Basic Frozen Dessert Primer

It's over 90°F (32°C) in much of the country, so frozen treats are a must.

There are a million varieties and Terry Kay Bargar of the Andover Townsman breaks them down for us.

Homemade ice cream does not have to be difficult to make. Basically there are two forms — one with eggs (a custard base) and the other without eggs ("Philadelphia-style"). Add some sort of milk product (milk, cream, soy milk … the list is quite lengthy) and flavoring (vanilla, fruit, chocolate, herbs, etc.), chill in the fridge and then pour into your ice cream maker. This is the one caveat: you must own an ice-cream maker, either electric or hand-cranked. These machines spin the ingredients around, slowly begin the freezing process and thereby add air to the mixture, which turns cream into fluffy ice cream. Set the results in the freezer for a few hours to insure frozen firmness.

Ice milk simply is a lower-fat version of ice cream.

Gelato is Italian ice cream made from more egg yolks but less cream. Despite the ingredients, it contains less fat than its American counterpart and is generally denser and richer.

Frozen yogurt has the texture of ice cream but has active bacterial cultures and less fat.

Sherbet is a fruited ice cream made with low-fat milk, egg whites and fruit. Don't confuse it with sorbet, however, which contains no milk products | only fruit and sweetener and tastes tart. Back in Victorian times, and even at high-end restaurants today, you'll find sorbet served as a palate cleanser between courses.

Frozen custard is at every beach in America. Creamier and softer than ice cream, it's the perfect treat to eat between tanning and swimming.

Tofutti is made from, you guessed, tofu. It's not my dessert of choice, but for those who want a lactose-free treat then Tofutti is worth trying.

Granita is the one exception to the ice-cream maker necessity. Sweetened liquid, especially coffee, is frozen in a pan and scraped with the tines of a fork at regular intervals. It resembles snow but tastes much more flavorful!