There are a lot of questions when it comes to ice cream containers. The questions range from usage to safety. Interestingly, it makes you wonder why this topic is popular. To demystify and to inform everyone about this curious topic, here are 4 FAQs about Ice Cream Containers.
Does It Have To Be Food Grade?
Anything that involves food must be food grade. Food grade is a non-negotiable factor when it comes to containers, plastics, and materials. This is not only a slight recommendation or buzzword that can help boost sales, but this is one of the fundamental knowledge for food business owners, chefs, and enthusiasts.
Food grade buckets for those who don’t know are buckets that are designed to store food. They are made with materials that don’t affect food. They don’t poison food as other plastic materials do, and they also provide longer shelf life. Food grade buckets are known to be versatile since they don’t cause any toxic reaction to the continuous use of people. They are also the choice of artists, farmers and construction workers because of their safe to use nature.
Another great case for food-grade buckets is that they are BPA Free. BPA is one of the chemicals that are used in making plastics, however, there have been studies that BPA causes a lot of problems to our health. BPA studies have shown that it can bring higher risks to weight gain and high blood pressure. To know more about the dangers of BPA, click on this article.
One of the more reasons why ice cream containers need to be food grade is because of milk. Milk is a sensitive food component. They can curdle when they are exposed to different temperatures, and they can go bad even with a small exposure to certain types of items. This kind of extra steps for security is included in food-grade buckets making them the best kind to use when it comes to ice cream. To know more about the benefits of food-grade buckets, check out this article to know more.
Big Bucket or Small Container? Does it Matter?
Big buckets or small containers? It doesn’t matter in terms of benefits; however, it matters in terms of perspective and use. The iconic ice cream tub has been on our cultural idea of what ice cream should be stored, but there are no specific qualities a bucket will have over a container.
Big buckets are mostly used for made-to-order ice cream or grocery ice cream. They are usually sold in big volumes and they are sold by the bucket. Restaurants also prefer ice cream buckets since they need a high volume of ice cream for their customers. Made-to-order ice creams are usually the ones who provide restaurants with loads of ice cream hence the usage. These buckets are around the 2 gallon and half-gallon sizes.
Small containers are usually for homemade ice cream makers and ice cream kiosks. Homemade ice cream makers are enthusiasts. They are the ones who make their ice cream and they usually have a community that shares recipes. They make small ice cream batches hence the use of smaller containers. The ice cream kiosks or ice cream trucks have small containers for serving their customers.
These containers are around 8oz, pint, and quart containers.
In the end, buckets and containers don’t have any inherent differences, they just have different uses for different people, businesses, or industries.
Strength of Plastic Buckets and Containers
Buckets and containers come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in different weight categories and capacities. They are usually categorized into the usual sizes which are large, medium, and small, along with approximate weights that each size can handle. They are also made of plastics which are more malleable and flexible than other materials.
This is why one of the main reasons why plastics buckets and containers are perfect for ice cream. Ice cream in its base form is solid, however, it can melt into a liquid after enough exposure to heat. This means that depending on the situation, ice cream can morph into different states and may cause problems to its container. Plastics can easily adapt to this kind of problem since they are flexible and malleable. They can allocate space if ever the ice cream changes from liquid to solid and vice versa.
Some materials like metal and glass can easily get distorted by their environment. Metals can easily dent and glasses break. Plastics are more adaptive, making it easier as a food container. Plastics can make sure that the food is safe from the outside, and if it’s BPA-free and food, it will also protect food from the inside.
Temperature Limit
One of the major concerns when it comes to ice cream packaging is the temperature. This kind of concern stems from the idea that plastics can be broken or become toxic because of the cold temperature. This used to be a major concern before when early plastics were brittle and weren’t food grade.
Most plastics have labels on temperature limits and most of them are more concerned with heat. Some plastics have a high tolerance while others have low. When it comes to lower temperatures, make sure that the ice cream buckets are stored not lower than 0°F. This temperature Is said to be the optimal temperature for storing ice cream, lowering it can make ice cream form ice crystals inside making it less sweet and creamy.
One of the neat tricks when it comes to ice cream buckets is the addition of freezer bags. Adding a freezer bag inside a bucket makes it easier for ice cream to be scooped out. They don’t stick to the sides of the bucket, and they don’t form as many ice crystals since freezer bags have their freezing temperature regulator.
Bonus Content:
How To Make Homemade Ice Cream
All of this ice cream talk can make anyone crave ice cream, so here’s a quick guide in making homemade ice cream for you to make, enjoy and share.
Ingredients
- 4 cups of milk(800ml)
- 1 cup of sugar(300 g)
- 6 egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoon of flavoring (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry)
Steps:
- Simmer the milk with the flavoring to create the milk base
- Leave the milk base for a while for it to cool
- Mix the eggs, salt, and sugar until it becomes sticky and pasty.
- Mix the egg mixture with a milk base
- Stop mixing once the mixture turns into liquid
- Simmer the mixture until it becomes thick and creamy
- Let the mixture rest
- Store the mixture in the refrigerator for one day
And voila, now you have homemade simple ice cream.
We all Scream for Ice Cream
Ice cream is a cultural food icon that spans from kids to adults. Everyone loves the taste of milk and flavoring with a mix of some Icey goodness. As ice cream progressed in terms of flavor and processing, so did containers.
Check out the Plastics 101 guide to help you know more about plastics, some plastics may spark some new ideas that can help you find new ventures or talents. To know more about ePackageSupply’s products head over to the Buckets and Containers.