found Junior Mint Turkey HIll Ice cream yet. I can’t waite to find it.
Good luck, Kathleen, with your ice cream research project. Make sure you enjoy a little Turkey Hill as a reward for your hard work!
July 9th, 2008 at 3:24 pmHi Ernie!
July 9th, 2008 at 3:16 pmI would be thrilled, ecstatic, and simply over-come with joy if the “limited Edition Gertrude Hawk Box Of Chocolates” became a regular flavor. WOW! That was delightful and delicious beyond words. For those of you who agree with me, PLEASE give the Turkey Hill Team your feedback. Thanks!
As a Diabetic, I enjoy your sugar free flavors.Also the diet Icetea. Keep them coming.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:14 pmI usually love the Turkey Hill Feature Flavors. I hope you never discontinue doing those.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:54 pmThat’s a great assignment Kathleen was given.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:45 pmIt certainly makes it more fun to do school work if the topic is interesting and fun.
We all know ice cream is both.
What I want to know is – why they didn’t allow us to write papers on ice cream when I was in school (in the dark ages)? They have such fun assignments now and better reading material. Oh, to be younhg again!
July 9th, 2008 at 2:37 pmDoes TH use milk and other ingredients sourced from the Lancaster area only? Is there any possibility for an organic line?
July 9th, 2008 at 2:14 pmAmazing facts and numbers!! I must get up to the plant for a tour.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:03 pmDessert is not dessert unless it has ice cream in it.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:41 pmit is so kind of you to help with homework. this is interesting to know.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:24 pmdo you answer other questions too, like “does ice cream relieve stress?”
I enjoyed the interesting facts the young lady asked questions for. I too, have been looking for the JR.Mint, Mango/Pomegrante, nor the coconut one. I enjoy trying all the new flavors that come out. I will keep trying till I find all the new ones.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:15 pmMay we all remember that learning is still fun at any age.
TURKEY HILL ICE CREAM IS THE BEST. I HAVE BEEN EATING IT FOR YEARS. IT IS JUST SO LIGHT AND CREAMY AND FLAVORFUL. OTHER ICE CREAMS ARE OF A HARDER CONSISTANCY BUT NOT TURKEY HILL.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:13 pmKEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. YOUR DUETTO RASPBERRY IS ALSO A FAVORITE AND WHEN STORES HAVE SPECIALS I REALLY STOCK UP ON YOUR ICE CREAMS.
KEEP MAKING THE BEST ICE CREAM AROUND.
I was thrilled when Party Cake became a regular flavor. Since then, I’ve always tried to keep my freezer stocked with it.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pmI tried corn ice cream in Brazil. Sounded strange but tasted great!
July 9th, 2008 at 11:24 amgood topic for a report, thanks for all the interesting infor. i always like to learn new things about ice cream.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:21 amIt’s never too late to start an ice cream research project. I think I’ll start with comparing ice cream in a bowl with ice cream straight from the carton, then move on to trying new flavors.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:21 amGood Project!
July 9th, 2008 at 11:12 amActually, Lila and Sarah you can find Turkey Hill teaberry ice cream in local scoop shops. Teaberry ice cream is available in 3 gallon tubs especially for scoop shops. For example, if you find yourself visiting Knoebel’s Grove Amusement Park stop by the scoop shop for a teaberry treat.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:09 amOnly 4 containers of ice cream in the freezer??? Mine always contains 12 or more. When egg nog (Ice Cream) is available I buy several cases and stock up for the summer. Turkey Hill the best!!!!!!!
July 9th, 2008 at 11:05 amIt is amazing how few people actually make all that super ice cream. I must say Party Cake ice cream is one of my favorite newer flavors, but I am a glutton for all the good sugary ones. Of course I have to say I love Turkey Hill’s healthy flavors too, the Frozen Yogurt ones. I just wish it weren’t so hard to decide when I go to the store because I always go for my tried and true Cookie Dough and Party Cake. I still can’t believe that the much ice cream comes out of so few people working. Yummy!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:55 amI can’t believe I never thought of using ice cream as a report topic!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:36 amGood topic to do a research project on! I have always found it interesting to know how things are made and what/who it takes to make them. Thanks for the information Ernie!
July 9th, 2008 at 10:32 amI agree with Lila and seem to remember eating teaberry ice cream when I was a kid. I think this would be a great tasting addition to the TH line-up.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:31 amStill hoping to tour your factory the next time we are in Lancaster. Keep up the good work.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:29 amGood luck with your school assignment Kathleen. It sounds like you got quite a bit of useful information from Ernie to use.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:26 amI just finished coconut ice& chocolate duette…very good.I’ll try Skinny Minty next.
