Best Ice Cream Brand

[rthorn46]

I was wondering what everyone's favorite ice cream brand is. When you go to the store looking for the Ultra Premium Stuff what do you buy?

[LMAshton]

In Sri Lanka, Elephant House or Cargills.

In Singapore... Haven't figured that out, yet. We've tried half a dozen brands and haven't found anything particularly good. It's been really disappointing so far.

[CastironJim]

I like Graeter's ice cream, from Cincinnati, Ohio. Hand made two gallons at a time, the same way since 1870. The BEST! Ralph's, in Southern California carries it. (Kroger distributes Graeter's ice cream throughout the U.S.)

[grampart]

Here in Georgia, a lot of folks swear by the good stuff from Mayfield Dairy.

[iluvbluebell]

I disagree with you on that. I am in Georgia and Mayfield is not the one. It is good but not as good as some others.

[grampart]

With a name like yours, how could you agree with me? Great first post!

[coachpal]

me too! r u in west L.A.?

[FutureChefAdam]

Another vote for the hometown favorite, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream.

Brambleberry crisp is my absolute favorite!

[Bunson]

I like Cold Stone Creamery, but buying the half gallon tubs for take home are expensive.

From the store I like Ben and Jerry's(Cool Britannica, Half Baked, Everything But The) and Thrifty's (now sold under Rite Aid) chocolate malted crunch.

[calmossimo]

Oh man, Thrifty's chocolate malted crunch! This was my fave as a kid, when I had a Thrifty's within walking distance! A great summertime treat and they use those old school ice cream scoops in the cylindrical shape. Haven't had this in a long time.

[Bunson]

I always got a double of chocolate malted crunch and mint chip, my brother always got pistachio...but yeah, Rite Aid has the chocolate malted crunch, just like you remembered it!

[iluvbluebell]

There is a Cold Stone store in Alpharetta and I have tried some of their samples. It is very expensive and good. Did you know they make and ice cream pie? So far you have put your own nuts in the ice cream. They charge extra for that and any toppings. A pint is 5.00 dollars and I think a half Gallon is about 15 dollars. I forgot which flavor I tried before I bought a small cup. They have so many flavors to delight your taste buds.

[sandylc]

Cold Stone Creamery ice cream ingredients:

"Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
SWEET CREAM ICE CREAM (Cream, Nonfat Milk, Milk, Whey, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Guar Gum, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Mono &
Diglycerides, Polysorbate 80, and Annatto Extract), VANILLIN AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, VANILLA BEAN SPECS (Water, Alcohol, Salt ))"

I think we should always know what we are buying.

[HungryNihilist]

Ok food freaks, things have changed. There is now a holy trinity in store bought high-end ice creams. If you try these three you will agree with me.

1) Arethusa Farms (can only be purchased in NYC and CT)
2) Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream
3) Steve's Ice Cream

Honestly, I get you all like Blue Bell and Haagen Dasz but, even with the trans fats aside, these all have less taste, richness, and body than the three mentioned above.

[Leepa]

Only one, Jeni's, is available in my area. And, frankly, I didn't care for the mouthfeel of it. I had the brown butter almond.

[sandylc]

I don't understand your reference to trans fats?

[HungryNihilist]

There is no doubt whatsoever that Haagen Dazs vanilla is the most popular flavor on this thread and it contains trans fats. As for Jeni's, I agree that everything isn't amazing but their Rocky Road is absolutely astounding, as is their Salted Caramel Flavor and Milk Chocolate flavor. However, when it really comes to Jenni's, try to find the ice cream sandwiches. There are whole foodie sub-cults dedicated to finding these in the Northeast (not hard to do in Boston (at the Buttery) and NYC (at Dean and Deluca's where you can also get Arethusa))

[OhioHound]

I love Jeni's .. but my least favorite flavor is the Salted Caramel!
Now half of a scoop of Pistachio and Honey, and half a scoop of Vanilla? That's my regular.
Whiskey and Pecan is also wonderful, but the limited edition Olive Oil, Saffron, Orange + Caramel is hands down the best I've ever had.

[sandylc]

Are you speaking of the naturallly occurring trans-fats from the butterfat content? If so, those are not the same as the manufactured ones.

[iluvbluebell]

All of those you mentioned are not available in GA. If I get the chance to taste it against Blue Bell then I would agree with you. I still think Blue Bell is the Best. I live in Atlanta GA so it seems I will not get the chance unless they will ship me some. If it is that good I will send for it.

[Befuness]

My fave is Salt & Straw which is made here in PDX. Extremely rich and creamy and a great variety of unique flavors. Lucky for me they have a shop down the block. But they ship all over as well.

[calmossimo]

I just tried Salt & Straw last month and am obsessed. I have been raving about it since then. The Olive Oil flavor was incredible! Best new ice cream place I've tried in a really long time. Blows Molly Moon's (in Seattle) out of the water -- I find Molly Moon to be completely overrated but Seattle-ites and visitors love it.

Last week I was in PDX and tried Ruby Jewel. Pretty decent, but nowhere near as good as Salt & Straw and not really worth the 20-ish minute wait.

Haagen Dazs is what I usually have in my own freezer. I think it's the best 'premium', widely available grocery store ice cream and the flavors are the best, even the plain ones. Haagen Dazs coffee and pistachio are two longtime faves, plus some of the limited edition, reserve, and 'five' flavors.

[BlueMagic]

My favorite brand by far is Richardson's.

[iluvbluebell]

BLUE BELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[westsidegal]

Three Twins

[Puffin3]

Interesting timely thread. My wife and I were going to buy ice cream yesterday for the first time in over a year. There were so many brands to choose from. I have a brain wave! We assumed that the most expensive ice cream, per pint, was probably the tastiest. But instead of comparing prices we checked out the amount of butter fat in each brand. The ice cream with the most butter fat did indeed cost the most. It was a 'treat' for company so we bought the ice cream with the highest butter fat content. It was interesting to compare 'famous/expensive brands.......you know the ones and see how the butter fat content compared. They weren't all the same.

