To be one hundred per cent American, each one of us must eat at least two and a quarter quarts of ice-cream annually. This is the national American dish, despite Boston’s claim for the baked bean and the South’s for beaten biscuits. Rich and poor, the be-butlered and the maidless make their own ice-cream. The more remote from civilization, the more each individual housekeeper makes her own ice-cream. It is no longer a luxury; it is now recognized as a food. The Government classifies it, and it is experimented with at most of the State agricultural colleges and State experimental stations. Its making has become an industry standardized by the Government and certain rules must be adhered to by every manufacturer. The introduction of ice-cream as an industry not only stimulated purchasers of ice-cream, but has stimulated machinery builders. To-day the making of large plants and small household freezers comprises a large industry. For these mechanisms many problems of refrigeration, ice, brine, rock salt and packing arise. Some of these problems are important to the housekeeper as a maker of ice-cream, some as a buyer, and some not at all. KINDS OF ICE-CREAM In this sketch we will, of course, only touch upon those parts of this problem that are of interest to the housekeeper--doing her own work or with assistance. Ice creams are classified under various heads and sub-heads. Nearly every one interested classifies them differently. For the sake of convenience, we will give here one classification. I. Plain uncooked ice-cream Known as Philadelphia ice-cream, which consists of sugar, flavoring cream with or without condensed milk. 1. Plain with flavoring. 2. Fruit with flavoring. 3. Nut with flavoring. 4. Bisque with marshmallow, macaroon cake, wafers and other bread products well dried out. II. Cooked French ice-cream--sometimes called Neapolitan (though Neapolitan is really the many-colored layer ice cream only) made of cream, sugar, eggs and flavoring. 1. Parfaits Highly flavored fruits, nuts, spices (Nesserold pudding, Roman and English plum puddings). 2. Custards Flavoring, cornstarch, vanilla. III. Sherberts and Ices Water and milk, sugar, white of egg, fruit juices, etc. 1. Ices (granites frozen by oscillation and frappés--semi-frozen like mush. 2. Water Sherberts--Ices and egg, sometimes called soufflé. 3. Punches--with liquor (passing out). 4. Milk Sherbets. 5. Lacto--skimmed milk bases. IV. Mousse Rich cream sweetened and whipped, frozen in molds without oscillating or turning the freezer. V. Fruit layers Stabilizers and fillers. Stabilizers--such as gelatine, ice-cream powders and gum tragacanth, are used in commercial ice-creams to give the product body, but manufacturers should, according to law, admit this addition if necessary. Housekeepers often use gelatine; it is quite wholesome and not dangerous in any way. FREEZING