2744—The Making of Ices

Whatever be the kind of ices required, they should always be prepared in advance; for none of these preparations can be made ready at a moment’s notice.

There are two distinct operations in the confection of ices:—

(1) The making of the preparation.

(2) The freezing and the moulding of the preparation. I shall begin by dealing with the second operation, which remains the same for all ices, and is the essential part of the procedure.

To freeze an ice preparation is to surround it with broken ice, mixed with sodium chloride (sea-salt or freezing salt) and saltpetre. The action of these two salts upon the ice causes a considerable drop in the temperature, which speedily congeals any contiguous liquid. Subject to their nature, ices are either moulded and frozen directly in their moulds, like the light ices: iced Biscuits, iced Soufflés, Puddings, Mousses, Parfaits, Bombes, etc.; or first frozen in a special utensil called a freezer, and then moulded and frozen afresh. Cream and syrup ices are prepared by the second method; and this I shall now describe.

The freezers, in which the freezing takes place, are generally wielded by hand, either directly or by means of some mechanism. They should be of pure tin, and fitted, at their base on to a central pivot which turns in a socket, fixed in the wooden case which holds the freezer.

Having hermetically closed the latter, surround it with broken ice containing three lbs. of salt and eight oz. of saltpetre per twenty-five lbs.

The freezer should be one-third of its height out of the ice, in order that no particle of salted ice may accidentally fall into the preparation while it is being frozen. The ice should be snugly massed, by means of a special pestle, round the freezer. This operation constitutes the packing, and should be effected at least ten minutes in advance if possible.

Having thus prepared the freezer, pour into it the preparation to be frozen and then either keep it in motion by rocking the utensil to and fro, by grasping the handle on the cover (if the apparatus is worked by hand), or by turning the handle if the utensil is on a central axle, fitted with the usual mechanism. In either case, the rotary movement of the utensil causes the preparation to splash continually against the sides of the freezer, where it rapidly congeals, and the congealed portions are removed by means of a special spatula, as quickly as they form, until the whole becomes a smooth and homogeneous mass. The delicacy and creaminess of the ice depend a great deal upon the care with which this freezing operation is effected; hence the preference which is now given to freezers fitted with a mechanism whereby two fans revolve inside in a direction opposite to that of the body of the machine, and thus not only detach the congealed portions of the preparation under treatment from the sides of the receptacle, but also work it with a regularity impossible to human motion.