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What is Ice Milk?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

Ice milk, which is sometimes also called iced milk, is a frozen sweet dessert. It is often a dessert choice of dieters as it is made with a low amount of milk fat and has fewer calories than ice cream. In fact, ice milk is often labeled as low-fat ice cream, especially in the United States. This has been so since 1994 when the American Food and Drug Administration made a ruling that allowed ice milk to be labeled and sold as low-fat ice cream.

There are a number of recipes for making this dessert at home, but one of the simplest is for a version called "pan ice milk." The ingredients needed to make this simple recipe include two cups (450 grams) of sugar, one egg, a few drops of vanilla extract, and one quart (one liter) of milk.

Milk, one of the ingredients in ice milk.
Milk, one of the ingredients in ice milk.

After thoroughly mixing all of the ingredients in a bowl, the liquid mixture should be added to a pot and brought to boil on the stove. After the mixture has been brought to a boil, allow it to cool slightly and then pour it into a baking pan. Make sure to use a baking pan that can hold all of the liquid while still leaving a bit of room between the top of the mixture and the lip of the pan. Place the pan in the freezer.

Ice milk may be listed as low-fat ice cream on menus in the United States.
Ice milk may be listed as low-fat ice cream on menus in the United States.

After two to four hours in the freezer, the ice milk should be solid. Transfer it into a blender or food processor to make the texture smooth. The dessert is ready to serve. Much like ice cream, it accompanies fresh fruit, cookies, cakes, pies, and other pastries very well. Ice milk also can be enjoyed on its own.

The flavor of the ice milk can be altered by using other extracts or by adding other ingredients to the mixture. Adding berries such as raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries can be a great way to add a tartness to the flavor. The berries should be sliced or mashed slightly before being added to the mixture. Just a small amount of berries, such as a half of a cup (118 milliliters) will add a great deal of flavor to the dessert.

This dessert can be turned into a vegan dessert by substituting the cow's milk with soy milk or rice milk. For an added health benefit, evaporated canned juice can be used instead of refined sugar.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for DelightedCooking, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for DelightedCooking, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Discussion Comments

Buster29

When I was a child, we would sometimes get ice cream novelties like fudgesicles and creamsicles from the store. I especially enjoyed the vanilla bars dipped in chocolate and the orange dreamsicles that had a popsicle coating over vanilla ice cream. At least, I thought it was ice cream at the time. It turned out to be ice milk, but we couldn't really tell the difference.

Now I know that ice milk tends to be icier than ice cream and not quite as flavorful. It's still good, but I'm not likely to buy it in gallon containers from the grocery store.

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    • Milk, one of the ingredients in ice milk.
      By: picsfive
      Milk, one of the ingredients in ice milk.
    • Ice milk may be listed as low-fat ice cream on menus in the United States.
      By: michaeljung
      Ice milk may be listed as low-fat ice cream on menus in the United States.