Ice Cream: Ratings of Sources
Total of 19 Sources
For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.
1. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
May 2006
The Scoop on Vanilla Ice Cream -- Updated
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Our Assessment
Cook's Illustrated used 20 people to sample 18 vanilla ice creams, both French style (prepared with egg yolks) and regular style (prepared without egg yolks). They evaluated the products on taste and mouth-feel, in addition to scrutinizing common ingredients.
2. Cook's Country
June 2005
Chocolate Ice Cream
by Editors of Cook's Country
Our Assessment
Cook's Country is a sister magazine of Cook's Illustrated. In this test, staff members conduct a blind taste test of seven best-selling brands to see if premium ice creams in small containers tasted better than supermarket brands in half-gallon tubs.
3. Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Sept. 2007
Tasting Lab: Light Vanilla Ice Cream
by Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Our Assessment
Editors at Cook's Illustrated test four "slow-churned" or "double-churned" light ice creams, but are generally not impressed. Fat content, which varies widely from product to product, is also discussed.
4. ConsumerReports.org
July 2002
Ice Cream
by Editors of Consumer Reports
Our Assessment
In its last exhaustive review of ice cream -- now over five years old -- Consumer Reports' panel tasted 34 nationally available varieties of chocolate and vanilla. A ratings chart is included, so readers can compare scores at a glance. However, the age of this report is a disappointment, and formulas may have changed.
Taste Test: Light Ice Cream
by Editors of Good Housekeeping
Our Assessment
The Good Housekeeping Institute asks 19 volunteers to taste 15 different varieties of low-fat vanilla ice cream, both sugar added and no sugar. Breyers Double Churned Light Creamy Vanilla is the top… finisher. In the no-sugar-added category, testers didn't really like any brand, but voted Blue Bunny No Sugar Added Reduced Fat Vanilla as better than others. We'd rate this article higher if Good Housekeeping listed the "dense," "gummy," and "way too sweet" ice creams that didn't make the cut.
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The Best Vanilla Ice Cream
by Editors of Real Simple
Our Assessment
In this short article, Real Simple offers its top six vanilla ice cream picks. Ben & Jerry's is called best "old-fashioned," with tasters saying it can stand up to anything; Stonyfield Organic rates as best organic, and Breyers Light and Breyers No Sugar Added are chosen as best in those categories. No mention is made of how the testers made their choices, which damages this report's credibility
Taste Test: Light Vanilla Ice Cream
by Editors of Eating Well magazine
Our Assessment
Eating Well has six panelists -- including a caterer and a food scientist -- sample a half dozen nationally available reduced-fat vanilla ice creams. Rated at the top is Ben & Jerry's Vanilla Lite, which,… with seven grams of fat per serving, is "only light in comparison to Ben & Jerry's ultra-rich, super-premium vanilla." Edy's Grand Light is the runner-up, but Breyers Natural is described as "overpoweringly sweet" and Healthy Choice as "very artificial." Atkins Endulge Super Premium is likened to Kaopectate.
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Creamy, Healthier Ice Cream? What's the Catch?
by Julia Moskin
Our Assessment
In this article, Moskin discusses the latest trend in low-fat ice cream: slow churning, which reportedly improves texture and makes low-fat ice cream similar in feel to real ice cream. Then she discloses the result of an informal taste test by The New York Times Dining staff of five ice-cream bars made with slow-churned fillings; the best of the lot is Breyers Double Light Slow Churned.
Which Ice Cream Packs Flavor, Least Fat?
by J. Scott Wilson
Our Assessment
J. Scott Wilson asks a panel of four tasters to try five vanilla and six "chunky" ice creams. Breyers is the clear winner in the vanilla category, described as "absolutely sublime," with a "near-perfect" mouth feel and "exquisitely balanced" vanilla flavor. Breyers also takes top spot in the chunky category with its Brownie Mud Pie.
