Whatchamacallit: A Cold and Delicious Treat
In Philadelphia it’s called Italian Water Ice,
In New York- Italian Ice,
In Alabama- Greek Ice,
In Massachusetts- Slush,
In Hawaii - Shaved Ice
In fancy restaurants- sorbet,
In Amusement Theme Parks- Frozen Lemonade (even if it's a different flavor).
There are 3 Types of Italian Ice:
1- Basic recipe PLUS fresh fruit. Just throw frozen fruit into your batch machine with your other ingredients. Be careful because the higher liquid content from certain fruits may demand recipe adjustments. You may also need to add an additional flavoring depending on the type of fruit used.
2 - Basic recipe using a Flavor Base. Bases provide more stability in the consistency of the final product, and are great for hard-to-produce flavors like the popular Mango. Bases also provide dependable flavor without a lot of fuss.
3 - Basic recipe using only an Extract or flavor Concentrate. Extracts are usually reserved for fruit flavors like Watermelon or Honey Dew, or produced flavors like Cotton Candy or Bubble Gum.
Know your market:
The demand for certain Italian Ice flavors varies based on neighborhoods. Let’s use New York as an example.
In NYC Little Italy, the most demanded flavor is Lemon, in Harlem the list includes Grape & Cherry, at the Hispanic Day Parade on 5th Avenue, coconut based ices are the hottest, in the Jewish community in Riverdale the choice would be Chocolate. This example can apply anywhere. Therefore, you need to understand your customers before you turn on your batch freezers!
Gil's Ice Cream Supplies
320 W Oak Lane Glenolden PA 19036 610-237-6501 GilsWholesale.com IceCreamSuppliesWholesale.com
Gil's Ice Cream Supplies / Gil’s Wholesale Distributors is a family owned Pennsylvania-based full service distributor of ice cream, Italian Ice, Gelato and frozen dessert manufacturing products and supplies, located 10 minutes from the Philadelphia International Airport. Established in 1978, our delivery area is PA, NJ, and DE and we ship throughout the U.S. and abroad by common carrier, as well as offer convenient Pick Up services at our customer-friendly showroom.
With over 40 years of experience and over 8,000 SKU’s, we stock Ice Cream Mix, Italian Ice Flavors & Bases, Gelato ingredients, Variegates, Toppings, Syrups, Cones, Candy, janitorial supplies, and concession items such as popcorn and snow cone supplies. We also carry paper & plastic items such as cups, utensils, straws, napkins and containers for serving, manufacturing, Take-Out and packaging to simplify your ordering.
Free Customer Parking. One Stop Shopping for all of your business or organizational needs. NO MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED. CALL US TODAY!