What Stores in California Sell Blue Bunny Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream is often thought of as an accessory; a sideshow to jaw-dropping birthday cakes and piping hot cobblers and crisps. Even when piled into a towering ice cream sundae, vanilla ice cream often plays second fiddle to all those flashy toppings.

But when we conducted our recent vanilla ice cream taste test, we were looking for a pint that would stand on its own; one we'd reach for even when there weren't any other adornments in the vicinity. We wanted an ice cream that tasted pure and fresh, but also rich and satisfying. And most importantly we wanted an ice cream that we liked because it was actually good, not just because we recognized it from childhood. Here's the fine print:

What we were looking for

As stated, we wanted a vanilla ice cream that would taste as good on its own as it would melting into [insert favorite melty ice cream dessert here] (ahem, bananas Foster). That meant clean, clear vanilla flavor without much else going on.

Unfortunately, many of the samples we tasted had a flavor distinctly reminiscent of marshmallows and, in one instance, as noted by Emily Johnson, "faux black cherry" soda. Plentiful black specks of vanilla bean were a nice, aesthetically pleasing addition, but don't be fooled: as America's Test Kitchen revealed in their own ice cream tasting, the specks in commercially available vanilla ice creams are more often made from ground vanilla pods that have been already been extracted of all flavor, and not from the vanilla seeds themselves.

Secondly, we were looking for an ice cream that was neither too dense nor too airy, one that melted away instead of coating the tongue in cloying, sticky sweetness.

Finally, we narrowed our search to ice creams that were as natural as possible—meaning, for the most part, free of excess stabilizers or superfluous flavor enhancers; although we didn't steer away from gums entirely, since they add longevity and scoopability. Of all the ice creams we tried, the one with the most ingredients only listed 10 items total, without any weirdly scientific additives in sight.

How we tested

I scooped all ice creams into chilled bowls and tossed the cartons away so that tasters could sample without any preconceived notions. Still, it didn't take Anya Hoffman long to lock onto two samples, assured by sight alone that one of them was her childhood go-to brand. After tasting, she narrowed it down to one, and she was right. (But, spoiler, it ended up not being her favorite in the end.) Tasters spooned and slurped and licked their way through 10 brands—and then spooned and slurped and licked their way through the 10 brands again, because you can't be too careful when choosing a favorite ice cream. Truly. This is the important work.

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The Very Best All-Natural Vanilla Ice Cream: Blue Bunny Vanilla Bean Tub

Right off the bat I have to say we sampled the "tub" of this brand's vanilla bean flavor and not the pint. I have to make that distinction because, according to the ice cream maker's website, the ingredient list for the pint does not match the ingredient list for the tub. I should also stress that this is Blue Bunny's vanilla bean flavor and not the plain vanilla or "homemade" vanilla. As for the ice cream in that tub, it was light and creamy, but still rich. The vanilla flavor shone through, but wasn't too heavy-handed, as it was in some other brands. It scooped easily and melted cleanly and would be equally delicious spooned into a Nutella sundae or set atop a slice of warm peach pie as it would be eaten straight from the tub, all alone, while binging the new season of your favorite Netflix must-watch next Saturday night.

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Source: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/the-best-store-bought-vanilla-ice-cream-article

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