Creamy Fruit Sorbets - Cooks Illustrated

Published July 1, 1995.

Forget about gelatin, egg whites, or corn syrup. The key to smooth, silky sorbets is plenty of sugar and a bit of alcohol.

The Problem

Homemade sorbets often taste just fine but tend to be overly icy.

The Goal

Our goal was simple. Restaurant sorbets are invariably creamy and silky. They literally melt in your mouth, almost like ice cream. We wanted to figure out why.

The Solution

After much trial and error, we found that a high sugar concentration is the secret to creamy sorbets. Sugar controls the texture. By using 1/2 cup of sugar per cup of fruit (give or take a few tablespoons, depending on the fruit), we were able to achieve the desired result: smooth, creamy texture without cloying sweetness. We also found that adding a tablespoon of high-proof alcohol improves the texture of the sorbets and permits a slight reduction in the amount of sugar. Tasteless vodka is our first choice.

list of recipes

America’s Test Kitchen is a 2,500-square-foot kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines and is the workday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version. We also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients in search of brands that offer the best value and performance. You can watch us work by tuning in to America’s Test Kitchen (www.americastestkitchen.com) on public television.