Ice cream is a way of life around our household. I have found over the years that ice cream is an excellent cure for whatever ails you: heartburn, anxiety, depression, heat stroke, hypoglycemia, insomnia, and sore throats to name a few — often priced at a fraction of brand-name pharmaceutical products. Rarely do we end a day in our family without a small bowl of frozen confection, so we go through a lot of ice cream at our house.
Lest you wonder about my background in ice cream, well, I helped pay my way through college by working at the BYU Creamery in Provo, Utah, for over three years. (This was in the old store next to Deseret Towers, not the new one on Ninth.) It should be noted, however, that I w
as never involved in the production side of ice cream making. No, I was only involved in the consumption side — making shakes, cones, sundaes, etc. Often we would be asked for recommendations , so we had to be familiar with all flavors and would occasionally try small samples whenever the store was empty. I do miss the creamy richness of Creamery ice cream as they did not skimp on quality. I must emphasize that I have yet to taste a flavor of ice cream that I do not like, but there are certainly some flavors that I prefer over others. My least favorite Creamery flavor had to be either Cherry Cordial or Witch’s Delight (black licorice and vanilla); least favorite item to make had to be a Roasted Almond Fudge shake – that was the hardest ice cream to scoop, hand-pack, and mix (the shake tasted good, but it was sure hard on the arms to make it). I can’t say that I had ONE favorite flavor at the Creamery, and I have excluded the Creamery ice creams from this list in order to avoid any bias (and because they would probably populate the entire list). At any rate, I do miss working at the Creamery, and if we lived closer, we would probably visit it much too often.
When selecting ice cream, there is a delicate balance between affordability and quality, and for me, many of the fancy flavors are either too rich or too unhealthy (not that any ice cream is necessarily healthy, per se). You definitely want to avoid the half-gallons under $2.00 unless you are providing refreshments for a Young Men’s activity, but on the other hand, the most expensive brands don’t always give you the best bang for your buck. With that being said, these are currently the Top 5 Ice Cream Flavors in our household:
Honorable mention: Dreyer’s Drumstick Sundae Cone, Dreyer’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, Meadow Gold Bear Attack, Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Panic, Blue Bunny Super Chunky Cookie Dough , Edy’s Loaded Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup or Butterfinger,
5. Dreyer’s Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie
Can you really go wrong with Girl Scout cookies and chocolate ice cream?
4. Meadow Gold Cake Batter
There are several cake batter types on the market, but this one actually tastes good and is not too sweet. It is a yellow cake batter for the base ice cream with a chocolate fudge ribbon and cake pieces swirled in. The chocolate is not too overpowering, and the cake pieces give it just the right texture.
3. Haagen-Dazs White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ice Cream
Very decadent and rich, but if you love white chocolate, this one is awesome. A little goes a long way, and you may need to jog an extra 3 or 4 miles the next day if you eat a whole pint in one sitting.
2. Blue Bunny Red Carpet Red Velvet Cake
This is a newer ice cream and I was a little skeptical at first, but it is actually pretty good. There is another new one with White Chocolate Macadamia Nut that I have not tasted yet, but could easily land in this spot just based on the description (BYU Creamery had a similar Macadamia nut flavor that is scary good).
1. Farr premium ice cream Chocolate Peanut Butter
The key is the chocolate ice cream, which is creamy and smooth. Throw in some big chunks of peanut butter, and you have a masterpiece. Farr brand is easily the best on the market for all the chocolate-peanut butter ice creams that I have sampled. (Sorry, I couldn’t find an image, but look for it at a store near you.)
© Copyright 2012 Jeff, All rights Reserved. Written For: Jeffrey Olsen
The meaning of the phrase “ice cream” varies from one country to another. Phrases such as “frozen custard”, “frozen yogurt”, “sorbet”, “gelato” and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, such as the United States, the phrase “ice cream” applies only to a specific variety, and most governments regulate the commercial use of the various terms according to the relative quantities of the main ingredients.