[coachpal]

i've often compared ingredients and i have been amazed at how the same ingredients listed in the same order can wind up totally different to the taste buds!!!! i have thought, gee, i'd like to see their process or quantities of ingredients to see what makes the difference in brands using the exact same ingredients!!!

[sandylc]

Or the same ingredients in print, but of varying qualities....another factor. For example, cane sugar vs. beet sugar. Or higher quality cream.

[coachpal]

yes, the place where they source their ingredients must certainly matter too, like which dairy, etc.

[coachpal]

ok, since Godiva ice cream is gone from the U.S. and that was THE best ever--for me, i've discovered a close second....Three Twins brand, Chocolate Peanut Butter. BUT you must half melt it at least!!! Don't microwave it, just let it melt. Oh, YUM!!!! It is made in Petaluma, Ca. so you may not find it in a lot of places...Whole Foods does carry it and so does Mother's Market in So. Cal. Whole Foods carries the brand, but you may have to special order the Chocolate Peanut Butter. That's the only flavor i really like in that brand, though the lemon cookie has potential.

[coachpal]

omg! i discovered a brand when i was in Marin County, California. It is fantastic.

"Three Twins" is the brand and in particular, I loved their chocolate peanut butter--but you must semi melt it before eating. That brings out the flavor. and the other one they make that is fantastic is lemon cookie. unusual flavor and both are incredibly delicious. don't forget to let it half melt though first! I could only find that brand in that area and at healthy stores.

[blacvulture]

I live in Louisiana and my favorite ice cream brands are BlueBell and Borden's.

[LEsherick2007]

Here in PA we don't have blue bell but I was in the south for 3 months and tried a few blue bell flavors and fell in love with it. I really like the blackberry cobbler, but here I love Turkey Hill, I will buy Haagan Dazs Carmel when its on sale the pints that is. Breyers is pretty good I like the different flavors they have and ones with mix ins are better than plain, hate Edy's and do buy blue bunny if I have a coupon and go with a fruity flavor for milkshakes

[David11238]

I'm a convert to Steve's Ice Cream and Alden's Ice Cream. And of course, Mister Softee. Even if it does come soft-serve and from a truck.

[bigginsben]

Harris Teeter All Natural Premium Ice Cream. The ONLY mass-produced Ice Cream (that I know of) that does not use ANY stabilizers. No Guar Gum. No Tara Gum. Just milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla (or chocolate, or other types). Closest I have had to homemade. GREAT ice cream. Props to Harris Teeter for putting out such a good store brand product.

Made at Hunter Farms (same place makes the ice cream for Cook Out milkshakes, BTW).

[sandylc]

Good for Harris Teeter - or as this northerner knows it, that Tweeter place! I've always liked that store.

But Haagen-Dazs does not have stabilizers; Ingredients: Cream, Skim Milk, Sugar, Egg Yolks, Natural Vanilla.

[coachpal]

Costco Vanilla ice cream DOES make great root beer floats!!!

[david t.]

Haagan Daz. They make only the most basic flavors but all are good. Ben and Jerry's has a well-made ice cream, but their combinations make no sense and are distracting. I've tried one flavor of Graeters but wasn't impressed.

[sandylc]

+1!!!

[GK in SO]

I respectfully disagree about B&J's combinations not making sense.

Some of them, yes I agree (such as the stupidly named "Schwedy Balls"), but others make perfect sense, such as:

New York Super Fudge Chunk (Chocolate Ice Cream with White & Dark Fudge Chunks, Pecans, Walnuts & Fudge Covered Almonds). Come on, seriously, chocolate and nuts, it makes TOTAL sense to me (and I'm sure, plenty others!!). Or,

My newest favorite, What a Cluster (fka "Clusterfluff", which B&J changed to "What a Cluster", despite no apparent public outcry, unlike Schwedy Balls, which had a huge public outcry but they didn't change). This wonderful flavor has Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Caramel Cluster Pieces, Peanut Butter & Marshmallow Swirls. It really is heavenly!!

I could go on and on, b/c B&J's is my favorite ice cream, plus they have so many great flavors, but really, I must go back to work now!! :-)

[sandylc]

Those all seem too sweet to me - more like candy bars than ice cream.

[BKbutcher]

No mentions for Jenis Splendid Ice Creams yet???? Best Ive ever had by far. A little Brooklyn brand named Phin and Pheebes is pretty nice as well.

[OhioHound]

+1, can't beat it!
Though they're only available in grocery stores throughout Ohio... and now Tennessee perhaps?
Expensive, and I prefer to eat in-store, but boy oh boy it's the best.

[Leepa]

I've bought it in NC at The Fresh Market. They didn't do much for me.

[jflorida]

I am in Florida and can't find the icecream I alway got in Virginia. It was Texas Gold, and my favorite flavor was Cherry Cordial. Does anyone know of this brand and where I can find it. Maybe they quit making it.
I am not a big fan of Blue Bell. Thanks

[BobB]

A quick google shows that the brand name was registered in 1984 by Kroger's, but the registration was cancelled in 2006, indicating they no longer make it.

[Oliverbluestar]

Trader Joes coffee bean blast

[Patsyanne]

The best brand of ice cream available ANYWHERE in The United States, hands down, is McConnell's of Santa Barbara, California.My family and I are all ice cream fanatics, and we will literally make a special trip to Santa Barbara when we're in Southern California, just to get our hands on this stuff. The Turkist Coffee is the best coffee ice cream I've ever had, period. And the other flavors are just as good.

