What if..I could have ice cream everyday?
Can you imagine a job that requires you to have ice cream everyday? One that doesn’t make you eat your vegetables first before you can have it. One that lets you decide if blueberry ripple, or kumquat sorbet is the next flavor to hit the shelves. Well here it is, Professional Ice Cream taster. Or as it is referred to in the ice cream biz, Tastemaster.
Tastemaster...the title kind of conjures up a vision of some guy in a long Obi-wan type robe, imparting his wisdom on room full of naive, yet eager ice cream disciples. Too much? Okay, he is probably in business casual attire and alone in the testing room. He does more than likely get to have a special spoon though. According to John Harrison, Tastemaster, for Edy’s Grand Ice Cream, he uses a gold spoon. This is because wooden or plastic leave a resin aftertaste that distorts the flavors. That’s good to know, because anyone who curls up with a pint of Rocky road, after a day of working in the trenches, doesn’t want the flavors distorted. Although, for my own purposes, if my golden spoon is dirty, I have resorted to using a plastic spork and on one occasion a small spatula. Don’t judge...I said small.
Now you ask, how does one pursue this noble career? Well, first to be a serious applicant for this it probably helps to have a degree in Food Science, with a focus on dairy. You might want to also consider the fields of Marketing, or Chemistry. It also helps to spend some serious time in actual ice cream shops, working, not just eating. You have to “maintain a healthy mouth”, Your diet must be bland. Spicy foods, pungent foods, and hot beverages can effect your taste buds. See with even the greatest sounding jobs certain sacrifices must be made. It should also be noted that you don’t actually eat the ice cream. It is like wine tasting, you look, swirl, coat your tastebuds, and then spit, for 4-5 hours a day. Oh and don’t forget, lots of paperwork,and research and analysis. After all, you are helping to create a masterpiece of culinary delight, rich with taste, texture, and appearance.
My tattered tastebuds thank you!