Ice Cream Review by Dad

Noreen surprised me by purchasing a pint of ice cream for me to enjoy. I gladly accented to provide a review, provided that it was my last one on the ice cream topic. I love ice cream, don’t get me wrong, but I just listened to an interview by a health guru last week and it got me motivated. So, here is my blog on the ice cream pint, realizing that it will be my last, sniff.

Mission to Marzipan was a tasty treat! Marzipan originated in the east and was introduced to Europe during the Crusades via the trading centers of Venice and eventually made its way to Germany, where I first happily ran into the tasty substance while on my mission. Considered a healing remedy in the middle ages, it was also a tasty treat that I enjoyed seeing in many different shapes (mostly pig shaped for good luck) and colors in confectioners’ windows, where its creation has become an art form.

I must admit that I approached the ice cream with relish and enjoyed the tasty treat, but was somewhat disappointed that the marzipan was not “real marzipan” at all, merely a sugary ribbon of caramel-like substance. I was not fooled and had to adjust my thinking to think of it not as marzipan at all, but some other happy flavor. That adjustment made, it was tasty, but only a one-time purchase. It had a heavy vanilla taste and was refreshing, but I was disappointed overall and am now seeking out a marzipan source to fill the void created by the expectation of the real taste. So, rock on and see you in another type of article.

Karamel Sutra

This was a good one! It was like opening that chemistry set you received for Christmas, the one where you could mix the chemicals yourself to create your own concoction. Add a little of this, a lot of that and BOOM! you have your result. The packaging of this frozen goodie was much the same, a caramel cylinder in the middle, vanilla ice cream on one side, and chocolate with chocolate flakes on the other. Your ingredients. Then it was up to you. Start on the vanilla, add a dab of caramel and eat. Take some chocolate and scoop a little vanilla to taste and eat. Mix the caramel and chocolate and take a little vanilla to taste and eat. You get the picture. After about three minutes of that I realized that it all tasted good and I simply mixed everything together in one big gooey mass. Very nice, I would recommend this chemistry set to anyone. Not my most favorite by any means, but if you need an ice cream fix, this will do ya.

Ice Cream Review

One Cheesecake Brownie



I attended a Scout camp in Moab a few summers ago in the dead of summer. The heat was so intense that the soles of my hiking shoes literally separated from the rest of the shoe. We slept on top of our sleeping bags and prayed for wind. It was fun, but very hot. Having lived in Arizona I know that the only thing to do in the middle of the summer was to get yourself inside next to the air conditioner. Our large group found an ice cream parlor in Moab and decided to have some ice cream. I ordered a scoop of Farr brand Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream. It consisted of vanilla ice cream with a strawberry ripple and REAL chunks of cheesecake. It was rich and to die for. I have not seen it since, but I will always have Moab, and I would even now go a long way out of my way to enjoy a healthy scoop of the compound.



That was the standard against which I judged this ice cream. Doomed from the start! I think B&J got a little cocky here. I think they believed that they could just throw in cheery little brownies with a little cheesecakey flavoring in them into something like sour cheesecake tasting ice milk and make an instant hit. Finishing it was a chore, but I was searching in every bite for it to get better. It will not be purchased again! Away from me! Next!...and bring me some Farr Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream please.

Ice Cream

The blog is on a diet this week. Steve returns from London tomorrow, where he has been on business. The blog will be sweeter next week!

Americone Dream by Steve

After committing myself to testing only top ten flavors listed on the B&J website, Noreen brought this flavor home. I read the label and thought to myself, what could a vanilla ice cream based, caramel swirled, and chocolate covered waffle cone bits ice cream possibly hold for me. Seemed too plain, too simple.

I cracked the scriptures and began reading the story of David and Goliath as I ate my ice cream. Five smooth bites later I realized that I had a David on my hands, a real fighter. The vanilla base was pure and simple. The caramel stream was flavorful and creamy. The legion of chocolate covered chocolate waffle stones I slung into my mouth defied my expectations and nearly conquered me. I had found a contender.

This is the only ice cream pint I have completed and enjoyed to the last bite as much as NYSFC. In fact I would have to say that this crunchy last bite might have even been a better than the last bite I took of NYSFC. Hard to recollect at, oh my aching head. Let's call it a draw, for now.

Crème Brûlée by Steve

I like Crème Brûlée, real Crème Brûlée that is. As an ice cream, it is like a potato chip trying to be a Dorito. Not the real thing, and no express need to try. The custard ice cream was fun, a little thicker and creamier than regular ice cream. I thought for a fleeting moment that I might have a potential winner on ice cream base alone, then I encountered the crunchy caramelized sugar swirl. Things went quickly from promising to "not a chance." Fully expecting the half-burnt tasting, crunchy, thin crispy strip of roasted sugar taste that would top real Crème Brûlée, I was greeted with a crunchy swirl of oversweet and sticky sugar mass. It tasted nothing as I had hoped yet everything like another ice cream I had tasted in New Zealand, Hokey Pokey. An interesting fact about Hokey Pokey ice cream is that it is New Zealand's most popular flavor. Kiwis swear by it. I dislike the flavor. That correlation made, all was lost. Dead last. Yes, dead last is the ranking here. Next week I will turn my sites to true contenders, pulling exclusively from the flavors ahead of NYSFZC on Ben and Jerry's top ten list. Wish me luck!