[anticheryl]

McConnell's has spoiled me for any other ice cream. When I moved out of the area (Santa Barbara) to Berkeley I didn't eat any ice cream for three years because they weren't shipping it up here. Then they started shipping to Whole Foods and I got re-addicted, and for a very short I could even get it at Berkeley Bowl. Now it is no where to be found up here. I found Three Twins to be a good, not great substitute for a year, but their quality has already started going down hill. So it's back to no ice cream. I am bereft. My favorite is Vanilla Bean, and any of their chocolates, and that coffee you mentioned is outstanding!

[julesrules4food]

Since it's getting towards the end of summer I thought I'd start this thread up again. And the best way to do it is the same way as back in June of 09.....BLUE BELL!!!
Their coffee is the best ever with triple chocolate a close 2nd. But alas...I no live in Texas and can't find it in Vegas yet. Guess I'll be road tripping to Arizona as soon as it gets cooler with a couple of coolers to fill.

[byrd]

Sedutto's RIP
Now it's Bassett's

[EWSflash]

I'm not a big ice cream aficionado, so I'm not even going to read down this thread, but just state my opinions and let the chips fall where they may.

Costco Kirkland vanilla- I don't care for it much but my guys devour it
TJ's mango sorbet- or almost anybody else's, also coconut.
really good green tea ice cream- my exception to not going ice cream crazy
really good pumpkin pie ice cream (okay, now i"m on a roll)
From the Hidden House ice creamery of my childhood, Oregon Blackberry( haven't had it since I was 8 but I can call up that flavor if I think real hard)
Homemade peach ice cream
My husband made a sorbet for a family gathering- his dad was dying of cancer and couldn't eat any dairy without horrendous side effects, so he made a sorbet with all sorts of summer berries in it and it was the best thing I've ever had. The only down side was that I think they killed a tree where they were using the ice cream maker (salt running down, etc- and it was the neghbor's tree and none of them are botanically inclined, and I didn't find out until afte. I flooded the tree well overnight, but the tree died. Maybe there was a connection with DH's dad- who kinows?

[lz4004]

for quality and price. friendly`s fudge swirl.!

edy,s turkey hill etc. taste and have a cool whip texture.

bryers is always crystal burnt.

for a super premium haagan daz.

[twyst]

Blue bell is what I buy most of the time. My all time favorite flavor is pralines and cream from baskin robbins despite the ffact it has an incredible amount of air whipped into it. The ben and jerry's flavor "rainforest crunch" was a close second in my all time favorites list, but it hasnt been available in over a decade.

[Thiebaud]

Three Twins Bittersweet Chocolate is my new favorite. I haven't tried their other flavors yet.

[coachpal]

their chocolate panut butter --mostly melted-- is my favorite from 3 twins. it's geat.

[RedTop]

Just bought a 1.5 litre carton of Breyers Smooth & Dreamy Dark Chocolate Velvet at Kroger in SE MI. On special at 2 for $5. It might be ice milk, but it certainly isn't ice cream. Never again.

[Querencia]

Any one that is smeary rather than puffy.

[BobB]

Interesting response - I daresay that's the first time I've ever seen those adjectives used to describe ice cream. Especially puffy. I'm guessing you mean creamy and dense as opposed to whipped to increase volume by incorporating more air - though that's rarely done with the "ultra premium" products the OP is asking about. Could you elaborate a bit?

[Querencia]

I mean that cheap ice cream has had air added to inflate volume so the consistency is puffy. Good premium ice cream is smeary---as it starts to melt a bit in your dish, if you take the side of your spoon and mash it down, it has a smeary quality which I guess is due to less air and more butterfat. Cheap ice cream won't smear.

[jbsiegel]

Right now, I'm liking the Edy's Fun Flavors. I love the texture - kind of "chewy" for lack of a better word.

Other than that, It's Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie or Haagen Dazs Caramel Cone. But...I find that the Haagen Dazs seems a little less creamly than the Ben & Jerry's...

Kind of related - I've been pondering buying the Friendly's Reeses Ice Cream Cake at my local grocery store. Has anybody bought one of these? Any good?

[stilldontknow]

In the UK Kelly's Cornish Clotted Cream Ice Cream and Mackies Honeycomb Crunch are my favourites. Just don't like the mouth feel of Haagen Daas or Ben and Jerry's

[phantomdoc]

Turkey Hill All Natural line. Vanilla, Cherry vanilla, chocolate, Nutty neaploitan,(vanilla choc butter almond)
Turkey hill vanilla won the America test kitchen Vanilla taste test.

[Vidute]

Sheer Bliss Pomegranate and Pomegranate with Dark Chocolate Chips. Rich but not overly sweet. It has a nice tart pom flavor and the dark chocolate chips give that flavor and extra bite.

[beachmouse]

For store brand, I'll throw in a vote for the Publix Premium house brand. As a bonus, it's still sold in two quart containers.

For premium, I'm also fond of the Ciao Bella.

[klyeoh]

Best ice-cream brand in the world? Kapiti from Auckland, New Zealand!! Nothing in America or Europe even comes close!

[traveleryvette]

While in Australia enjoyed kapiti ice cream mango flavor. Agree the best.

[housewolf]

Last Christmas I had a pint of Green & Black's Vanilla and a pint of their White Chocolate Strawberry - wow, were they ever fabulous! Especially that White Chocolate Strawberry... Mmmmmmm.... I found them at Whole Foods on Christmas Eve, nice present for me!

[RetiredChef]

There is no one brand that excels at all flavors.

Haggan Daz, Ciao Bella, Dove, Blue Bunny even all have some of the best in ____________ flavor so I don't think you can say what is the best Ice Cream Brand. Instead you might ask who makes the best Vanilla, chocolate, etc.

[visciole]

Am I the only one that finds Ben & Jerry's waaayyyy too sweet?

