things to check before calling a refrigeration technician
Whenever a customer calls up to report that their soft-serve product is coming out not quite right from the freezer, the first question I ask is always: what temperature is the product coming out? Soft-serve product should normally be coming out of the freezer at about 19°.
See also: Calibrating Your Food-Grade Thermometer
What to do when your soft-serve ice cream is too soft
If the product is warmer than 19°, you may need a technician to come make an adjustment to your freezer. If however, the product is 19° but still coming out wet-looking or a little sloppy, the problem is not the freezing cylinder, but rather the product that has begun to degrade. When soft serve product stays in a freezing cylinder for too long it can become over-churned. You will notice lumps beginning to form, giving the product a grainy consistency. These grains or lumps are actually butter solids. If you think about it, our great grandparents would make butter by churning cream for long enough.
The solution to this problem is pretty straightforward: draw off a 16-ounce milk shake cup’s worth of soft serve product to allow fresh mix to chase it into the cylinder. Within a few minutes, you will see a marked improvement in your product’s consistency.
What to do when your soft-serve ice cream is too hard, or isn't coming out from the machine
When your soft-serve ice cream is too hard, your freezer may also be making squeaking noises and giving off an odor of burning rubber. What you are likely experiencing is a freeze up in your cylinder. By definition, a freeze up is caused by an incorrect mix-to-air ratio. This issue is almost always due to the freezing cylinder being starved of mix. Too much air in the barrel causes what a little mix is in there to freeze solid to the sides of the cylinder. This will make it very difficult for the auger to plow through the hardened ice cream mix, causing the belts of the freezer’s drive motor to slip & squeal.
Your solution is to shut off the freezing on that cylinder for 15 minutes. Be sure to set a reminder alarm on your phone, so as to not forget to turn your freezer back on. If the freezer is still unable to plow through the completely frozen mix after that time, repeat the process, setting an alarm for 10 minutes later.
Freeze ups are almost always caused by your cylinder being starved for mix. Keep an eye on the mix low indicator that tells you when your hopper is running low on product. Be sure to clear any froth or bubbles from your hopper with a slotted spoon (don’t try to whisk them into the product), as this froth and bubbles can sometimes prevent the low mix sensor from properly functioning.
Read more tips & tricks
See also: Calibrating Your Food-Grade Thermometer
What to do when your soft-serve ice cream is too soft
If the product is warmer than 19°, you may need a technician to come make an adjustment to your freezer. If however, the product is 19° but still coming out wet-looking or a little sloppy, the problem is not the freezing cylinder, but rather the product that has begun to degrade. When soft serve product stays in a freezing cylinder for too long it can become over-churned. You will notice lumps beginning to form, giving the product a grainy consistency. These grains or lumps are actually butter solids. If you think about it, our great grandparents would make butter by churning cream for long enough.
The solution to this problem is pretty straightforward: draw off a 16-ounce milk shake cup’s worth of soft serve product to allow fresh mix to chase it into the cylinder. Within a few minutes, you will see a marked improvement in your product’s consistency.
What to do when your soft-serve ice cream is too hard, or isn't coming out from the machine
When your soft-serve ice cream is too hard, your freezer may also be making squeaking noises and giving off an odor of burning rubber. What you are likely experiencing is a freeze up in your cylinder. By definition, a freeze up is caused by an incorrect mix-to-air ratio. This issue is almost always due to the freezing cylinder being starved of mix. Too much air in the barrel causes what a little mix is in there to freeze solid to the sides of the cylinder. This will make it very difficult for the auger to plow through the hardened ice cream mix, causing the belts of the freezer’s drive motor to slip & squeal.
Your solution is to shut off the freezing on that cylinder for 15 minutes. Be sure to set a reminder alarm on your phone, so as to not forget to turn your freezer back on. If the freezer is still unable to plow through the completely frozen mix after that time, repeat the process, setting an alarm for 10 minutes later.
Freeze ups are almost always caused by your cylinder being starved for mix. Keep an eye on the mix low indicator that tells you when your hopper is running low on product. Be sure to clear any froth or bubbles from your hopper with a slotted spoon (don’t try to whisk them into the product), as this froth and bubbles can sometimes prevent the low mix sensor from properly functioning.
Read more tips & tricks