DOC WILSON'S ICE CREAM PAGE
DOC WILSON'S ICE CREAM PAGE
Most people search for happiness; ice cream people create it! In these times, when more and more people are stressed out and consumed by the difficulties of living in a world where nothing is certain and nothing is safe, ice cream provides the escape. Notice that when that cold, sweet, refreshing bit of ice cream melts in your mouth, all your concerns melt away with it. Life, for one brief moment, is sweet, tranquil, and all is right with the world. Now ice cream is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. Ice cream has nothing to do with faith. But it is strong medicine. It can change your priorities and transform your life.
About 20 years ago I was in a The Hardware Store in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, and couldn't resist purchasing a six quart electric White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer, and at the counter there was a small salesman sample White Mountain miniature freezer, and I bought it, also. My passion for homemade ice cream had begun. A few years later, I was wandering through a flea market in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, when I spotted a little two quart ice cream freezer. It was all metal, like a pail, and the bridge and crank were red cast iron. As I turned the crank, which was a little rusty, I conjured up an image of sitting on the front porch of a small farm, grandfather bringing out the freezer and a sack of salt, chipping ice to pack around the freezer and each of us taking turns turning the crank. I can still smell the brine and feel the warm summer breeze.
But where did this vision come from? I never lived on a farm and we never had a freezer like this! Did the freezer itself harbor an old memory which I experienced while holding it? Preposterous! But when the vision had passed, I found myself walking to the check-out counter to purchase this little freezer. I figured that surely there must be other unusual ice cream freezers around. Thus was the first step taken toward what has become the largest collection of ice cream freezers for home-made ice cream in the world. I was intrigued by researching the history of these freezers, and the history of the companies who made them. I contacted other collectors who collected ice cream freezers and joined the Ice Screamers . The result was that I ended up writing the definitive book on ice cream freezers which is now in the library of the Smithsonian Institution.
Doc Wilson's Ice Cream Collection includes a display of ice cream scoops and all manner of other ice cream stuff; milk shake mixers, ice cream advertisements, ice cream related toys, drive-in trays and over 500 other rare and interesting ice cream items. The collection has been featured in several national and local magazines, various local and national television and radio programs, and I was recently interviewed by BBC, London. Everyone around town recognizes my car with the ice cream cone on the antenna and my nickname "Dr. Ice Cream" on the front license plate.
I have written three books, "Ice Cream Freezers " which outlines the history of ice cream freezers and also contains a descriptive list of all known freezers in the hands of collectors along with a list of known collectors. The second book, "Home-made Ice Cream: The Whole Scoop " tells you everything you ever wanted to know about home-made ice cream, ice cream lore, and all my favorite recipes, and "The Really Big Book of Ice Cream" is an expanded version of the home-made ice cream book, but with an in-depth study of ice cream covering all the technical and commercial aspects of ice cream equivalent to a college level course in the subject. I have also developed an interactive software program which allows you to formulate custom recipes for ice cream and evaluate existing recipes for quality, nutritional information, and standardization for retail producers. Unfortunately, none of these books is available at the present time.
Now, with all this talk of home-made ice cream, you would think that I'd have some dynamite recipes for home-made ice cream. Well, you're right! On this site I've included a list of all my favorite recipes . If you have any questions or just have a good ice cream anecdote, please contact me by email !
Finally, for some real fun, why not test your ice cream knowledge at Doc Wilson's Ice Cream Trivia page? Twenty five entertaining puzzlers which will teach you more than you ever wanted to know about ice cream trivia!
Besides this one, my other favorite ice cream websites include:
DOC WILSON'S ICE CREAM FREEZERS
A FEW OF DOC WILSON'S FREEZERS
I have always believed that a good ice cream wants to be; a good ice cream freezer allows it to happen. I also believe that ice cream freezers hold inherited family memories of summer afternoons and childhood delights. Old ice cream freezers always evoke deep memories of past generations. Has anyone ever had this experience with Aunt Tillie's can opener? I think not. But with ice cream freezers, I've seen it hundreds of times.