[Karl S]

No. B&J is a shadow of its former glory, full of crap compared to the way it used to be made. But its popularity rests on a long half-life of consumer memories.

[VAfoodie]

If you can get your hands on some Oberweis ice cream...oh my. We get it at a little country store, but I think we are going to start home delivery of all Oberweis dairy products. We also like Trader Joe's super premium ice cream.

[westsidegal]

it was good until the end of the 90's

[RetiredChef]

Nope, Can't handle more than a few bites of any B & J flavor because they are so sickingly sweet.

[visciole]

Thanks, that makes me feel better. It seems EVERYONE I know loves the stuff and they assume I'm stealth dieting when I refuse B&J's.

Had a bite of someone's Haagen Daz today and also found it way too sweet.

[Querencia]

I agree. I can't stand Ben & Jerry's because all the flavors are too sweet.

[Steve]

My favorite store brands are:

Shoppers Food Warehouse caries a brand called Stone Hill. The italain Bliss is a hazelunut ice cream with chocolate swirl. Close to being as good is their Pretzel Twist flavor.

Giant Foods now carries their own Andes Thin Mint ice cream, which has some surprisingly large slabs of dark chocolate in it. Also realy fine.

All the Wegman's Pemium flavors are very good. Hard to go wrong there.

[blisters on my sisters]

Haagen Dazs Five is pretty good for storebought ice cream. Vanilla bean, in specific.

[Alfred G]

So far I've had the HD5 Vanilla Bean, Milk Chocolate and Coffee. IMO each one is the best in their particular flavor. I was blown away by the Coffee and Chocolate. Unbelievably great.

[Leepa]

The Brown Sugar flavor is awesome, too. Too bad I can't find it here any more. : (

[djringjr]

One kind of ice cream that I haven't seen mentioned is Brigham's of Boston area. Even though their stores closed in January 2010, their ice cream is available still in supermarkets. I think it is even better than Blue Bell - but it doesn't come in as many flavors.

Even Blue Bell comes in different grade - the cap color of the container is an indication of the quality line. The mix-in flavors are the lowest, while the old flavors - vanilla, chocolate, strawberry where it is difficult to compromise quality I believe come in a dark brown top lid. So quality #3 and #1 have the dark brown lids. It's been ten years since I became a yankee, so I cannot remember.

Dryer's ice cream is called Edy's in the northeast USA because there is a Bryer's ice cream in Pennsylvania.

One thing I do miss from down south was the biscuit flour. Delightful.

David

[jackattack]

One of the best chocolate ice creams I've had in quite a while is from this outfit up near Seattle. Some Southern California markets are carrying it now :

http://www.yelp.com/biz/snoqualmie-go...

[HungryPixie]

omg jack i totally agree! i just posted on another thread about the honey cinnamon frozen custard ... i diiiiiiiiiieeeeee! it is beyond delish! i'm so lucky it is in the supermarket literally 3 blocks away!!!!

[CathleenH]

As long as we're discussing regional brands, I recently discovered Whitey's, a much beloved small chain in the Quad Cities area that also sells in local grocery stores. Their graham-cracker ice cream was especially fantastic.

[chefdaddyo]

Just stocked up on six pints from Halo Farms at the Trenton, NJ farmers market. Really good, with a selection of about 50+ varieties. Coffee chip for my gal, peach for me, and mint cookie smash for my son. I have eaten all brands, and Halo will match all of them. Price just jumped .50. Buy two, get the third for free Always been that policy. $2.50 pint. Also, got some Welch Farms cherry vanilla last month. Very good, but not a bargain.

[victoria060]

I've always loved Hagen Daz Vanilla and Chocolate and their sorbets are great also; but now I have a new favorite to add to that Trader Joe's Vanilla and Chocolate is also terrific. "Try it you'll like it".

[Quine]

I very seldom eat ice cream but my Mom does. She read a taste test somewhere that gave High Marks to the Target Store brand. So far she's tried her flavor favorite, butter Pecan and she gives it a very high review!

[Nate650]

The best ice cream I've had is by Straus Family Creamery, but I believe it is west coast only. There is a local shop here (Bi-Rite Creamery) which uses Straus milk, and it's the best ice cream I've had. Typically the big brands use junk ingredients.

[kermit]

Nate650, I completely agree with you. My friend and I tried Straus's ice cream at Bi-Rite this weekend, and I haven't stopped thinking about it. I chose burnt caramel and mint chip, and she got cookies and cream. We also sampled a bunch of other flavors. Each one was phenomenal. Very creamy and authentic to said flavor, but lacking the heavy fat-coating aftertaste that has turned me off of some of the premo store brands like Haagan Daz.

[Nate650]

Cool, glad to hear!

[sisterfunkhaus]

I'm a Texan here and not a Blue Bell fan at all. I like Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie flavor. Hagen Daz used to make a Sticky Toffee Pudding that was devine. If I had to pick the best brand it would be one of those two. We also have a place here called Henry's that is pretty dang good. Their cinnamon ice cream is devine.

[AngelSanctuary]

Hagen Dazs we don't have blue bell over here but I can't touch Ben and Jerry's, the first time I tried it I absolutely hated it and I have this psychological repulsion towards it now.

But Hagen Dazs ever fails me and I started making my own ice cream so I buy less of it now but I still have to buy their mango sorbet, I have no idea how they make it so tasty! I even converted my sorbet hating friend with it!

[horseshoe]

I don't eat that much ice cream but I like the bluebell, My wife from Tennessee swears the Purity dairy in Nashville makes better ice cream. I'm from Texas, she's from Tennesee, so go figure.

[narnia75]

I had always heard that Blue Bell is so good. I tried several flavors, black walnut, butter pecan, vanilla, didn't like any of them. I mostly loved Hagen Daz - some of the flavors, and one flavor of Ben & Jerry's - pistachio.

