McDonald's soft serve cone withstood blazing temperatures, where others couldn't. Photo / supplied
Australia's fierce summers are the stuff of legend - enough to turn even the hardiest of folks into a sticky, sweltering mess.
But not the McDonald's soft serve, it appears.
Australian journalist Rohan Smith was recently tasked with every reporter's favourite summer puff piece: 'Christ, it's hot'.
So he set about trying to test just how hot it was. (For the record, it was 41 degrees in Melbourne yesterday.)
He tried to fry an egg on his car. (It didn't work).
He filmed some ice blocks melting. (They did. Quickly.)
Then he bought a McDonald's soft serve and waited. It's hard to say how long he had to wait as his iPhone over-heated in the intervening time, rendering it unusable.
McDonald's - 1; iPhone - 0.
Eventually, after 12 minutes, the soft serve began to puddle.
Which begs the question, just what is in that thing?
It's not the first ice cream to come under scrutiny for failing to melt. Last year, an Australian supermarket brand of ice cream sandwich hit headlines after it didn't melt - and reportedly had ants fleeing in terror from the sugary treat.
Australian grandmother Mary Salter flagged the issue on Coles' Facebook page last year, recounting a tale involving her grandson, an ice cream sandwich and a tantrum.
"Can you please explain why after four days in 26-degree heat on cement it has not melted or nothing has volunteered to eat it ... [It is] still in direct sun, still not melted away, still ants fleeing in terror!" she wrote.
At the time, Coles responded, saying: "Our ice cream sandwiches make use of very simple, commonly-used food techniques that help slow the melting process, and allows you to consume it without it falling apart in your hands.
"This technique includes adding thickener to the cream, creating a honeycomb-like structure which helps to slow the melting process. When the product starts to melt and liquid evaporates, you are left with what appears as foam."
It's not clear whether McDonald's uses the same process but according to the NZ website, their soft serve ice cream is made of the following ingredients: "Milk, Sugar, Cream, Milk Solids, Glucose Syrup (derived from maize, contains sulphites) Vegetable Gums (412, 407, 407a, 466), Emulsifiers (471, 433), Flavour."
And something in that concoction is helping it beat the heat, where so many others have failed.
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