My collection of ice cream freezers now numbers at over two hundred restored antique and modern freezers, making it the largest in the world, and in September 1998, it was confirmed as such by the Guinness Book of World Records! (You can see this record in the 2000 edition of the Guinness Book of Records Page-a-Day Calendar on the July 1 page, or you can see it on the Guinness Web Site by clicking here . and entering "ice cream freezer" in the search box). Every freezer is restored to working condition and no two are alike. The variety is amazing. I have also been fortunate to have my collection recognized in the magazines "American Country Collectibles" , "Attache" (the in-flight magazine of U.S. Airways) and featured in the Kitchen Collectibles column in the July 1998 issue of "A Taste of Home". (If you would like to view this article, click here .)
The first hand-cranked freezer for home-made ice cream was by Nancy Johnson, and you will read in other ice cream books that she invented it in either 1846 or 1848 and that she never patented it. This was an error which appeared in an early ice cream book and has been copied ever since. The truth is that she DID patent it, receiving patent number 3254 on September 9, 1843. The previous authors simply did not look back far enough.
The oldest freezer in the collection is an 1865 combination butter churn and ice cream freezer of which this is the only known example. I also have an 1871 Fre-Zee-Zee made by Minute Man and is one of the oldest freezers still in existence. There are only fourof these still in the hands of collectors. I entered this freezer in a contest held by Edy's Grand Ice Cream and won first place. The prize was an all-expense paid trip to Houston to tour one of their production plants and lots and lots of goodies thrown in as well (including free ice cream!).
1871 FRE-ZEE-ZEE
One of the most interesting and most rare freezers in my collection is a one-of-a-kind electric freezer which consists of a 1923 White Mountain freezer mated to a 1934 Sunbeam Mixmaster. It is still in working condition.
Another favorite is an 1878 Benham freezer made in
England by the same craftsmen who made the orb and cross that surmounts St.
Paul's Cathedral in London! It has superb craftsmanship, with bronze dasher
and brass canister lid and unusual gear arrangement.
Recently I connected my exquisitely reproduced 1923 1/2 pint White Mountain Junior ice cream freezer to a model steam engine, and I now have the world's smallest steam operated ice cream freezer!
There are many other rare and interesting freezers in the collection, including around a dozen over one hundred years old, and also many toy freezers, all in working condition. Visitors are welcome to visit Doc Wilson's to see this remarkable collection (no charge), and each visitor gets a dish of homemade ice cream to top off the visit. (You can't beat a deal like that!)
I have written a book on ice cream freezers which outlines their history and those known to be in the hands of collectors. In 1997 I was notified that this book was accepted into the library of the Smithsonian Institution. If you are interested in obtaining this book, or if you need information on an ice cream freezer you have found, or just want to talk ice cream, please contact Doc Wilson by email .
ICE CREAM SCOOPS
Along with the collection of ice cream freezers , the collection also displays a collection of about fifty ice cream scoops. All the usual scoops, Gilchrist, Arnold, Indestructo, New Gem, Hamilton Beach, etc. are display, along with a Gem scoop dated 1895 which is the first mechanical round bowl dipper ever made. I also have a rare 1922 Dover scoop with the "slicer". There is one which is shaped like a cow and "moooooooos" and one which cries "Ice Cream!" when it is tipped. For more information on scoops I highly recommend "Ice Cream Dippers" by Wayne Smith. You can obtain this book through the Ice Screamers . If you collect scoops or have other ice cream interests, please get in touch with Doc Wilson by email .
THE ICE SCREAMERS
"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream"
The Ice Screamers is an organization of over 600 friendly members who share a passion for ice cream. They are collectors of ice cream stuff, and preservers of ice cream history and soda fountain history. Membership is inexpensive and entitles you to a quarterly newsletter which contains fascinating articles on ice cream, ice cream collecting, histories of soda fountains, and a column where members can advertise items for sale, trade, or items they'd like to find. To find out more about the Ice Screamers, or if you are interested in membership, contact them by email at Membership@icescreamers.com .