Ice Cream Tasting: Vanilla
by "Rachel"
Our Assessment
This food blogger conducts a blind taste test of nine store-bought vanilla ice creams with seven friends. The top finisher is Ben & Jerry's Fair Trade, described as dense, delicious and full-flavored,… followed by Julie's Organic Vanilla and Dreyer's Grand Vanilla Bean. Breyers Natural Vanilla finishes dead last; the panel says it's even worse than Dreyer's Slow-Churned Vanilla Bean, which had an aftertaste of "extract and cardboard."
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Taste Kitchen: Low-Fat Ice Cream
by Devra First
Our Assessment
The staff of Boston.com samples a variety of low-fat vanilla ice creams, naming Breyers Light the winner for being "closest to full-fat taste" and having a "fresh, true vanilla flavor without any strange afternotes." Runners-up are Häagen-Dazs and Edy's, while Hood and Healthy Choice are both panned.
Beware of the Dark Side of "Light" Ice Cream
by Jenny Slafkosky
Our Assessment
Jenny Slafkosky asks an informal panel to compare six brands of reduced-fat chocolate ice cream. In some cases, Slafkosky substituted chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, or the chocolate section of… vanilla-chocolate-strawberry, when plain chocolate wasn't available. Häagen-Dazs Extra-Rich Light is the top finisher, even though it has more calories than the competition. The other brands don't do nearly as well; least favorite of all was Dreyer's Slow Churned Rich & Creamy Ice Cream, which has good texture but lacks flavor.
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Taste Test: Light Ice Creams
by Allison Avery
Our Assessment
It's not clear how many people participated in this taste test, or if the seven low-fat desserts reviewed here (including ice cream, yogurt and gelato) were tasted only by Allison Avery. Of the national brands, Edy's Slow Churned Light Strawberry earns a grade of A plus, closely followed by Breyers Double Churn Light Cookies & Cream.
Taste Panel: Chocolate Ice Cream
by Judith Harris Solomon
Our Assessment
Judith Solomon asks a four-person panel to taste one local and six store-bought chocolate ice creams. The top finisher is Kroger's Private Selection, for its "big, big, rich flavor;" Häagen-Dazs also does well, described "very traditional with a nice texture" and "perfect chocolate taste."
Chocolate Ice Cream: The Best to Chill Your Summer
by Jennifer Vogelsong
Our Assessment
Jennifer Vogelsong has a panel of teens try out five national brands of chocolate ice cream. The top finishers are Dreyer's/Edy's and Blue Bunny, which still garner fair-to-lukewarm reviews (the selection didn't include popular brands like Häagen-Dazs or Ben & Jerry's).
Big Bite: Ice Cream
by Jane Black
Our Assessment
Jane Black presents her top picks for chocolate and vanilla ice creams, without explaining how she arrived at them. The top pick for chocolate is a regional brand, Berkshire, only available in stores in the northeast. The top vanilla pick is Häagen-Dazs; says Black, "Our vanilla taste test yielded some duds. Some were sickeningly sweet, others synthetic tasting. But Häagen-Dazs got it right."
A Taste Test, Lickety-Split
by Anne Schamberg
Our Assessment
Schamberg recruits a panel of eight testers to sample 17 store-bought vanilla ice creams. The top three finishers are Breyers Natural, Häagen-Dazs and Stonyfield Farm Organic; Ben & Jerry's World's Best does poorly, described as "tangy" and "not sweet enough." However, the age of this review keeps it from ranking more highly.
Ice Cream Taste Test: Who's Got the Best Chocolate, Vanilla Around?
by Editors of Dayton Daily News
Our Assessment
This Ohio newspaper asks 15 panelists, ranging in age from seven to 85, to sample 20 chocolate and vanilla ice creams. Ben & Jerry's is far and away the favorite vanilla ice cream (thanks to its creaminess and flecks of vanilla beans), but chocolate is a closer race. Friendly's is the top pick, followed by United Dairy Farmers and, once again, Ben & Jerry's.
Ice Cream Taste Test Report
by Contributors to Chowhound.com
Our Assessment
A long thread follows "Cloudy's" informal report on her vanilla ice cream taste test, in which her boyfriend picks Häagen-Dazs Vanilla over three other supermarket brands. Many posters agree with that choice, but a fair number speak up for Breyers Natural; some say it's superior to Dreyer's/Edy's.
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