In a series of short videos, Gelato master Paolo, from Hong Kong’s premier gelateria – I Scream – and colleague master Gianni will guide you through a traditional Italian gelato recipe. You’ll learn how gelato was made in the past using only good, natural ingredients and simple equipment.
Production methods might have advanced but traditional Italian gelato recipes never change
Modern technology and food manufacturing processes might have life easier ?? for our gelato kings but, as we’ll see, the gelato recipe is as good today as it always has been and can’t be improved upon.
Gelato master Gianni is no stranger to Italian gelato
Paolo Predonzan, founder of Hong Kong’s prestigious gelateria I Scream, explains that along with quality natural ingredients, expertise is also needed to get the best from a Italian gelato recipe. In this video Paolo introduces us to Gianni; one of the greatest gelato masters in the world today.
Mastering the art of the traditional Italian gelato recipe in Vienna
The Austrian city of Vienna is home to some of the best gelato shops on the planet, and it is here that Gianni studied for thirty-four years to perfect his skill in creating magnificent ice cream from traditional Italian gelato recipes.
Making gelato the old-fashioned way
Gelato masters Paolo and Gianni take us on a trip back in history, revealing a surprising piece of equipment to create ice cream from a traditional methods. In this video you’ll find out what our duo’s ancestors might have used to make gelato a century ago.
Using an antique gelato-making machine
As Paolo explains, the beautiful wooden gelato churning machine could be anything up to one hundred and twenty years old. But if you’re making gelato to a traditional recipe that’s been handed down through generations, why not use the original methods too?
An antique machine is restored to use with a traditional Italian gelato recipe
Paolo and Gianni, our gelato-making experts, explain how an ancient gelato machine was rescued from a flea market and lovingly restored so that it could make ice cream once more to a traditional methods.
How gelato was kept freezing cold in the olden days
Freezing ice cream wasn’t always as quick and easy as it is today. Watch the video to find out how a traditional Italian gelato recipe could be kept at a suitably chilly temperature in earlier times.
Making of the gelato recipe the olden way; the magic begins!
In this video, master gelato makers Paolo from respected Hong Kong gelateria I Scream and Gianni show how a traditional Italian gelato recipe can be followed to make top quality ice cream without the need for any modern equipment.
You can’t make a traditional recipe without ice!
As you’d expect, if you’re going to make a sumptuous frozen dessert, ice has got to be involved somewhere in the process. Here we see how an antique gelato making machine is cooled down to freezing point ready for making a traditional Italian gelato recipe.
Only natural ingredients make up this recipe
Forget artificial colourings, flavourings, emulsifiers and e-numbers. Our master gelato makers Paolo and Gianni are here to show you that the best traditional Italian gelato recipe relies on nothing more than good quality natural ingredients.
Gelato flavoured with banana
In their video demonstration, Paolo of Hong Kong gelateria I Scream and Gianni are following a traditional Italian gelato recipe that begins by adding with just water, sugar, banana and “a little egg white” to their vintage gelato making machine. Why the egg white? Watch and find out…
With the ingredients chilling, mixing of the recipe begins
I Scream’s master gelato makers Paolo and Gianni have cooled down their old-fashioned gelato making machine with ice and salt and have added the ingredients for their traditional Italian gelato recipe. Now the hard work begins. With no modern machinery to make life easy, the ingredients must be mixed by hand while the gelato freezes.
How long does it take to mix and freeze?
The answer to that question no doubt varies depending upon the type and quantity of gelato you’re making, but with the traditional Italian gelato recipe we’re seeing made here, Paolo suggests we’ll see results in about twenty minutes.
As mixing continues, the gelato yields results
The manual mixing process that Paolo and Gianni use to make their traditional Italian gelato recipe requires stamina and muscle power. It might look easy to stand and rapidly turn a wheel without stopping for twenty minutes, but as Paolo tells us you really need two people to do this in shifts.
Now we can see the first gelato forming from our recipe.
Bearing in mind that for the video Paolo and Gianni are only making around four litres of ice cream from their traditional Italian gelato recipe, it doesn’t take long before we can see evidence of frozen gelato appearing in the stainless steel mixing bucket.
At first our gelato produces a lush banana ‘sorbet’
Between them, our expert gelato Paolo from Hong Kong’s finest gelateria I Scream and his colleague Gianni have created a delightfully soft and creamy banana gelato. They have produced this delicious treat by hand, using the sort of equipment that there gelato-making forefathers would have used more than a hundred years ago.
What’s the next stage?
Using a clean wooden spatula, we see Paolo transferring the beautiful whipped and semi-frozen banana dessert from the gelato machine into a clean, metal mixing bowl. Our journey through a traditional Italian gelato recipe is almost complete.
The best part of the process is the tasting!
In the previous nine short videos, expert gelato master Paolo Predonzan – founder of fine Hong Kong gelateria I Scream – and his sidekick Gianni have produced perfect banana gelato. The amazing part is that they’ve followed the process step-by-step using only simple, good quality natural ingredients and equipment that’s more than a century old.
Can you create gelato from the comfort of your home?
In this video, Paolo tells us that with the right expertise, the right equipment and the best ingredients it’s perfectly possible to make great gelato from a traditional Italian gelato recipe just as it was made a hundred years ago. Why not give it a try?
What’s the verdict on our traditional Italian gelato recipe? Perfetto!
Now you’ve seen everything it takes to make the perfect smooth and delicious ice cream of your choice from a traditional Italian gelato recipe. As our videos show, making top quality gelato from scratch requires a little dedication and effort, but the results are well worth it.
Thanks go to Paolo and Gianni for taking us through their traditional Italian gelato recipe
We’ve loved every minute of the process from gathering the ingredients to tasting the finished product that expert gelato masters Paolo and Gianni have shown us. Can’t get enough of traditional Italian gelato recipes? If you’re in Hong Kong you can sample Paolo’s wonderful gelato in one of the many restaurants, hotels or bars that I Scream supplies.
If you would like to view our full length video please click HERE