Best Reviewed
Ice Cream
- Best vanilla ice cream Ben & Jerry's Vanilla *Est. $4
- Best chocolate ice cream Friendly's Classic Chocolate *Est. $3
- Best light ice cream Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Chocolate *Est. $4
Get info about new reports and updates
Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Chocolate
- Good chocolate flavor
- Not too heavy or fatty
- Not thick enough
- One test noted ice crystals
Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Chocolate has 8 grams of fat per half-cup serving --about half the fat content of a "super premium" like Häagen-Dazs -- and not surprisingly, reviews are mixed about the consistency of this brand. Participants in blind taste tests tended to comment on its less-than-creamy texture, and although most like the chocolate flavor, a few say it's too rich and dark. In professional reviews, Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Chocolate lands near the middle, but a panel of four teenagers in an informal newspaper review had Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Chocolate tied for the top spot. Another review dinged Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Chocolate for having ice crystals, but we found no mention of that in any other review. If you're trying to cut back on calories, Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Chocolate (*Est. $4 for 1.5 quarts), the company's light version of Grand Chocolate, contains just four grams of fat and 100 calories per serving and does well in reviews, even when compared against full-fat contenders.
Both Cook's Illustrated magazine and ConsumerReports.org cover Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Chocolate in their recent professional taste tests. SlashFood.com, our other top review source, includes Grand Chocolate in its tasting, but because it lands near the middle, editors don't list ratings or opinions of this brand. We found helpful reviews from The Detroit News and Pennsylvania's York Daily Record, although the testing was more informal than at the aforementioned magazines.
Our Sources
1. Cook's Illustrated MagazineDetails/Subscribe
Eight best-selling chocolate ice creams are sampled in this recent blind taste-test, including Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Chocolate. Each brand is evaluated on taste and texture, and editors also measure overrun, or the percentage by which the volume of the ice cream is increased by air. This figure is useful for determining how "fluffy" a brand is, and consumers also like to know how much air they're paying for. (A brand with 100 percent overrun, for example, is half ice cream and half air.)
Review: Chocolate Ice Cream, Editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine, June 1, 2010
2. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
A blind panel tastes 11 chocolate and 13 vanilla ice creams in this recent roundup. Within each flavor, competing brands are ranked according to the flavor quality as determined by panelists. Nutritional scores are also listed, which range from poor to excellent. We wish this review included Friendly's Classic Chocolate, which earns top positions in other professional reviews.
Review: Creams of the Crop, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, July 2010
3. Detroit News
Four tasters test seven chocolate ice creams, with Edy's Grand tying for last place (Kroger's supermarket brand won). Tasters liked the flavor but not the "cake batter" texture and ice crystals.
Review: Taste Panel: Chocolate Ice Cream, Judith Harris Solomon, July 21, 2005
4. York Daily Record/Sunday News
This respected Pennsylvania newspaper had four teens try five chocolate ice creams, with Edy's Grand tying for first. Two things give us pause -- some major brands were not tried -- and a comment on Edy's said it was the best "so far," indicating a rather informal testing standard.
Review: Chocolate Ice Cream: The Best to Chill Your Summer, Jennifer Vogelsong, June 6, 2007
Ice Cream Runners Up:
3 picks including: Detroit News, York Daily Record/Sunday News…
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream, 16oz a Pint (Pack of 8)
Average Customer Review: |
||
|
|