July 9th, 2008 at 10:05 amWe lived in Havre de Grace, Md. for over 4 yrs and made so many frequent trips to Lancaster. Your ice cream is the very best and I say that from “Ben n’Jerry” country .. We’ve seen your facility – it’s tremendous. We would NOT buy any ice cream but Turkey Hill. Do you have a new flavor coming out?
July 9th, 2008 at 9:40 amMarilyn Barre, Vermont
What a great topic for a report! Wish I could have done something like that when I was in school. Of course, for research purposes, it would have had to include taste-testing…you know, for accuracy.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:35 amwhat is thw wildest flavor you have made that did’nt get to us yet, and will it ever
July 9th, 2008 at 9:28 amthank you
That was a good choice that Kathleen made for her class project and we all learned alot from her questions. Thank you Kathleen and Turkey Hill for all the information, which I found very interesting.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:19 amThere are so many great questions here! The employees that don’t make ice cream work to make our drinks, load the trucks, drive the trucks (almost 250 drive trucks alone!), design the packages, pay the bills, and do countless other jobs to make those delicious drinks and ice cream. Keep these wonderful questions coming and we will do our best to answer as many as possible.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:09 amNow with the information provided, would this be considered a “good report” by the teacher, or a “bad report” becaue all the child had to do was copy someone else’s words? Kathleen’s lucky to have access to the experts, instead of the cruddy old “Worldbook” that we used to have to use to get (outdated) info for our reports!
July 9th, 2008 at 9:06 amHey, I’ve got my spoon ready.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:02 amWish I could have done ice cream for a research project when I was in school.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:01 amI love the Duet, especially the lemon/vanilla as it’s lighter and tart.
Loretta
July 9th, 2008 at 8:59 amWhen I was a young lad, my favorite flavor was “Bing Cherry Vanilla” with lots of whole cherries in the mix. Do you make or have you made something similar?
July 9th, 2008 at 8:50 amI am hoping one day to be in your area and get a tour of the Turkey Hill Ice Cream Plant….
Let’s all celebrate on Sunday, July 13th by eating our favorite Turkey Hill Ice Cream….this will become a new holiday for my family!!!
July 9th, 2008 at 8:42 amI love Turkey Hiull ice cream. I am from PA. and as a youngster we would go for ice cream all summer long. We could get tea berry then, and I wondered if that might be a flavor that Turkey Hill might thing of trying. It is so refreshing, but very hard to find any more.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:37 amHi everyone,
Have to agree with you all. What a wonderful subject to investigate. Also, whoopie pie sounds delish. May I suggest eclair or refrigerator cake flavors? My husband’s birthday falls on Ice Cream Day. It may have been named for his love of ice cream.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:31 am“Ask Ernie”, what a great way to show outstanding cusomer service, actually encouraging questions and giving honest, fact based answers.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:28 amAfter watching many episodes of Unwrapped (I haven’t seen the Turkey Hill one yet) I’d love to be part of the new flavor developement process.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:26 amWorking at Turkey Hill sounds like something I’d love to do.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:24 amIf 70 people make the ice cream, where do the other 650 work?
July 9th, 2008 at 8:24 amI can’t find the Jr. Mint, but I just purchased alot of other flavors, 8 to be exact. I love when the grocery stores have such a good deal on a wonderful product. Turkey Hill Ice Cream is the best dessert in my family. Thanks Turkey Hill. Linda
July 9th, 2008 at 8:03 amFirst I have to remember July 13th to have an extra serving of TH to celebrate National Ice Cream Day. I next want to congratulate TH on their automation of the dairy for a staff of only 70 to make all that ice cream for 21 shifts a week but my math using a 5 day work week come to less than 18 per shift since some are also on vacation. I would guess your quality control department has more people since the quality is the tops.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:00 amI like the tour idea with samples of course.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:44 amThat’s a whole lot of ice cream!
July 9th, 2008 at 7:44 amKathleen has some good questions.I’m sure she did a good job on her research assignment.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:44 amI have a question also. Does all the milk in Turkey Hill ice cream come from Lancaster County cows?
Celebrate NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY,Sunday,July 13..eat Turkey Hill ice cream!
That is a whole lot of ice cream, and a really cute idea for a report.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:29 amI have to echo what others said – I am very surprised that there are only 650 employees at Turkey Hill. With how great your products are, and how much of that great product you all make, I would have figured at least twice that many people worked there!
July 9th, 2008 at 7:16 amExcellent topic…and the answers are staggering! Glad to hear so much Turkey Hill Ice Cream is produced each day! Great Job all.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:14 amI’m still looking for the Jr. Mint ice cream here in Winchester, VA. Haven’t found it yet. My daughter has Jr. Mint on her license plate-she loves them so much. When I told her about the new flavor, she was so excited. Can’t wait to find it – I know it will be excellent. Best of luck, Kathleen, and keep up the good work!!
July 9th, 2008 at 7:06 amInteresting!