One night, I was in the mood for ice-cream and stopped in at a Piggly Wiggly. They didn't have either of these brands, but I saw my favorite all-time flavor, which is pistachio in Blue Bell, but it was pistachio-almond, two of my favorite nuts. I thought I'd give it a try. OMG!!! Was it ever fantastic!! It was so much better than the Ben & Jerry's!! It tasted like the old Howard Johnson's Pistachio flavored ice cream. Ben & Jerry's pistachio has some pistachio nuts that taste like they are old or half-rotten. But because there are no pistachio nuts in the Blue Bell, you don't experience that. Just good clean fresh tasting toasted almonds.

I usually don't eat much ice-cream because it always seems to be too sweet. However, this was not the case with this Bluebell flavor. I don't know what they've done to it, but I have had difficulty trying to stop eating it. I buy it by the gallon tubs now! I could eat a whole gallon in one sitting!!! But, I do have to refrain myself. The worst part of it, is that I am very much into all natural and organic, but the flavor of this is soooooooo good, that I have been continuing to ingest the poisonous food colorings and the hydrogenated soybean oil, not to mention artificial ingredients and corn syrup. I think that they have put something addictive in this ice-cream!! Somebody please tell me about a healthier option that tastes just as good! I feel like I need to join a support group to get off this ice-cream!! : (

[LEsherick2008]

Hagen Daz is oh so good but pretty expensive. Only a once in a while treat. I usually have 2 brands I buy and only buy if I have coupons for them At walmart they have Blue Bunny I like most of their ice creams. And At Giant Eagle or Turkey Hill I buy the Turkey Hill Ice Cream. I love their frozen yogurts and that's usually what I buy. I also have a big thing of Schwan's Chocolate Marshmallow Ripple I got for free when they had a promotion its pretty good to.

[Cherylptw]

Last year, I won a year's supply of Blue Bunny Ice Cream (and a Blue Bunny freezer) in a recipe contest (52 freebie coupons) Their ice cream is good. I used to work at Haagen Daz back in the mid 70's and by far my favorite is Rum Raisin...that was when you could only buy it in the ice cream shops...now, it's way too expensive.

I've also made do with Edy's Peanut Butter Cup and Breyer's Strawberry Shortcake & Vanilla

[iluvbluebell]

Girl, you are not the only one. That Pistachio almond is sooooo good. I have had to put myself on portion control. If I don't then I will eat a half gallon in one sitting. I am drunk for this ice cream and my roommate says he is putting me on a ice cream diet.

[camilled]

It's hard to beat Caio Bella's Key Lime Graham Cracker, sweet, slightly tart gelato folded with graham cracker crumbs. It is just unbelievably good. Anything from Blue Bell is good, as is Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip.

[hyacinthgirl]

Wow, I can't wait to be somewhere where I can try Blue Bell.
I've had Graeters shipped to me, does that one count?

[cycloneillini]

We don't buy anything but Blue Bell. I would totally have withdrawals if I moved somewhere out of territory. Have family in South Florida, and they are in luck because Blue Bell is building a huge new distribution center there. I had some of their ice cream bars awhile back straight from the factory (I work about 30 minutes from their HQ in Brenham, TX) that were probably the best thing I had ever tasted in my life. They had strawberry flavored white chocolate on the outside and Blue Bell vanilla on the inside. OMG!!! I've never seen them in a store even though I live that close to them. I think it must have been a test product they were selling in their company store.

[sisterfunkhaus]

I think I've seen them here. They make an unbeatable cookies and cream ice cream sandwich that I can't seem to find anywhere. That is one of the few Blue Bell things I enjoy. Their peach ice cream is good too.

[hyacinthgirl]

And I just found Graeters pints in my market in California... very curious to see if they hold up.

[egbluesuede]

yes it does.....+1 on Graeters. When I moved back to the Midwest, one of the first things I thought about was acess to Graeters ice cream.

[Jwsel]

We now have Graeters available in Los Angeles at local Ralph's supermarkets. It's a limited selection, but as long as I can get chocolate chocolate chunk, I'm very happy.

[fldhkybnva]

We now have Graeters in MD as well for anyone on the hunt.

[Olallieberry]

My absolute favorite is Ronnybrook ice cream, but only when I purchase it from the greenmarket because the few times I've bought it in a store it tends to be too frozen and crystally - something about the composition of it maybe. I think the coconut and pistachio are my consistent faves but I have a featured flavor blueberry pint right now and it is hitting the spot in this near-100 degree heat.

Ben N Jerry's is a close second, both for nostalgic memories of recklessly gorging on it in high school and college and because it's always surprisingly delicious. The new Key Lime Pie and Marzipan flavors are amazing.

For sorbet, Ciao Bella is the best I've tried, but I'm not as discerning when it comes to sorbet.

[Freeholdtwsp88]

Costco's premium vanilla unless you have tried it you have no idea what you are missing , simply the best

[BobB]

Ciao Bella goes beyond sorbet - I had some of their pistachio gelato (Italian-style ice cream) the other day and it was the best store-bought pistachio I've ever tasted.

[Michelly]

Generally, Haagen Daz for vanilla bean, vanilla swiss almond, dulce de leche, and rum raisin. Also peppermint when winter comes.
Ben & Jerry's for cherry garcia, chocolate mint chip, vanilla or coffee heath bar crunch.
Starbuck's for coffee and coffee chip.
Trader Joe's has a decent vanilla, but I'm still searching for a decent non-high-end ice cream brand.

[kiiess]

I like bluebell too.

[coachpal]

have you tried good ole Costco vanilla? pretty ok. better than trader joe's, i'd say.

[sandylc]

Joe's has the "natural" vanilla "flavor". Not real. How about Costco?

