Summer is (Slush) King in East Boston
Growing up in Buffalo, I was spoiled with ice cream choices — or so I thought. Anderson’s Frozen Custard is the soft serve to end all soft serve. Dairy Queen was as popular and plentiful in my suburb as Tim Horton’s was and served as a great backup if an Anderson’s was too out-of-the-way. What I know now is that I had no idea what I was missing out on.
I don’t remember being able to buy gelato anywhere growing up, let alone knowing it existed. Suddenly, everywhere, from corner cafes to big chains, is cashing in on the trend. It wasn’t until I moved away from Buffalo that I visited a shop that served freshly made gelato.
I’m no ice cream aficionado, but even I can tell there are clear differences between frozen custard, other soft-serve ice cream, and the homemade gelato Slush King in East Boston.
Custard vs Soft Serve vs Gelato
As The Dairy Godmother explains, egg yolk is the main difference between soft-serve ice cream and custard. Frozen custard has all of the typical ingredients of normal ice cream but includes egg yolk for a creamier base. You also need a particular custard machine to mix the ingredients, incorporating as little air as possible in the process.
However, if you’re daring (or desperate), Serious Eats has a great breakdown of exactly how to make frozen custard at home. The key difference is using evaporated milk.
Gelato is a different story. Unlike frozen custard or soft-serve ice cream, this frozen treat’s ingredient list does not include egg yolks or extra air.
Gelato’s creaminess comes from the way it’s made. Like custard, as little air is churned into the ice cream in the mixing process. This, combined with less milkfat – 4 to 9%, per Real Simple – and the fact gelato is warmer than other ice creams, sets the treat apart.
Gelato is Having a Moment
One reason I didn’t have gelato until recently was that it wasn’t widely available until the 1990s. That is, until 1967 when Francesco Procopio dei Coletti invited “semi-finished” gelato —different powders and gels made from fresh ingredients that allow gelato to be made quickly and on large scales. In other words, a specific type of additive to help ramp up gelato production.
With great numbers always comes lower quality, which is the case with mass-produced gelato. The gelato you buy in the grocery store freezer will never taste the way it will somewhere that uses fresh ingredients.
For one, gelato is stored at a temperature different from ice cream, between 10 to 20 F, versus ice cream’s 6 - 10 F, per Food Network.
Small-batch shops that use fresh ingredients are starting to pop up more and more, however. Whether it’s thanks to the slow food movement or just how Instagrammable gelato is, there is a demand for ice cream’s Italian cousin.
Slush King Rules East Boston’s Summers
For East Boston, the hunger for small-batch gelato is satisfied by Slush King.
While the ice cream window at Slush King’s Bennington Street location is new, the company has been serving Italian Ice since 1955. Shops all over the neighborhood carry different varieties of their slushes, including Carmella’s, an Italian Deli and sandwich shop a mile from Boston Logan’s A terminal.
For the good stuff — the gelato, the frappes, the brioche and gelato sandwiches — you have to head to 211 Bennington in East Boston.
The menu is on the side of the building on big boards, which are easier to see the shorter the line is. On a hot summer’s night, especially between 7 and 8 p.m., the line can stretch down the block. The wait is never too long — and is always worth it.
Pro-tip: Pistachio gelato is prone to run out earlier in the day, the busier it’s been. Besides gelato and slush, Slush King also serves soft-serve ice cream, fried dough, frappes, sundaes, hot dogs, and more. Offerings depend on the day and are always displayed outside the order window.