Before you take the trivia quiz, here are a few facts just to get you started:
Almost 13% of men admit licking the bowl after finishing
their ice cream. Only 8% of women do this. I think one can also conclude
from this that 87% of the men are married to 92% of the women.
Nearly 5% of all people who eat ice cream share
it with their dogs or cats.
On August 7, 1977, Dennett D'Angelo set a world
record for eating 3 pounds, 6 ounces of ice cream in 90 seconds.
The first homemade ice cream freezer was made
by a physician in Spain in 1565.
The first public performance of Stephen Foster’s
song “Oh, Susanna” was in an ice cream parlor.
Now you are on your own......
1. Which Country consumes the most ice cream per capita?
2. President Clinton does not like ice cream.
3. The first ice cream freezer for home made ice cream was made by Nancy Johnson in 1846 but she never patented it.
4. During World War II, U.S. Submarines were fortunate to have ice cream available during long patrols.
5. George Washington made ice cream using the "still pot" method, but it was Dolley Madison who first served ice cream in the White House.
6. Haagen Dazs is made in Sweden and it's name means "Happy Days".
7. Ice cream tastes best when served at a temperature of 8 degrees F.
8. Credit for the first ice cream soda is generally given to Dr. Pendleton, the originator of Dr. Pepper.
9. In World War II, Burton Baskin of Baskin Robbins fame, was a quartermaster who began his ice cream career by trading a jeep for an ice cream freezer.
10. The first ice cream cone was invented by a Canadian who got the idea as he observed people roll newspapers in cones when buying flowers from street vendors.
11. When ice cream was served to new immigrants to the U.S. on Ellis Island, many of them spread it on their bread thinking it was a new type of cold butter.
12. Vanilla extract is produced...:
13. The famous candy maker, Russel Stover, taught Christian Nelson how to get chocolate to stick to ice cream and thus the Eskimo Pie was eventually born.
14. In the late 1800's, a New York guidebook described them by saying they "barely eke out a miserable existence. Take them all in all, and they are a very curious class of people, interesting to study". Who were these people?
15. Which U.S. state boasts the highest per capita consumption of ice cream?
16. What was Elvis' favorite ice cream?
17. What are Ben and Jerry's last names?
18. On the average, how many licks does it take to eat a standard single dip ice cream cone?
19. On which day of the week is the most ice cream sold?
20. How much ice cream is produced annually in the U.S.?
21. The largest banana split ever made was...
22. During World War II, there was a shortage of flour for ice cream cones, so they were made out of...
23. How much did President George Washington pay for ice cream during the summer of 1790?
24. In 1946, the following new flavor was tried:
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They apparently thought kids would take their medicine better!
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You are on your way to being an ice cream guru!
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Actually, President Clinton once paid $130 for six gallons of Mango ice cream made in a San Antonio hotel.
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Nancy Johnson invented her freezer in 1843 and recieved patent number 3254 on September 9, 1843, making one of the first patents granted in the U.S.
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At least in part. While ice cream freezers were not standard issue for submarines, both the Tang and the Pampanito, "appropriated" ice cream freezers which had been requisitioned for destroyers.
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Dolley Madison first introduced ice cream to the White House when she served as the widowed Thomas Jefferson's social hostess before her husband James Madison became president.
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Haagen Dazs is made in the Bronx and its name is meaningless.
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Yes, 8 degrees F. is the best temperature to blend texture, flavor and sweetness.
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Credit for the first ice cream soda is generally given to Robert Green in 1874. Dr. Pendleton didn't invent either Dr. Pepper or the ice cream soda. We don't even know who Dr. Pendleton is.
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Apparently the legality of this trade was never questioned!
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Modest, huh?
Thanks for taking Doc Wilson's quiz!
