Eli5: Why does melted ice cream turn solid when put into the freezer but unmelted ice cream remains at the “ice cream” consistency?

Question

Eli5: Why does melted ice cream turn solid when put into the freezer but unmelted ice cream remains at the “ice cream” consistency?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Ice cream gets its texture from air folded into the mix during the churning process. Kept frozen the air stays in the ice cream. Once melted the air pockets collapse and the ice cream freezes solid more like a normal liquid.