This Ice Cream Maker job description sets out the main duties, qualifications, skills and measures of success for the role, which is also known as Ice Cream Production Operative, Ice Cream Freezer Operator, Ice Cream Process Operator or Gelato Maker. Download it free as a Word or PDF template and adapt it for your own vacancy.
| Job title | Ice Cream Maker |
| Also known as | Ice Cream Production Operative, Ice Cream Freezer Operator, Ice Cream Process Operator, Gelato Maker |
| Department | Dairy processing |
| Reports to | Production Supervisor |
| Direct reports | None |
What does a Ice Cream Maker do?
Makes ice cream to recipe and specification, from mix preparation through to hardening. Runs pasteurisation, homogenisation, ageing and continuous freezing, controls overrun and adds inclusions and ripples. Keeps strict allergen control, accurate records and high hygiene standards.
Ice Cream Maker duties and responsibilities
Mix preparation
- Weigh and blend milk, cream, sugars, powders, stabilisers and emulsifiers to the recipe
- Pasteurise and homogenise the mix to the set temperatures, pressures and holding times
- Cool the mix and age it for the set time before freezing
- Check mix solids, fat and temperature before release to the freezers
Freezing, inclusions and filling
- Set up and run continuous freezers to the correct overrun and draw temperature
- Check overrun regularly by weighing a fixed volume and adjust the air supply
- Run ingredient feeders and ripple pumps to the set dosing rates
- Add flavours and colours at the correct ratio
- Run filling, stick and cone lines and check weights, appearance and sealing
Hardening and finished product
- Load product into the hardening tunnel and check core temperatures
- Check date codes, labels and pallet details before transfer to the cold store
- Identify faults such as iciness, shrinkage or poor inclusion spread and report them
Allergen control and records
- Follow allergen changeover and line clearance procedures between recipes
- Check that ingredients and labels match the recipe and production plan
- Record mix batches, temperatures, overrun, weights and ingredient lot numbers
- Hold and report any product that is out of specification
Hygiene and safety
- Follow hygiene, clothing and hand washing rules at all times
- Clean freezers, fillers and feeders and run or check CIP of the mix plant
- Work safely in cold areas and around refrigeration plant and moving machinery
- Report accidents, near misses and hazards straight away
Ice Cream Maker qualifications and experience
Essential
- Experience making ice cream or operating dairy or food process plant, or a dairy or food apprenticeship or craft qualification
- Understanding of overrun and how freezing affects texture
- Good number skills for weighing, dosing and checking weights
- Ability to follow recipes and allergen procedures exactly
- Willingness to work shifts, including nights, weekends and seasonal peaks
- Good attendance and timekeeping
Desirable
- Food hygiene certificate
- Experience with continuous freezers and ingredient feeders
- Experience with CIP systems
- Basic knowledge of HACCP and allergen management
Skills and attributes
- Attention to detail
- Accurate record keeping
- Strong allergen awareness
- Problem solving on texture and overrun faults
- Mechanical awareness
- Teamwork
- Commitment to food safety
How success is measured
- Ice cream meets overrun, weight and quality specification
- No allergen or labelling errors
- Ingredient and product waste within target
- Complete and accurate batch records
- Hygiene audits and swab results passed
- No accidents or injuries
Working conditions and safety
Shift work, which may include nights, weekends and longer hours in the summer season. Production areas are cool and wet and the hardening tunnel and cold stores are very cold; the work involves standing, repeated movements and handling cases, and cold-weather PPE is provided.
- Follow health and safety rules and safe systems of work, and wear the correct PPE
- Follow food safety, hygiene, HACCP and quality procedures at all times
- Report hazards, accidents, near misses and concerns promptly
Ice Cream Maker interview questions
Use these questions to assess candidates for a Ice Cream Maker role. Each one includes what a good answer shows.
- What is overrun, and how do you measure and control it?
What a good answer shows: Air added during freezing as a percentage; weighs a fixed volume against the mix and adjusts air and pump settings to target. - Why do we age ice cream mix before freezing?
What a good answer shows: Lets fat crystallise and stabilisers hydrate, giving smoother texture, better air holding and easier freezing. - How does draw temperature from the freezer affect the finished product?
What a good answer shows: Colder draw gives smaller ice crystals and smoother texture; too warm gives coarse, icy product and poor shape on filling. - How do you keep inclusions evenly spread through the product?
What a good answer shows: Matches feeder rate to flow, keeps pieces free-flowing and the right size, cuts samples to check and adjusts dosing. - Complaints report icy, coarse ice cream from one batch. What would you check?
What a good answer shows: Checks records for draw temperature, hardening times, mix ageing and cold store temperatures; looks for thawing and refreezing; reports findings. - Overrun drifts low part-way through a run. What do you do?
What a good answer shows: Checks air supply, pump settings and mix temperature, adjusts gradually, holds out-of-specification product, records actions and informs the supervisor. - How do you carry out an allergen changeover from a nut product to a nut-free product?
What a good answer shows: Full clean to procedure, removes all ingredients and packaging, line clearance check, correct labels and signed sign-off before restart. - Why is mix pasteurisation so important, and what records show it worked?
What a good answer shows: The mix is not heated again, so it must kill pathogens; time and temperature charts and flow diversion checks prove it. - How do you stay accurate and safe during long shifts in the summer peak?
What a good answer shows: Takes planned breaks, keeps checks and records at set times, raises problems early and supports colleagues. - How do you share information with the cold store and packing teams?
What a good answer shows: Gives clear, timely updates on output, holds and changes, uses agreed handover sheets and checks the message is understood.
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Frequently asked questions
Makes ice cream to recipe and specification, from mix preparation through to hardening. Runs pasteurisation, homogenisation, ageing and continuous freezing, controls overrun and adds inclusions and ripples. Keeps strict allergen control, accurate records and high hygiene standards.
Employers usually look for: experience making ice cream or operating dairy or food process plant, or a dairy or food apprenticeship or craft qualification; understanding of overrun and how freezing affects texture; good number skills for weighing, dosing and checking weights.
A Ice Cream Maker usually reports to the Production Supervisor.
Yes. Download the free Word template, add your location, contract and salary details, and adapt the duties to your site. You can then advertise the role on Dairy Jobs.
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