"I'm Melting!" But Why?

One of the greatest things about ice cream is the way that it quenches on a hot summer day. Unfortunately, ice cream and warm weather don’t get along too well (for long). All too many of us have experienced that devastating moment when a melting scoop of Cold Cow fell from the cone.

OK, so we know that hot temperatures and ice cold frozen treats aren’t quite compatible with one another. But why does ice cream melt, exactly?

Food chemist Sean O’Keefe of Virginia Tech explained to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
why it is exactly that cold foods, well, are hard to keep that way:

Dr. O'Keefe explained that energy is present in both cold and warm objects. But the warmer an object is, the more energy it has. So when ice cream (a cold object) is eaten in a warm place (like your backyard in July), it quickly begins absorbing energy. Once a certain amount of energy has been absorbed, the ice cream begins to melt. It's like boiling water. The water will boil and turn into a gas once it has absorbed enough energy from the heat of the stove. 

Ingredients also affect how ice cream melts. Cream, sugar, eggs and things such as chocolate chips, cookie dough and fudge go into ice cream. One of the most important ingredients, however, is fat. It gives ice cream its creamy texture. It also helps determine how fast it melts. O'Keefe said nonfat ice cream will melt more slowly than regular ice cream because it contains more water. More water means the ice cream will have to absorb more energy before it can melt. Also, low-fat ice creams tend to have more air whipped into them, which allows them to keep their shape longer.

Here at Cold Cow, we of course keep our ice cream as cold as possible from the moment we’re finished making it to the moment it enters your mouth. Well, what are you waiting for? Get moooooovin’...and get some Cold Cow!