What makes Culver's custard so rich and creamy?

When Culver's first comes to mind, you might think of its signature ButterBurger, the beef for which is never frozen. Another signature menu item that many customers love, though, is its frozen custard. It's one of the fast food chain menu items that are truly made from scratch, and the restaurants serve hundreds of scoops every day — sometimes more than 1,600 scoops daily during the hot summer. Among the facts about Culver's frozen custard, why it's so rich and creamy partially comes down to the science behind one key ingredient: egg yolks.

In accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Culver's frozen custard contains 1.4% pasteurized egg yolk solids by weight of the finished product. Coney Island vendors started adding this "secret ingredient" to their ice creams in 1919, which made the frozen treat creamier, smoother, and cold for longer. That's because the proteins in egg yolks act like emulsifiers when combined with the butterfat and sugar content to create a denser and more flavorful dessert than ice cream.

Additionally, the egg yolks prevent the formation of ice crystals when the Culver's teams slowly freeze the mixture. As a result, the frozen custard holds together longer than ice cream even though it's served at a warmer temperature — 18 to 21 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 5 to 10 degrees. It's also less likely to create a brain freeze or shock your taste buds, so they have more time to savor the flavor.

Read more: Popular Fast Food Items That Aren't What You Think

Egg yolks are just part of the rich and creamy equation

While egg yolks are the key ingredient in the frozen custard at Culver's, it's not the only difference between ice cream and frozen custard. Another key factor to making it rich and creamy is the machines the fast food chain uses to churn and freeze the mixture. As James Beard Award-nominated pastry chef Dana Cree explained to The Takeout, "From a culinary standpoint the texture of frozen custard is entirely dependent on a frozen custard machine, which churns the frozen dessert with next to no air in it." Ice cream, on the other hand, "is churned with more air into it," she noted.

Culver's frozen custard machines are designed to freeze just a little bit of the fresh dairy mixture at a time to prevent too much air from getting in, which produces a dense treat with a creamier mouthfeel. Despite slowing the flow of the mixture going into the barrel that pushes out the final product, fresh frozen custard emerges around three minutes after the whole process starts. The staff knows it's ready when the ribbon has a nice glossy reflection.

On top of that, Culver's makes small batches of the delightful dessert at two-hour intervals throughout the day. That's about how long it takes for the custard to start crystalizing and turning hard as it sits in the buckets. Even if there's still custard in the bucket, Culver's swaps them out and starts a fresh batch to ensure that customers get the rich and creamy experience that differentiates the frozen treat from ice cream.

Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and The Takeout.

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