a cool mouthful and as a surprise.
The Texture of Frozen Purees and Juices Ice
texture can vary from rocky to coarse to
creamy, depending on the proportions of
ingredients, how the ice is made, and the
temperature at which it’s served. During the
freezing process, water in the mix solidifies
into millions of tiny ice crystals, which are
surrounded by all the other substances in the
mix: mainly leftover liquid water that forms a
syrup with dissolved sugars, both from the
fruit and added by the cook, as well as
contents of the plant cells and cell walls. The
more syrup and plant debris there are, the
more the solid crystals are lubricated, the
more easily they slide past each other when
we press with spoon or tongue, and the softer
the ice’s texture. Most ices are made with
about double the sugar of ice cream (whose
substantial fat and protein content helps
soften the texture, p. 40), between 25 and 35%