Phish Food by Steve

I''m hooked! Since trying Phish Food I must admit that I do enjoy chocolate ice cream as seems to have a soothing effect on my evenings. Packed with marshmallow and caramel swirls and stocked with fish shaped chocolate pieces, Phish Food brings it's fight from the first bite. The ice cream was named for a local Vermont band that formed in 1984 which while unknown to me was named by Rolling Stone magazine as the most important band of the 1990's. Which means that this is the third flavor I have tried that was named after a musicians or rock band. Hmm, any more to try? Well, this weeks flavor ranks second behind NYSCF for the fact that the chunks just keep me going. So, can a flavor climb to the top simply by it's flavor merits alone or does it need chunks to win my palette? Only time will tell. Next week a reader suggested flavor, Creme Brulee. See you then!

Ice Cream Review by Steve

Imagine Whirled Peace

Boring, boring, boring. Definitely last on the list. Although cleverly named and promoted with a licensed selff portrait of John Lennon done by himslef; this flavor was simply a marketing mistake. It simply has no life. Comprised of sweet cream ice cream, chocolate peace symbols and toffee cookie bits, it sounds alluring, but alas, it tastes plain. I didn't make it very far into it before I gave up. Have you ever at down to a meal that was all one color and seemingly one flavor? This was that meal. The toffee cookie bits had no punch, nor consistancy, but were merely colored parts of the ice cream. The ice cream was good if you like vanilla. The choco bits were amply present, yet too few to change the "color" of the pint. Waste of money, woudln't recommend it, but the kids loved it and rated it a 10. They ate most of it.

Coral, I am now looking for the flavor Creme Brulee. Did you know that on the B&J website you can find a store nearest to you with the flavor you are seeking? But, until I find Creme Brulee I will go with something already handy in the freezer; next week Phish Food.

Ice Cream Review by Steve

Chunky Monkey

Now we're talking! This flavor is number two behind NYSFC for sure. This tasty ice cream has a light yellow color and tastes like artificial bananas. OK, I did say in an earlier article that fruit should be eaten straight out of its peel or not at all. Scratch that with bananas. I like banana everything; drinks, smoothies, dehydrated, and yes, the fruit itself. Floating in the sea of banana smoothness are large walnut chunks. BIG chunks. All over the place. That is the good thing about B&J, they try to surprise you with every flavor. Throw something in you don't expect. Also present in the ice cream were chocolate chunks, very similar to those found in NYSFC, except only half the size. So, the chocolate bits and the nuts were very inspiring, and I did finish the pint. I found it certainly more interesting than Cherry Garcia, but will anything eclipse NYSFC? What would it take its place? More types of chunks? A totally amazing ice cream flavor? Who knows? One can only try. Next up, Whirled Peace.

Ben & Jerry’s – New York Super Fudge Chunk by Steve

(Note from Noreen: Steve (Dad) has made it his civic duty to try all the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream flavors and rank them for you. Enjoy!)

Ahhh, ice cream. Ho do I love thee? Let me count the ways. There are few things in life that deliver more pleasure or signal the end of the long day better than ice cream. I have tasted many types of ice cream in my life, but the flavors that I tend to come back to are those that deliver on certain elements. Qualities that I favor in ice cream tend towards a whole milk/cream base, no added air, and plenty of chunks. Plenty of chunks brings me to this week’s rating of a favorite B&J flavor of mine, NYSFC. I like this flavor because it packs large chunks of sugary things I like, like white and dark chocolate, fudge brownie, pecans and walnuts. This collection of frozen goodies is suspended in a rich, chocolate ice cream. Initially opposed to the chocolate ice cream, not a favorite of mine, the search for chunks almost makes the ice cream irrelevant. By the time you have found the last chunk you are at the bottom of the pint and it is time to go to bed. One interesting fact I learned while touring the Tip-Top Ice Cream factory in Auckland, NZ, is that chunks, syrup, fruit, what have you, needs to be the same temperature as the ice cream mixture when added or it will sink to the bottom. Imagine opening your carton of Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream only to be greeted by a field of green!! How about diving into a pint of cookies and cream only to find your cookies gone sub-terranian? Yes, temperatures must be equal at the time of mixing for the magic to work. I hope to try Cherry Garcia next. It is rated at the top B&J flavor ratings according to their web site. We will see. I will rank it myself and let you know how it stands up against NYSFC. C U L8R.