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The Ice cream cone was popularized at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair where there are several versions of just how it was invented. All agree it was invented when a waffle vendor wrapped his waffle into a cone shape to hold ice cream.
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Vanilla is imported from hand pollenated orchids grown in Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti, and vanilla produced in each of these locations produces vanilla extract which has its own distinct characteristics. Vanilla ice cream has always been the best selling flavor in the U.S.
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Apparently Russel Stover decided to stick with assorted chocolates.
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Hokey-pokey men were ice cream street vendors who sold very poor quality, and often unsanitary, ice cream. Some say the name came about because many of the vendors were of Italian descent who roamed the streets crying out, "O che poco", which translates to "Here is a little [ice cream]". Some believe that this phrase gradually was corrupted to "hokey-pokey". Other linguists say that because their ice cream was such poor quality that anyone who bought it was "deceived", these street vendors were placed in the same categories as street jugglers and magicians who used the phrase "hocus-pocus", and this was in fact the phrase which was corrupted to "hokey-pokey" You decide.
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Alaska is also the second largest per capita consumer of Spam. Hmmmmmmm........
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That's right, for an average cone, an average size dip, on an average temperature day, with an average size tongue,...
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Yep, it's Sunday, not sundae.
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Over 1.5 billion gallons is more than enough to fill the Grand Canyon; do the math. That's about six gallons every year for every man woman and child in the United States, according to the 2000 census (long form?). I know I'm eating my share.
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Yeah, it's true...and it took me almost an hour to eat it all! (Well, maybe that part isn't true)
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Without the cob. That was used for something else.
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That was a lot of money in 1790; equivalent to $96,400 today! And we think we are worried about government spending!
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DOC WILSON’S HOME-MADE ICE CREAM
ORDER FORM
ICE CREAM FREEZERS FOR HOME-MADE ICE CREAM, Dr. Steve Wilson, 1996, 128 pages. A thorough study of the ice cream freezer mainly for collectors. A complete history of the ice cream freezer models and the companies who produced them. Also contains a list of collectors and known freezers still in existence, patent number lists, and index. Price: $25
HOME-MADE ICE CREAM: THE WHOLE SCOOP, Dr. Steve Wilson, 1997, 110 pages.
An light hearted but in-depth look at home-made ice cream and its lore,
with lots of
historical and useful recipes. Also covers ice cream judging and
taste-testing. Price $20
THE REALLY BIG BOOK OF ICE CREAM, Dr. Steve Wilson, 2000, 201 pages. Contains all of “Home-Made Ice Cream: The Whole Scoop” plus many more chapters comprising a very detailed and technical textbook for the true ice cream fanatic. Lots of valuable information for the person who wishes to begin a small retail operation making his own ice cream. Equivalent to a college level course on ice cream. Also contains brief history of some giant ice cream companies, and a trivia challenge. Along with the book, the “Recipe Factory” software program (listed separately below) is also provided. Price:$40
DR. ICE CREAM’S ICE CREAM RECIPE FACTORY, Dr. Steve Wilson, 2000. This
is a software diskette which contains two interactive software spreadsheets:
The Recipe Developer allows you to make ice cream according to your
own specifications, whether you want a good economical ice cream, or a
knockout superpremium ice cream. It is useful for both the homemaker who
wants to serve guests the very best homemade ice cream, or for the small
retailer who wishes to customize his own standardized 100 lb. batches for
ice cream in his own soda shop.
The Recipe Analyzer allows you to analyze any recipe for ice cream.
This powerful tool will analyze any ice cream recipe to calculate the percentage
of fat, sugar, serum solids, overrun, and also calculates information
per serving, such as fat grams, carbohydrate grams, and calories per
serving. It will also automatically calculate the estimated shelf
life, freezing point, and even cost per gallon. Requires Windows 95 or
better, Microsoft Works. Price $15
Prices include shipping and handling.
For more information:
Dr. Steve Wilson
email: piperw@nwark.com