Stir-fried ice cream

Rolled ice cream with toppings

Thai Rolled Ice Cream, also referred to Stir-fried ice cream, or rolled ice cream, is a sweetened frozen dessert. It is made using milk, cream, and sugars as well as other added ingredients to increase the flavour. The liquid mixture is stirred to incorporate air spaces on an ice pan and simultaneously cooled to -20 degrees. Once the rolling process is complete, the result is rolls of smooth, semi-solid ice cream or gelato. The rolls are placed in a vertical position in an ice cream cup and topped off with various toppings and decorations. This style of ice cream is consumed by using an eating utensil.

Stir-fried gelato

Background

This frozen dessert originated in Southeast Asia under the name "Thai rolled ice cream" or "stir-fried ice cream" (I-Tim-Pad). By 2015, the United States picked up on the trend and the dessert is now known there as "rolled ice cream" or "ice cream rolls". Beginning in Thailand in 2009 as a popular street food, this dessert spread into neighboring countries and became a popular style of ice cream by 2012. Customers began to record the process of the "rolled" or stir-fried ice cream or gelato being made and would put it on the internet. These videos became viral and other countries started to pick up on this trend. This dessert is popular among children and adults. Customers have noted that lines can take over an hour to order in large metropolitan areas such as New York and Boston.

Cold grill

The device used to create the dessert is a chilled plate that can run on electricity or be cooled by liquid nitrogen, and can maintain a temperature of -20 degrees. An ice pan that resides atop the machine is the element that reaches -20 degrees and is where the ice cream or gelato mixture will reach the freezing temperature to form the semi-solid dessert.

Preparation

The product is made with a milk base combined with various fresh ingredients and different toppings served alongside this dessert. The main ingredients include the liquid base, which is commonly milk or soy milk and comes in generic flavours, such as vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and strawberry. The base flavour could be left as is, or extra ingredients can be added, such as fruit, cookies, chocolate, and brownies. These ingredients plus extract powder or syrups are used to create the flavour.

Stir-fried ice cream being prepared

Process

The process to create this frozen dessert takes an average of two minutes. The flavored milk-based liquid is poured onto the ice pan where it is chopped and manipulated until the liquid becomes a cream. Other required ingredients are added and the mixture is chopped and probed until a creamy texture has formed. The mixture is spread in a thin layer across the pan, then starting on one side the ice cream or gelato is rolled into their cylinder shape with the use of a spatula. The rolls are placed in an ice cream cup and decorated with any desired toppings.