Raw Dairy and Pasteurization
What does it all mean?!
We started using raw, organic, A2 cows dairy from Misty Brook Farm in beautiful Albion, Maine this year! It's easily the most exciting change in the studio since getting our new equipment this past winter. We wanted to dedicate this section of the site to explaining the hows, whats and whys of the switch, that it means better, more delicious and nutritious treats and why it isn't something to be scared about.
RAW MILK IS COOL!
In 1987, the FDA issued a mandate that required all dairy, with the exception of some cheeses, be pasteurized. Back then, industrialization of the dairy industry and consumer demands were making unpasteurized dairy a danger to consume, especially to children, elders and the immunocompromised. The reality is unpasteurized products can pose a risk to consumers in that bacteria and enzymes aren't annihilated by the process of heating to a certain temperature for a designated amount of time WHEN... the proper care is not taken to ensure safe and controlled environments! In our studio, we follow a strict food safety, cleaning and sanitization policy ( It's all fun and games otherwise) that, in tandem with monthly spot checks on our finished ice creams and sherbet, keep all our friends and customers safe.
Science hasn't yet proven that raw dairy and products made with them are better for you but science is only a part of the picture. Keeping with the themes of magic and whimsy, the biodiversity present in raw milk and the way, as mammals, we evolved to create a safe, nutritious mana to share with our babes is pretty freaking amazing. Magic on all counts. When those natural enzymes and bacteria are destroyed, lots of other things are to. Flavor is the most obvious. If you've never had a side by side of a glass of raw, organic, grass fed milk and the commercially processed stuff, you'll just have to believe us.
The Hot Process and what it means for flavor and food safety
Something that makes our ice creams cool and unique as well as safer is our hot process of base creation. We make individual bases for every flavor we freeze. In a hot process, that means we can incorporate ingredients like plants and breads and spices into our flavors by steeping them in the dairy before using it to make the finished base! It also means that, since we cook the bases until the tapioca starch we use to stabilize reaches full absorption at 88 degrees celsius, we bring all of our bases to the temperature at which most harmful bacteria are killed. Quick cooling and keeping track of temperatures of the bases during so ensures that all of the treats we make are as safe as humanly possible without using harsh pasteurizing technology.