The temperatures are rising – and the best way to cool down now is a delicious ice cream. It’s a good thing there’s still a pack of ice cream in the freezer. But the joy of the dessert quickly disappears when a thick layer of ice crystals has formed on it. How can you prevent ice crystals on the ice cream?

How to avoid ice crystals on ice cream?

There are three ways to prevent ice crystals on the ice.

Short cold chain

Keep the cold chain as short as possible. At the grocery store, you should place the ice pack directly into a cold cooler bag as soon as you take it out of the chest. Give the cashier the ice cream directly from the bag at the checkout and then immediately put the packaging back. The way home should also be as short as possible. When you get home, it is best to put the ice cream in the chest freezer or the freezer – ideally on the bottom shelf.

cling film

Even if the ice cream packaging is or will be opened, you can prevent ice crystals on the creamy surface with a simple movement:

Take a sufficiently large piece of cling film. It should be able to enclose the ice cream packaging once.
Place the foil on the opened pack.
Now gently press the cling film onto the surface of the ice cream. If possible, there should be no air under it.
The remaining cling film should extend over the edges of the wrapper.
Close the packaging with its lid.
Now you can put the ice cream back in the freezer.

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If you don’t have cling film, you can use parchment paper. It should fit snugly on the ice surface.

Turn ice pack over

Another trick prevents ice crystals: water and ice tend to sink. You can take advantage of this property: Place the ice cream packaging upside down in the freezer compartment – i.e. with the lid down. With this trick, the thawed moisture drips down onto the lid. The ice crystals then form on this – and not on the ice cream.

If the packaging is opened, you can simply remove the ice crystals from the lid with a cloth.

Why do ice crystals form on ice cream?

Ice crystals form due to temperature fluctuations. If the cold chain is broken, the ice cream can thaw slightly. If it then freezes again, ice crystals can form. The same happens when the ice cream packaging is opened. This allows warm air to reach the frozen surface. This thaws slightly and then freezes again as soon as the ice cream is put back in the freezer.

There is a similar effect when using warm cutlery: if the spoon you use to take the ice cream out of the packaging is very warm, it thaws the ice cream slightly. So it’s best to use a chilled spoon – even if it makes it harder to get the ice cream out.

Are ice crystals on ice cream harmful?

To a certain extent, ice crystals are not harmful – in both fruit ice cream and dairy ice cream. However, ice cream can lose a lot of its taste due to the ice crystals.

By the way: If the ice cream tastes rancid, you shouldn’t eat it, it’s better to dispose of it.

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