Maine vs, Connecticut: The Ultimate Lobster Rolls Showdown

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Lobster rolls, the summertime sandwich synonymous with Maine, are the quintessential New England treat. The simple, hand-held seafood sandwich is made with a toasted split-top bun stuffed with chunks of fresh lobster meat. There are two main kinds of New England lobster rolls: Maine and Connecticut.

One is cold and the other is hot. One style is dressed with mayo and the other is drenched in butter. Whether you prefer classic Connecticut or mainstream Maine lobster rolls, one bite and you’ll be cray cray for this signature seafood sandwich.

What Is The Difference Between A Maine And A Connecticut Lobster Roll?

The Maine and the Connecticut lobster roll each have similarities and differences. Each is named for the state where they were first made and popularized. 

Both the Maine-style roll and Connecticut-style roll are made with:

  • Cooked, steamed lobster, typically from Maine
  • Toasted, buttered New England-style, white bread split-top, hot dog-style buns
  • Fresh lemon juice

Both are often served with sides like potato chips, pickles, and coleslaw.

The main differences between a Maine-style lobster sandwich and a Connecticut-style lobster sandwich are:

  • Temperature: Maine lobster rolls are cold and Connecticut rolls are warm.
  • Preparation: Maine lobster rolls are made with cooked lobster that is later chilled. Connecticut lobster rolls are made with cooked lobster that is served warm and drenched in drawn butter.
  • Seasoning: Maine lobster rolls use lobster meat that is mixed with mayonnaise and, oftentimes, lemon juice. They are sometimes seasoned with Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper, and/or celery. Connecticut rolls have lobster meat that is drizzled with clarified butter. They may also be served with melted butter on the side for dunking.
  • Taste: Aside from the obvious temperature difference, the cold Maine lobster roll is brinier tasting. The warm lobster meat in a Connecticut lobster roll is more tender and, thanks to the copious amounts of butter, buttery.
The Crabby Shack

What Is The Connecticut Version Of A Lobster Roll?

The Connecticut version of a lobster roll is the original lobster sandwich. The iconic sandwich was first made at the now-shuttered Perry’s restaurant in Milford, Connecticut, in the 1920s. The Connecticut version is warm and served with drawn butter.

What Is The Maine Version Of A Lobster Roll?

The Maine version is the more well known lobster sandwich stuffed with lobster salad. The Maine version is likely more famous because fresh Maine lobster is most commonly used to make these sandwiches. It’s easy to find the lovable lobstah sandwich at seafood shacks across the state. The Maine version is overflowing with mayo-mixed lobster tail, knuckle, and claw meat.

It’s no surprise that some of the most famous lobster sandwiches come from Maine, including:

What State Is Best Known For Lobster Rolls?

Maine is the state that is best known for lobster rolls. This is likely because Maine lobster is the most popular lobster for making the briny and mildly sweet seafood sandwich. Local lobstermen pluck fresh lobsters straight from the waters and boil the crustacean steps from the dock. 

The majority of restaurants and seafood shacks up and down the wicked coast of Maine serve chilled lobster sandwiches on buttered and toasted rolls that resemble hot dog buns.

Is Maine Or Connecticut Lobster Rolls Better?

Connecticut vs Maine — which is better? It depends on your personal preference. Some lobster lovers may prefer the cool and refreshing taste of chilled lobster with a touch of mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and seasoning on a buttered and freshly toasted bun. Others may favor warm, succulent lobster meat doused in drawn butter and served on a fluffy, slightly crunchy toasted bun. 

Both versions of the lobster roll are a lobster fest, bursting with melt-in-your-mouth lobster meat. It’s a win-win for everyone’s taste buds.

This article originally appeared on Goldbelly.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

Luke’s Lobster

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Frozen Custard vs. Ice Cream: Do You Really Know the Difference?

Frozen Custard vs. Ice Cream: Do You Really Know the Difference?

Hearing the jingle of an ice cream truck and chasing it down the street on a hot summer day never gets old. When temperatures rise, nothing quite soothes the heat like scoops of ice cream or frozen custard. But what’s the difference between these super cool frozen treats?

Whether you like your ice cream and custard in a dish or atop a freshly made waffle cone. Whether you like these frozen desserts with or without toppings, there’s a flavor combination to satisfy every sweet tooth. 

Scoop up some ice cream or frozen custard and get the scoop on the difference between these two iconic desserts.