[John E.]

The Costco premium vanilla uses real vanilla. You can see the specks in the ice cream. (I hope those are specks of vanilla.)

[sandylc]

Ha. Maybe ignorance IS bliss?

[westsidegal]

since, to me, every container of ice cream is a single serving, i dare not try costco.

[iluvbluebell]

There is a Costco here but I have never been inside their store. I go to Sam's Club. Since you are praising them, I must try it for my self.

[wineman3]

For all of you Bluebell lovers check the ingredients if your into that sort of thing because...................there is a lot of chemistry going on there.

[LeahBaila]

Indeed there is...Meh.

www.thelunchbelle.com

[iluvbluebell]

I luv bluebell. Blue Bunny is the nastiest tasting ice cream I ever tasted. It is a knock off and it should be taken off the market. I know there is a lot of chemistry going on but I have to say when I try other brands, like edys,or mayfield, they don't measure up. Bluebell knows what you like and gives you what you want. If you are a nut lover like me then a big chunky nut in every spoonful is worth paying the price I pay for the ice cream. Haagen Daz, Ben and Jerry's are good but they just don't have my flavor.

[John E.]

Why are you assuming Blue Bunny Ice Cream is a knock off?

[iluvbluebell]

They do not have any originality. Everytime Blue Bell comes out with a new flavor, Blue Bunny tries to imitate it too. Blue Bell does it first and it is the Best. I have tasted Blue Bunny and I had to throw the ice cream away because it was that nasty. The quality is awful.

[CrazyOne]

Have to say, a couple weeks ago when we got a non-pint of vanilla Haagen-Dazs, something was wrong. It tasted off, more artificial-y. The ingredient list was the same, or was it? Pretty sure it was. But something wasn't right. May give it one more try, could have just been a bad batch somehow, but otherwise this will be yet another casualty of cost cutting. I won't hesitate to tell them about it too.

Anyone else noticed this at all? I wonder if the vanilla in the Five line tastes any better. I would suspect not, though, because if they changed something about the vanilla itself then that would probably be the same across the board.

[anticheryl]

My experience exactally. My fav was vanilla and I think the pure flavor is the hardest to not mess up when you are trying to fool the public. Have to say that Hagan Dazs has not been the original for many years now.

[Karl S]

It's not ice cream, but it is frozen: Ciao Bella (especially their blood orange sorbetto).

Well, mass-produced ice cream has been a downward cycle of quality for much of the past decade, after the "renaissance" of the 1980s. Just look at what's happened to Ben & Jerry's (sigh), though producers rely on intense brand loyalty to make many fans blind to compromises that have been made. Even Haagen Daz has introduced cheaper ingredients into many (not all) of its flavors, and you'd have to hold onto the containers to compare weights in gram per 1/2 cup over the years to confirm if there's been a change in overrun.

Two pointers on quality:

1. Ingredient compromises: If you are paying premium prices, you should not be paying for gum and other stabilizers, nor for high fructose corn syrup (plain old corn syrup can be helpful in creating a pleasant texture for certain types of ice cream, but cane sugar should be the normal benchmark).

2. Overrun: since ice cream makers don't have to disclose how much air is whipped into their product, one proxy for gauging this is the weight per serving - if you check the nutritional information, you will see the weight in grams per serving listed next to the volume of the serving (which is typically 1/2 cup). The higher the weight, the less air there is in it, so higher is usually an indicator of better quality.

[sequins]

I second Ciao Bella. First had their gelato some years ago when they were just a couple of shops in Manhattan, and back then was addicted particularly to their pear and coconut flavors. It's great to see them flourishing in recent years -- now alongside the top-selling brands in most supermarket freezers. They do the classics well (I'm partial to the Hazelnut -- a 'classic' flavor by Italian gelato standards) but also offer some unusual, intriguing flavors -- e.g., Banana Mango, Blackberry Cabernet, Chocolate Jalapeno, in addition to the Blood Orange Sicilian Karl S. favors -- and I currently have 4 pints in the freezer.

For those of you in NYC, btw, D'Agostino (usually pricey) has a sale on the pints this week -- 2 for $7 -- and in the summers Fairway sometimes offers 3 for $10.

[ekammin]

Ben and Jerry's "Cherry Garcia". Not just milk chocolate fragments and maraschino cherries, but nice hunks or real bitterweet choclate and dark red cherries.

[TomSwift]

McConnell's - an obscenely high butterfat content. Dr. Bob's also is right up there, but not as high (to my mouth feel).

[Jwsel]

I just had the McConnell's salted caramel chip. That may be the best ice cream I've ever had.

[anticheryl]

Have to agree. I lived in Santa Barbara for a while fifteen years ago when McC's had about 15 flavors. Mine was and still is vanilla... but... they had a chocolate called brazillian I think that was out of this world, and I am not a chocoholic.
For me the mouth feel is so superior to other ice cream because it does not leave an oil slick on the roof of your mouth, and in fact has a slightly icy not too sweet, I could go on.... Unfortunately I think it's only available on the west coast.

[Kajikit]

We just tried Blue Bunny vanilla... and boy was it good! It tasted like icecream used to when I was a kid... and it actually had egg yolks in it! I think I've got a new favourite now...

[pellegrino31]

I just tried Blue Bunny vanilla when I was in Kansas City for a visit - I was really impressed with how delicious it was. If I could get it where I live, that would be my go-to supermarket ice cream.

Otherwise there is Ben & Jerry's in the freezer on occasion (Cherry Garcia) or Breyer's mint chocolate chip though I have a hard time paying $7 for the Breyers sometimes. But if I want the ultra premium stuff, I go to Brooklyn to Blue Marble and get their strawberry ice cream which is absolutely amazing.