July 9th, 2008 at 6:52 amAmazing to make such great ice cream 24/7 with so few people
July 9th, 2008 at 6:47 amWhether you’re in 4th grade or 44, there’s still so much to learn in the world! I think a field trip is in order. Do you do tours?
July 9th, 2008 at 6:46 amThis child has learned at a very young age the importance of Ice Cream in America. I hope she does well in her assignment, how can yo miss with a topic like Ice Cream. I think I would like to see Key Lime Pie Ice Cream
July 9th, 2008 at 6:44 amI have a question for Ernie:
Is nonfat ice cream still fattening? If so, to what extent compared to the regular stuff?
July 9th, 2008 at 6:40 amI would love to be involved in icecream research. In fact, my family thinks I already am, as I have 4 half gallons of icecream in my freezer! I never know what I’ll be in the modd for….
July 9th, 2008 at 6:21 amI would like green tea ice cream with white chocolate covered fortune cookie bits
July 9th, 2008 at 6:16 amWhat a great assignment to take on. Never would have thought to do that when I was a kid. Enjoy your research.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:09 amWow, actually studying ice cream could be used by a lot of teachers within their regular lesson plans….for example, teaching temperatures, teaching measurements – each carton is so many inches, times the number of gallons per day, week, monoth, year – teaching nutrition…what goes into making ice cream…kids might not know certain fruits such as mango, pomergrant, etc. The possibilities are endless.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:03 amPomegranate sounds yummy — but the flavor I’m waiting for is BOSTON CREAM PIE. Keep making those great flavors and listening to us consumers.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:41 amCan’t wait to try that new flavor I love Mango and Pomegranant. Will look for it the nexty time I am in the store.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:56 amWow I would love to be a Turkey Hill ice cream taster. This sounds like a fantastic report and I hope the student got an A or at least some free ice cream.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:26 amMore questions for Ernie: Is there ever a “bad” batch of ice cream that doesn’t pass inspection? Who decides?
July 9th, 2008 at 12:14 amI should hire me at Turkey Hill – I have some slammin ideas.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:15 pmWhat a great topic for study! I’m a math teacher and I’m always looking for ways to involve real life and items of interest in my curriculum; studying ice cream might be a great way to get their minds (and taste buds) whirling!
July 8th, 2008 at 8:44 pmstill waiting for the whoopie pie ice cream to get to be a limited edition flavor
July 8th, 2008 at 8:29 pmOf course you have to make ice cream on weekends and holidays because we don’t take a break from eating it!
July 8th, 2008 at 8:29 pmIt’s so interesting reading the interview! I love Turkey Hill! Yum.
July 8th, 2008 at 6:15 pm100,000 gallons of ice cream a day! I want to work there!
July 8th, 2008 at 3:02 pmI think a class trip is in order!
July 8th, 2008 at 2:33 pmDidn’t know you make the ice cream 24/7. How wonderful for all of us! Thank you!
I didn’t realize you worked on weekends and holidays. Thanks for making your great tasting treats!
July 8th, 2008 at 2:29 pmMy all-time favorite from your Limited Edition ice cream flavors is Super Sundae. It would be great if you could make it year-round!
July 8th, 2008 at 2:05 pmIn regards to question #1, here’s my flavor suggestion….a patriotic limited edtion flavor great for any patriotic holiday)…Instead of regular neopolitan do a red white and blue version….strawberry,vanilla bean and blueberry or how about a red white and blue duetto?
P.S. I wish I’d have gotten that kind of assignment in grade school.
July 8th, 2008 at 1:24 pmWowee! I think we take for granted the process it takes to make such a luxury.
Do you have dairy cows on the premesis as well? If so, about how many do you have and how many does it take to make the milk and cream for all the dairy products you sell?
July 8th, 2008 at 12:50 pmTHEIR IS CHILD IN ALL OF US, MAYBE THATS WHY WE ALL LOVE TURKEY HILL ICE CREAM, THE MOST WONDERFUL WORLD WIDE TREAT
July 8th, 2008 at 11:18 am100,000 gallons of ice cream per day – amazing!
July 8th, 2008 at 8:56 amDo you need any taste testers? I’m willing to travel! LOL
July 8th, 2008 at 8:47 amI had no idea you made ice cream 24/7. Wow!
July 8th, 2008 at 8:41 amWhat better job could there be than to produce such a treat for so many people! I’m so glad that it’s available in our little corner of the state.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:35 amIce cream, ice cream everywhere!! Wow! How many states do you distribute to?
July 8th, 2008 at 8:22 amHow many gallons of milk from how many cows you would need to produce your ice cream each day>
July 8th, 2008 at 8:13 amI find it interesting such a young child would spend her summer vacation working on a school assignment – good for you Kathleen! When the report is due, to captivate the teacher further, surprise the class with some Turkey Hill icecream!
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