Yummy pic/Istockphoto

There are several differences between frozen custard and ice cream, including ingredients, texture, and flavor. The main difference is that frozen custard always contains egg yolks and has much less air than ice cream.

Frozen custard is a newer frozen treat. Frozen custard was invented by Archie and Elton Kohr, two ice cream vendors from Coney Island, New York, in 1919. Ice cream was first made by the Chinese in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). However, it was American Jacob Fussell who pioneered modern ice cream production in the 19th century.

beats3/Istockphoto

Frozen custard ingredients include egg yolks, heavy cream, milk and sugar. There is less milk and more egg yolks in frozen custard. Custard must contain at least 10 percent milkfat and a minimum of 1.4 percent egg yolk solids.

Ice cream ingredients consist of cream, milk, and sugar.

The base for ice cream is made with milk and cream. To be labeled as ice cream in the U.S., the frozen dessert must have at least 10% milkfat. Sometimes ice cream is made with egg yolks. When ice cream has egg yolks, there are fewer egg yolks than in frozen custard. 

Ice cream and custard are different from gelato. Ice cream and gelato are both made with milk and cream, but gelato has more milk and less cream than ice cream.

WS Studio/Istockphoto

The texture of frozen custard is silky smooth. Frozen custard is heated. Then, it’s chilled and churned with a little air. This results in a creamy, dense, and rich frozen treat that has a luscious, velvety mouthfeel. Frozen custard is creamier than ice cream. 

The texture of ice cream is airy, thick, and velvety. Ice cream is mixed at high speeds, frozen, and churned with a lot of air. It’s served frozen, so sometimes it’s hard to scoop. It is smooth and creamy and lighter than frozen custard.

Magone/Istockphoto

The flavor of frozen custard varies, but it always has a rich and intense taste. It’s offered in many of the same flavors as ice cream, including chocolate and vanilla.

The flavor of ice cream depends on its flavors, but it is always milky tasting. Ice cream is airy, sweet, and refreshing. Ice cream comes in flavors that range from simple chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry to more complex cookies & cream, mint chocolate chip, and rum raisin.

Magone/istockphoto

Frozen custard is milky, sweet, and ultra creamy. It tastes similar to regular custard or pudding, but in frozen form. Frozen custard comes in similar flavors to ice cream.

Radu Bighian/Istockphoto

Ice cream is healthier than frozen custard because ice cream has fewer calories and fat. Frozen custard is higher in fat because of some of its ingredients like egg yolks and heavy cream, and is higher in calories because of its dense texture.

ahirao_photo/Istockphoto

No, frozen custard should be avoided if you are lactose intolerant. Both frozen custard and ice cream should be avoided because they contain cream. 

Cream contains high levels of lactose, which is a sugar found in dairy products. People who are lactose intolerant lack the ability to digest lactose.

Yuliya Koshchiy/istockphoto

Anderson’s Frozen Custard

Since 1946, Anderson’s Frozen Custard has been making small batches of its creamy, dreamy custard. The Buffalo, New York, shop uses superior hormone-free ingredients to handcraft its famous frozen custard in flavors like Black Raspberry, Chocolate, Pistachio, Strawberry, and Vanilla.

Anderson’s Frozen Custard

For more than 150 years, Graeter’s Ice Cream in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been churning French pot ice cream. It’s the only place in the world that uses a French Pot Freezer that creates custard-like ice cream, 2 gallons at a time. Each pint has 18% butterfat and comes in flavors like: 

  • Black Cherry Chocolate Chip made with sweet Pacific Northwest dark cherries and bittersweet chocolate chips.
  • Buckeye Blitz Chocolate Chip made with chocolate peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, and Graeter’s signature dark chocolate chips.
  • Original Salted Caramel, one Graeter’s original flavors, made with brown sugar, cream, and a pinch of salt.

Graeter’s Ice Cream

Caffè Panna (Italian for “cream”) opened in New York, New York, in 2019 and the city hasn’t been the same. Founded by ice cream lover Hallie Meyer, the ice cream cafe and coffee shop churns its popular ice cream onsite daily. 

Each batch is flavored with ingredients like imported Italian pistachios and olive oil from Sicily, cream and hazelnuts from Piemonte, Italy, or local fruit from Union Square Greenmarket.

This article originally appeared on GoldBelly.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

Caffè Panna Ice Cream

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Featured Image Credit: Beal’s Lobster Pier.

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