[Neta]

I ditto that. I've always said this is what vanilla ice cream used to taste like in the 50's. And the price is right too. I've more recently been buying the no sugar added variety and it is equally delicious. I don't even look at the other brands anymore

[Querencia]

Thanks to Kajikit and all who mentioned Blue Bunny. I had never heard of it and if I hadn't read about it here I would not have bought it when my Chicago supermarket recently started stocking it---I think it's new to Chicago---haven't seen it before. Wow, what a revelation. I think it beats every other brand sold here. Unfortunately I can't stay out of it...best ice cream I have had in years. The vanilla is a classic.

[onceadaylily]

It was available through restaurant suppliers, and I had it for the first time while I was working in a cafe here. When the cafe was bought out, the new owner switched ice cream brands . . . to a soy product. I looked everywhere for a year or so, and then finally gave up. And then, a month ago, I saw it, in Jewel. My exclamation of "Blue Bunny!" turned heads, but I didn't care. After a five year hiatus, I have my ice cream back.

Kajikit is right, it tastes exactly like the vanilla ice cream of my childhood. The spumoni ain't bad either.

[John E.]

Old post, I know, but the Wells Dairy, maker of Blue Bunny ice cream in LeMars, Iowa has the world's largest ice cream plant. There are ice cream makers that produce more ice cream, but they use more locations for their plants.

[iluvbluebell]

Try another brand like Bryer's Mayfield's or any other premium ice cream and you will wonder why you rated Blue Bunny so high on the scale. Blue Bunny's rating will drop when you do the taste test.

[iluvbluebell]

You should try Bluebell and you will kick Blue Bunny to the curb where it should be. That is garbage ice cream.

[iluvbluebell]

Blue Bunny is nasty and is always trying to copy Blue Bell. Every flavor Blue Bell come out with Blue Bunny tries to copy it and fail every time. The new flavor Blue Bunny is copying is Red Velvet cake. Blue Bell still has it hand down. Try Blue Bell and you will kick Blue Bunny to the curb.

[LeahBaila]

Haagen Dazs, hands down.

www.thelunchbelle.com

[Rmis32]

+1

[madkittybadkitty]

i like blue bell a lot!!!

am also a little hooked on edy's "tart honey" froyo flavor. basically yogurt and honey, but you can put in on an ice cream cone.

[sequins]

Very curious about this Edy's flavor and hold out hope it's better than Trader Joe's attempt at tart froyo. Has anyone by chance spotted this somewhere in NYC?

[madkittybadkitty]

i know edy's is not 'super premium', but still.
i've tried trader joe's and i think this is much better. the tartness is truly there, but for those anti-hfcs fanatics, i think the honey has some hfcs added so it doesn't completely solidify in the freezer. they also have a 'tart mango' flavor which i haven't tried yet.
i generally do my supermarketing around the poughkeepsie-ish area, so if they have it here i don't see why they shouldn't have in in nyc.

[swamp]

I vote for Blue Bell, particularly their Southern Hospitality.

[iluvbluebell]

I vote for Blue Bell Pistachio Almond. For all you Blue Bunny lovers, It is a knock off of Blue Bell. They are making the same flavors of Blue Bell but without the quality. That is the nastiest tasting ice cream I ever tasted.

[magfitz]

Not sure if it is still around but Double Rainbow ice cream is very good though not easy to find. Their Mint Chip is the best I have tried.

[faith]

I am a new devotee of Vosges ice cream, sold in several flavors at the Whole Foods Market near me in Minneapolis MN. They are the folks who make fancy chocolate bars with stuff like bacon in them. I recently tried the Naga brand of their icecream which has sweet Indian curry powder, young coconut and toasted macadamia nuts.....it is super velvety and the flavor balance, while it may sound strange, is ...incredible. Unless you are a curry or coconut hater- then I'd say not sure you'd want this.

[bkhuna]

Best supermarket brand has to be Blue Bell.

For a special treat I like Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk or Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond.

I love how they put those in the convenient single serving pint (soon to be 14 oz) containers.

[jacobp]

I'm a souther guy, so I love me some Blue Bell. I'm also a huge fan of Ben and Jerry's though. Phish Food, Karamel Sutra, Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream are all winners, but my fave Ben and Jerry's has to be Half Baked.

[operagirl]

Alden's organic ice cream is out of this world. The strawberry flavor is my favorite.

[mrbigshotno.1]

I'm not kidding here, but WM's Great Value pineapple sherbet is really good.
Breyer's was really good years ago before they got bought out by whoever bought them out.

[caitlink]

I tried out Blue Bell when i was in Texas to see what all the fuss was about. My favourite has to be the Haagen Daaz specialty flavours like pumpkin cheesecake, mango, and caramelized pear. We don't have the specialty flavours in Canada so i buy a few tubs to try every time I travel to the US.

[CrazyOne]

Vanilla: Haagen-Dazs, still unadulterated

Mixed up with chunks of stuff: Ben & Jerry's, not as unadulterated as before, and it shows if you get plain vanilla, but when you throw a bunch of other stuff in, it doesn't matter as much. Current fave is Imagine Whirled Peace, great mix of flavors to me.

We don't have ice cream all the time, and we'd rather have smaller amounts at a time vs the 1.5 qt packages. (I almost wrote 1/2 gallon, yeah right, hasn't been that big in ages now for most of them.) We try to get whichver is not selling for the ridiculously high regular price at that moment, if possible, which means paying around $3.00 or so for the not-quite-a-pint containers.

Can't get Blue Bell here, and I don't think I've ever had it so I can't compare. Both Haagen and B&J are owned by big conglomerates. Another thing we do sometimes is get a cone at a local homemade ice cream place.

[Cameraman]

A friend brought a tub of Costco's premium vanilla to dinner last week and it was one of the creamiest ice cream's I've tasted. And the vanilla was pure and clean. Deeelish!

