How Nestlé Makes Ice Cream Cones

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Lexi Pandell, Ice Cream Machine; How drumsticks come together. Wired, August 2016.

Note: There is nothing online. Photos (of the process) in the article are not that important.

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The only things standing between delectable ice cream and a sloppy, sticky mess is a few degrees. Luckily, Nestlé's facility in Bakesfield, California runs nonstop at a low temperature to produce more ice cream than any other factory in the world -- and that includes about 3.5 million Drumsticks a week -- all while battling the hot Central Valley sun. We talked to plant manager Buttons Coleman to see how those nutty cones get made -- LEXI PANDELL

1. Churn

Every day, tankers haul in 67,000 pounds of fairy just for Drumsticks. Mixers combine it with whey for stability and smoothness, sweetness, flavoring, and vegetable shortening for creaminess. The "dairy desert" (it has a lower fat content and more air than ice cream) is then churned and chilled to 23 degrees Fahrenheit, making it firm but pliable.

2. Coat the cones

Liquid chocolate squirts into the sugar cones, which are purchased from elsewhere -- Nestlé doesn't bake in the factory. The chocolate coats the inside of the cones to keep them from getting soggy and collects at the bottom to create the signature chunk in each tip [of cones]. Coconut, palm, and soybean oil ensure the chocolate is velvety, not crunchy and brittle, after freezing.

3. Fill and Freeze

Dispensers squeeze ice cream into a row of eight enchocolated cones at a time. The it is into a frigid "hardening tunnel" set to - 40 degrees, After 25 minutes, the treats emerge chilly enough that they won't melt during the rest of the process.

4. Flip and Dip

Conical clamps turn the cones upside down to dunk their [cones'] heads in a liquid chocolate bath. The contraption then dip many of the cones in chopped peanuts (Nestlé goes through 6.5 million pounds peanuts a year for Drumsticks alone) and others in chunk of candy bar, cookie, or graham cracker. The ice cream is so cold that the chocolate hardens right away.

5. Package

Machines drop cones into individual wrappers, seal them, and slip then into boxes. Controlling the temperature of the finished product is key -- if ice cream thaws and freezes too many times, it can become icy. Blech!

6. Ship

Warehouse workers will load pallets of Drumsticks onto trucks and deliver them directly to retailers, all while maintaining a cool - 20 degrees.