Best kind of ice cream?
 

What brands do you recommend? We live in the west, and we don't have the the famous Blue Bell ice cream that I hear so much about.

Also---what is your favorite flavor? I need something wonderful. I need some good ol' ice cream advice.

We have friends who are coming to visit for 4-5 days. The friends both are huge ice cream lovers.

Edy's carmel delight very good and smooth. Sealtest and Pet are both good. I don't know if you have Kroger stores in that part of the country or not but Kroger store brand is very good. I haven't seen any bad ice cream , though some brands are better than others. I love ice cream about any flavor. LOL

Blue Bunny is good. I love all flavors if nuts are involved. But you can't go wrong with vanilla. Its a favorite for most. I get that opinion from working at icecream parlors when I was young.

Can you get Tillamook ice cream? It's a dairy company here in Oregon. They make the best cheese, yogurt and ice cream.

I also make my own with my Kitchenaid stand mixer ice cream attachment.

If it is available in your area - Tillamook Ice Cream is the BEST; so creamy and rich tasting. We love the Udderly Chocolate flavor (white and milk chocolate) and French Vanilla with sauce or berries is always nice. Yes - I grew up in Oregon and had been able to get Tillamook almost anywhere so it was a huge disappointment when we moved to the Phoenix area 7.5 years ago and it was not available here. My husband and I did a happy dance a couple years ago when Tillamook was available in the Albertsons and Fry's (Kroeger) Grocery Stores in this area.

If you have a RiteAide drug store near you, they usually sell Thrifty Ice Cream. Years ago there was a Thrifty Drug Store chain and they sold ice cream cones and a lot of people I know thought it was better than Baskin Robbins. It was certainly not as expensive and my daughters loved it. They had a few flavors we really liked. They also sell it by the quart - but I have not had it for quite a few years now.

My daughters swear by Cold Stone, but it is too rich for me. For me the best Dairy Queen, it is what I grew up on.

I don't know if you can get Breyer's the butter pecan is good.

If you have a Kroger store, their Psst imitation dairy dessert is great.....every one that I've asked that is a true name brand ice cream lover - loves this dessert!

I love icecream! Not a brand snob either tho we have Prairie Farms here...which I love. Just grab a brand and dont over-think it. My fav flavor....is...vanilla!
Choc chip mint is a contender as is Peppermint...as in the candy-cane. Oh, ..any flavor!

Sandy

As long as it's ice cream, how can you go wrong?! I like the varieties with some kind of chocolate chunks in it. Last Christmas there was the suggestion of peppermint ice cream with hot fudge topping. Now that was good!!! My son makes home made strawberry and adds broken graham cracker pie crust to the mix. Excellent.

pet brand ice cream is good. blue bell ice cream was on a recall a few months ago i love that ice cream but afraid to eat it now. so its pet ice cream for me

Umpqua is good. Try their salted butterscotch. MMmm... Tillamook is also good. :)

for a national brand, Breyer's Gelato is SOOOOOOO good. I love the tiramisu flavor. Costs more than ice cream but worth it IMO.

I love Tillamook, which I currently have in my freezer. When you shop, BE SURE TO CHECK THE LABEL! It maybe in the freezer section and packaged like ice cream, but a lot of items are actually "frozen dairy desserts" and not ice cream. :thumbdown:

In my opinion the best kind of ice cream is that which does not contain thickeners, stabilizers, or emulsifiers. The two most commonly used are carrageenan (extracted from red edible seaweeds) and guar gum, a fine powder made from guar seeds, which is used as a thickener and a binder. Both are food quality and absolutely safe. They are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. Their main application is in dairy and meat products, due to their strong binding to food proteins.

I find these thickening agents change the texture of the ice cream and, in lower priced products, can even have the effect of making the ice cream seem "gummy" in a way.

My favorite ice cream, with none of these extenders/fillers, Blue Bunny Vanilla Bean (other BB vanilla flavors contain fillers). Read the ingredients on this product and you find it contains only milk/cream, sugar and vanilla. Other flavors all contain fillers. The only other produce I am aware of at the grocery stores that doesn't contain fillers is Bryers Vanilla (and only vanilla!). Read the labels for ingredients.

P.S. I find ice cream to be medicinal and take it often as a precaution against getting any bug that may be going around. It is also helpful for indigestion, allergies, hang-nails and Athelets' Foot! HAHAHAH

I love Dreyer's. Found in any of the major So CA grocery chains.

It's expensive, but I love Hagen Daaz. It has no fillers. If you are in Okla, Tx, Kan, Ark area, Braum's is good and a close match to Blue Bell. I've recently moved to Iowa and this area has a brand called Goodrich which is delicious, too.

We always took mom to the RiteAid is Suisan CA for her ice cream cone. It's gone now.

Blue Bunny - Peanut Butter Panic.....I swear I am the reason it became a fulltime flavor.

Consumers Report said Walmarts butter pecan is the best. I have to agree. They have a hard time keeping it stock

If your Sandy's is a Kroger brand store, you might try their deluxe ice cream brands. I am a huge fan of Blue Bell (don't even go there about the recent brouhaha) and not being able to get it here in VA, I have found Kroger's brand to be a close second. I LOVE their peppermint!! If you CAN get it, ask for it to be carried all year; mine responded positively to my request.

Jan in VA

Blue Bell is my favorite, too bad you're deprived. Bryers,Dryers are both very good ice creams. I like anything with chocolate, peanut butter or caramel.
Sharon in Texas

I grew up with Hoods, but cannot get it in Oklahoma. That's back home in Massachusetts. We have Brahms here, and it is terrific!

Years ago I used to be able to get a peanut butter ice cream, Not vanilla with PB cups.
Loved it. I will have to look for this and see what it is. I have lost my taste for ice cream but if this is the one it might come back.

I like Publix brand.....

I love a good pralines n cream. Only found it in Blue Bell but with the scare, I don't know. Not sure if they've come back with the pralines n cream. Made my own one afternoon. Bought a bunch of pralines candy, chopped it up and so good. I like a good toffee and coffee also.

I, too, am a Pralines 'n Cream lover!!!
My all-time favorite for sure!
I buy mine at Baskin Robbins.

I only buy Talenti brand.

I buy PET Ice Cream to me it's the best

My favorite is Tillamook black cherry. Tillamook is my favorite ice cream. I also live in the west.

my favorite is caramel swirl with cinnamon poptart ice cream sandwiches.
I make one every night and the cinnamon of the pop tart is super with the caramel flavor.
bryers is good.

I prefer homemade but for store-bought Turkey Hill is good. They have a vanilla that tastes homemade

The ice cream we like the best is what we get at restaurants. The Olympic Mountain Bordeaux Cherry Chocolate Chip is awesome, and we love a good spumoni, but can't find any to bring home. Baring that, we like Breyers and Blue Bunny.

Have any of you tried the Caramel Sea Salt Talenti? I have six containers of it in the freezer!

Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Ice Cream!!!!! My grandkids think I am supposed to keep it all of the time

Hi Lynnie.........do you have a recipe for your "caramel swirl with cinnamon poptart ice cream sandwiches." ? I have some plain vanilla ice cream that might be useful.....do you use cinnamon poptarts? warm them up? Put caramel topping on top?

Here in the Southeast (at least in the greater Atlanta area) Publix carries organic vanilla, chocolate, and salted caramel. Often priced at 2 for $7.00. Great flavors. You can easily add your own healthy choices, such as nuts, fruits, etc.