[ipsedixit]

Totally agree about Costco Vanilla.

And for some reason, the Costco Vanilla is "best in class" for root beer floats (based on our very unscientific backyard BBQ taste-test).

[acgold7]

Bar none, the Costco Vanilla is the best I've ever had. Can't even go back to the Haagen Dazs, which used to be my favorite -- it now tastes too boozy.

I wish they made a chocolate.

Regionally, if you're lucky enough to live in the Great Northwest, try Snoqualmie for spectacular flavors and incredible textures. It's only available in a few select supermarkets but if you can find their Mukilteo Mudd -- their cutesy name for Chocolate -- it's like eating a chocolate truffle. Try it.

Someone else actually mentions them downthread with a Yelp link. Good to see I'm not completely alone on this.

Also good to see a few others downthread who think B&J's is too sweet. I thought I was the only one on that, too.

[mordacity]

I don't really like the actual ice cream in Ben and Jerry's, but they are the mix-in kings. Dublin Mudslide is their best flavor I think.

[Babyducks]

Starbucks, Java Chip

[chicgail]

mmm. Me, too.

But I am also very fond of Cold Stone -- not a store brand to be sure, nor something to eat very often because it is so rich -- but what a treat!

[cstr]

For me it's Ben & Jerry's.

[paoconnell]

"I'll second that emotion" on Ben and Jerry's, especially Cherry Garcia. There are other brands that stand out, like many Blue Bunny flavors.

[LBJR09]

Yep Ben & Jerry's get my vote every time don't think I'll ever tire of chocolate fudge brownie!

[GK in SO]

I agree, especially since they don't use (so they say) milk with the RBGH hormone in it.

For me, heaven lies in a pint of New York Super Fudge Chunk.

[westsidegal]

in the 1990's l liked ben and jerry's.
somewhere in the early 2000's it got lousy

[coachpal]

ben and jerry's sold out to a big corporation...i forget to whom, but i'm sure you could google it, if interested. as you know, things change when big $ gets in on the deal. sucks.

[westsidegal]

hopefully the brand i now favor, Three Twins, doesn't sell out.
crossing my fingers here....

[iluvbluebell]

Ben and Jerry's only come in pints and in a few flavors. So far I have not run into any flavors I wanted to try with them. If I do then I will make a comment. Until then Blue Bellllllllll.

[sandylc]

Ben and Jerry's, not that I'm a huge fan of theirs, comes in a TON of flavors - ?!?!?!

[pamf]

Have you tried the Three Twins cardamom flavor? Amazing.

[Kajikit]

I haven't really tried any of the super-deluxe-icecreams they're coming out with now because they're way outside my budget... but for everyday icecream I love Edys light or frozen yoghurt blends, and Publix store brand (any type.) The Publix icecream is lovely and rich and creamy and not icy at all, unlike some other storebrands that are just cheap and nasty.

[iluvbluebell]

Edy's was ok until I tried Blue bell. My taste palate is glued to Blue Bell. I have tried Cold Stone and its many flavors. It is also very good but it is very expensive and I have to travel a long way to get it. Kroger's private selection is good as well as Publix's. Ig I don't have money for Blue Bell then I will buy Publix's or Kroger's brand. I will never again buy Blue Bunny. I bought that one time because they had my favorite flavor, Pistachio Almond and it was so nasty that I could not eat the rest. I had to throw it away. Out of all the ice cream I have tried, that is the worst ice cream in the country.

[stricken]

I actually focus more on flavors more than brands or even textures. If I want a blueberry sorbet, I don't care what brand it is. I do go for ice creams with the fewest and most natural ingredients. Organic is preferred.

[sandylc]

I agree. Blue Bell uses "natural vanilla flavor" which is not made from vanilla.

[westsidegal]

vanilla flavor that's not made from vanilla is a non-starter for me.

[sandylc]

Same here. The good news is that it helps me to whittle down the potential brands to buy.

It is a travesty that the words "natural flavor" are allowed to be used. There is a huge "food" chemical industry thriving on this oversight.

[Bunson]

"Natural Vanilla Flavor" usually involves beaver anus glands.

[coachpal]

for what it's worth, I just found this on what you posted...I hope this article is true!

http://www.vrg.org/blog/2011/06/17/be...

[sandylc]

There was a 60 Minutes episode that said otherwise. I don't know which to believe.

The most important things to know is that "natural vanilla flavor" is not vanilla extract and the food manufacturer is lying to you, regardless of their "natural" source of "flavor".

[iluvbluebell]

I don't think the industry really knows what natural flavors mean. If they did then they would not put all that other stuff into foods. I understand certain things might have to be included but they should state that for preservatives only.

[ipsedixit]

Blue Bell

[mordacity]

Blue Bell is the end-all be-all of ice cream. Now that I've moved outside their territory I almost never buy ice cream anymore because it just doesn't compare.

[vttp926]

i definitely agree. but it is still hard to find even though they have finally just came into NC a couple years ago. i went through blue bell withdrawals for a while before they came here. nothing will ever compare. i wish they came into the single servings in flavors beside vanilla and chocolate.

[dagwood]

In what territory is Blue Bell available?

[ScarlettNola]

Mostly Southern States as far as I know.

[mordacity]

http://www.bluebell.com/The_Little_Cr...

[Candy]

I can get Bluebell here in Indiana. I've heard so many good things about it that I picked up some of their Homemade Vanilla. It was thin and rather flavorless.

I do really like Graeter's from Cincinnati when I am not making my own.

[CastironJim]

I too like Graeter's ice cream. It has been sold for the past couple of years in Los Angeles at Ralph's.

[ScarlettNola]

Plus 1 on Blue Bell. Its the "best ice cream in the country" as it stated in their jingle.