Frozen Custard from Photographs of New York by Reginald Marsh. ca. 1938-1945, printed 1976. Reginald Marsh. Courtesy AntiquePhotographics.com
When Reginald Marsh photographed Coney Island as the subject for his artwork in the late 1930s and the ’40s, one could still buy frozen custard for a nickel. The dessert made its debut in 1919 when the Kohr brothers, Archie and Elton, opened a stand on the Coney Island Boardwalk. The nickel treat was a sensation, selling 18,460 cones on the first weekend! Kohr’s Frozen Custard is still in business on the Boardwalks at Seaside Heights and Casino Pier on the Jersey Shore. According to the history page of the company’s website, “After many experiments with the formula, Archie and Elton discovered that by adding eggs to the mix, they got a much more stiff, velvety and creamy product which would melt more slowly.”
Today, Coney Island’s ice cream offerings include Denny’s soft serve and Coney’s Cones gelato, but the frozen custard stands of yesteryear are long gone. You have to go to Shake Shack in Manhattan. Or all the way to Utah, where Coneys Custard and Gourmet Dogs won the “Best of State Award” last year. Their signature custard is named after the Cyclone roller coaster.
Like the Whip ride and the game of Fascination, frozen custard is another delight that first saw the light of day in Coney Island, but can’t be found here anymore. Last year, ATZ proclaimed “Bring Back the Whip!” This year we add: “Bring Back Fascination and Frozen Custard!”
UPDATE, January 30, 2012…
Comments on Facebook and twitter in response to this post have inspired this update: What’s the difference between soft serve and frozen custard?
Wikipedia says: “True frozen custard is a very dense dessert. Soft serve ice creams may have an overrun as large as 100%, meaning half of the final product is composed of air. Frozen custard, when made in a proper continuous freezer will have an overrun of 15-30% depending on the machine manufacturer. Air is not pumped into the mix, nor is it added as an “ingredient” but gets into the frozen state by the agitation of liquid similar to whisking a meringue. The high percentage of butterfat and egg yolk gives frozen custard a thick, creamy texture and a smoother consistency than ice cream. Frozen custard can be served at –8°C (18°F), warmer than the –12°C (10°F) at which ice cream is served, in order to make a soft serve product.”
According to FDA requirements, frozen custard must have at least 10 percent milkfat and 1.4 percent egg yolk solids, but some brands have more. If it has fewer egg yolk solids, it is considered ice cream. Frozen custard has less fat and sugar than ice cream.
UPDATE January 4, 2014:
Rita’s Italian Ice, a national franchise whose tag line is “Ice, Custard and Happiness” will open a store on Surf Avenue at West 15th street in Coney Island.
Frozen Custard, Etching by Reginald Marsh. 1939. Photo via The Old Print Shop
Related posts on ATZ…
January 13, 2012: Rare & Vintage: Reginald Marsh Photos of Coney Island
November 29, 2011: Fascination: From Coney Island to Nantasket Beach
February 1, 2011: Bring Back the Whip! A Birthday Gift for William F Mangels
October 6, 2010: Traveler: Where You Can Play Fascination Year Round
Amusing the Zillion 
I vaguely recall frozen custard being sold in Coney Island 50 years ago. But I don’t recall eating it there. So the question is when did Kohr’s close their Coney Island operation and did any of the other food vendors attempt their own frozen custard?
There were several frozen-custard vendors besides Kohr’s, most of them Greeks, including my grandparents. Their store was in the Ravenhall baths and called Raven-Hall Frozen Custard, and it lasted until the building burned down in 1963. Not sure how many other businesses hung on after they were gone, or for how long.
Have come across mention of more than two dozen frozen custard stands operated by various people in Coney, some staying open past Labor Day, in the 1940s and ’50s. It seems to have been as popular as candy floss or snow cones! Not sure when the last frozen custard stand closed in Coney Island, or how long Kohr’s was here. Kohr Bros. currently have stores in seven states though not in New York
i lived on Coney Island from 1958 until 1966 and have spent many hours at the “tourist trap” rides and amusements when i was 12 thru 22 years old. I went to the local schools in the vicinity and had many classmates whose parents owned some of the attractions there including the “Ghost ride” and the “Merry go round”. these rides were owned and operated by the Randazzo family and Richard was in my classes during that time. I also perused the Mermaid theatre on Mermaid ave. and lived on 29 th street then 20 th street between neptune and mermaid. I “hung” out with the crowd from 24 th street and 16th street and we mostly could be found on 24th st. when we would walk to seagate and 15th st to see some of our other friends…many memories from that time span when i joined the US Navy in 1967 then spent many hours overseas visiting foreign countries and getting into trouble….
Thanks for sharing your memories of the good ol’ days!
To Joseph Ponterella(AKA JR)– I used to stay with my Aunts at 2933 W 16th St during the summer. Across the street from Frank’s Barber Shop–and The Seven Seas
I grew up New York in the 1950’s. Back then you could get really good frozen custard at the rowboat pond in Central Park at the snack bar. My father always took us there, summer and winter and we’d have lunch. The summer was the time to go for frozen custard – chocolate or vanilla. I loved the vanilla. So rich and creamy! A very happy childhood memory. We all loved it. Anyone know where you can still get frozen custard in New York? It used to be you could find it at the odd roadside ice cream stand on country roads in upstate NY.
I remember custard stand adjacent to Nathan‘s it was separated from Nathan‘s by in the alley. The custard was really great and the hot chocolate topping was even better.