In the U.S., the [Food and Drug Administration]> (Food and Drug Administration - Wikipedia) requires products marketed as frozen custard to contain at least 10 percent milkfat and 1.4 percent egg yolk solids. If it has a smaller percentage of egg yolk solids, it is considered ice cream.[10]
True frozen custard is a very dense dessert. Soft serve ice creams may have an overrun as large as 100%, meaning half of the final product is composed of air. Frozen custard, when made in a continuous freezer will have an overrun of 15–30% depending on the machine manufacturer (an overrun percentage similar to gelato). Air is not pumped into the mix, nor is it added as an “ingredient” but gets into the frozen state by the agitation of liquid similar to whisking a meringue. The high percentage of butterfat and egg yolk gives frozen custard a thick, creamy texture and a smoother consistency than ice cream. Frozen custard can be served at −8 °C (18 °F), warmer than the −12 °C (10 °F) at which ice cream is served, in order to make a soft serve product.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburger, which is one of the fastest growing fast food chains across the country was started by its founders in Wichita, KS, in honor of their father Freddy Simon, who passed away recently. They originally wanted to bring back the nostalgia of frozen custard. Their burgers are smashed burgers like Steak & Shake, but the item on their menu that everyone goes back for are the skinny matchstick fries.
To complicate matters, there is sort of a soft serve hybrid – not quite as dense as your typical frozen custard but not at all as thin as the soft serve from DQ.
I’ve never been to ShakeShack, but we have Culver’s here and they have ‘concrete shakes’. As far as I’m concerned, if they have to give you a spoon, it’s not a shake, it’s a blizzard.
It’s just another reason I really dislike Culvers. I hate having to wait a half hour before I can drink my shake with a straw.
Speaking of beverages, I go to Gille’s* for custard, but I go to Kopp’s for malts-with-extra-malt and … here’s the real reason… Ice Cream Sodas.
My ancient mother loved these as a kid, and is quite particular about how they’re made, and will grill the poor innocent kid running the cash register, asking a litany of questions. Since I’ve heard her list a thousand times, I go in to order and she’s not allowed to frighten the staff.
But apparently, The REAL 1920s-Style Soda has chocolate sauce and seltzer water and custard. It’s so foamy and odd-looking that I’ve only had one sip, back in the 60s.
…
*Side note: We knew the owner, Paul Gilles (pronounced Gill’-iss, like Dobie). So when it started, Gilles’s was pronounced Gill’-iss-sez).
But customers started calling it Gill’-eees… Paul was too polite to correct them, and it stuck.
The only place around here with frozen custard is Culver’s and I LOVE their chocolate custard. It’s creamier than ice cream and the chocolate seems richer than chocolate ice cream.
That’s what I usually do. Sometimes it comes out fine, sometimes it still rock hard and sometimes they hand, what is effectively, a cup of flavored milk.
It’s not their standard proportions so I know that means they’re just dumping in some random amount and I can’t really blame them for guessing. But I just avoid it. Like I (think I) mentioned earlier. The only time I go to Culvers is when I’m really craving a shake and just don’t want to drive all the way to Kopps or I’m a few hours away from Milwaukee (but still in Wisconsin).
Georgie Porgies is fine, though I haven’t been there in probably 15 years. They have, IIRC, 3 locations now.
Northpoint was okay, but it’s not Kopps. I did like their burgers (as well as their brats and hot dogs) and it was very convenient for me to stop at when driving from one side of town to the other, which is often.
Northpoint, however, closed and reopened as Moosa’s (owned by the Musa family, the same family that owns Casa Blanca). It’s okay, I’ve been there a few times, wasn’t entirely thrilled, but for the sake of convenience, I’ll take it.
Then, there was some place, don’t know if it was ice cream or custard or I just saw the word burgers, right off the freeway near out towards Menomonee Falls or Germantown. I didn’t get a chance to stop there, but every time I’m in the area I look for it. I wish I could remember the name of it…I can’t even remember which exit it was.
Also, if you’re in the middle of Kenosha, The Spot is good as well. Ice cream, not custard, but the burgers are good. I mostly got to liking it because I went to college right there and it was open until like 3am. Also, they served you in your car so I could pick everyone up from the bar and if Taco Bell was closed, we’d go there.
But in any case, nothing beats Kopps. At least not for me.
Same here. Grew up 10 minutes from the Greenfield Kopps and worked at the Best Buy across the street a number of years. Now I can only get it when I’m in town visiting family. We have Culvers and Freddys in Minneapolis but I don’t care much for them.