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Eye-Appealing Gelato Displays that Tempt the Taste Buds
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By Kristen Payne
Picture this: a warm, decadent brownie layered within smooth, chocolaty waves of gelato goodness and drizzled with a savory chocolate sauce. Visualize juicy apple slices tucked into creamy waves of green apple gelato, garnished with a caramel topping. Are your taste buds screaming yet? It is human nature to eat with your eyes, and half of every dining experience is linked to the feelings and emotions within us as we take in a mouthwatering display of food with our eyes.
When it comes to gelato, this creamy, Italian dessert is just as much an art form as it is an experience for your mouth. When creating gelato pans, you should always be thinking about creating a “wow” factor for customers and making each display a feast for the eyes. To ensure a neat appearance in all of your gelato pans, use one of the four basic displays: sculpted, peaked, flat or spatulart. Each technique has its own unique set of benefits, but collectively, they offer beautiful, flawless options for displaying your gelato. The difference between the four displays begins at the extraction and ends with the chefs’ personal technique.
See below for a guide to create each of the four gelato pan styles, along with the benefits of each unique form.
 
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Sculpted Gelato
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As you are extracting the gelato from the batch freezer, make sure to place the gelato in even lumps, working your way up to create a mound. Using the same spatula to smooth the sides down, start in the front of the pan and drag the spatula in a swiping motion towards the back of the pan, creating waves in the gelato. You can also plunge the back of the spatula into the gelato and pull it cleanly to create more depth in the design.
Pros: Hand-crafted, visual appeal
Cons: Requires some practice
Tips: Use PreGel Toppings and Arabeschi® to fill the crevices the sculpted gelato creates
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Peaked Gelato
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As you are extracting the gelato from the batch freezer, make sure to place the gelato in the pan, pulling the spatula directly up, to create a peak. Each machine has different extractions and will create different peaks. As you place the peaks in the pan, work your way up, creating a pyramid of peaks.
Pros: Machines help create the style
Cons: Peaks look best when uniform, therefore some crafting is needed
Tips: Keeping the gelato spatula free of excess gelato during extraction will help the gelato release more easily and cleanly during extraction.
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Flat Gelato
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As you are extracting the gelato from the batch freezer, press the gelato into the pan as you go to prevent air pockets inside the pan of gelato. Once the pan is full, use the gelato spade to smooth the gelato as evenly as possible on top. Finish the top with a long metal spatula to make perfectly flat. Clean the sides of the pan with a disposable paper towel and blast freeze for 15 minutes. Garnish as desired, but try to keep it simple as too much decoration will take away from the simplistic perfection of the flat pan.
Pros: Flat pans decrease the surface area that is exposed to circulating air within the display case, therefore flat pans have a longer expected shelf life and are easier to maintain over the following week. Additionally, flat pans are easier to scoop from front to back, keeping the display case looking clean.
Cons: The display lacks the artisanal presentation of gelato
Tips: Decorate only the front 1/4 or one side of the pan to allow for easy maintenance of the pan
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Spatulart Gelato
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As you are extracting the gelato from the batch freezer, press the gelato into the pan as you go to prevent air pockets inside the pan of gelato. Once the pan is full, use the gelato spade to smooth the gelato as evenly as possible on top. Finish the top of the pan with the desired spatulart tool, starting from the front and working the tool to the back of the pan to create the desired design.
Pros: Just like flat pans, spatulart pans decrease the surface area that is exposed to circulating air within the display case, therefore they have a longer expected shelf life and are easier to maintain over the following week. Additionally, spatulart pans are easier to scoop from front to back, keeping the display case looking clean.
Cons: Garnishes must be simplified as to not compete with the spatulart
Tips: Start with a perfectly flat pan before using the spatulart tool to create a clean design, free of air bubbles
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