Ice Cream

Preparation, uses, and tips

Ice cream is enjoyed just as it is. It can also be used to make milk shakes, sodas, sundaes, floats, and other classic soda-fountain combinations. Scoops of ice cream still make an attractive dessert. It can be paired with fresh fruit or nuts, or with French or Italian desserts for a sophisticated presentation. If you have a hard time resisting ice cream, it’s probably best to purchase this rich dessert in small portions.

Buying and storing tips

When buying ice cream at the grocery store, make it one of your last purchases so it won’t have time to melt before you get home. Pack it with other frozen foods, ask for a freezer bag, or pack it near other chilled foods to keep them cold as well.

Until a container of ice cream is opened, it can be stored for about 2 months in the freezer at 0°F (–18°C). It can be kept longer at –15°F (–26°C), but most home freezers don’t maintain this low a temperature. To partially soften ice cream to make it easier to serve, the container can be placed in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes; serve the desired portion, then return it to the freezer. After they are fully thawed, ice-cream products should not be refrozen.

Varieties

Although an ever-changing menu of ice-cream flavours and products tempts us these days, the top five flavours in the United States in 1999 were still the great old familiar ones vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan (the famous vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry combination), cookies and cream, and butter pecan.

Ice cream is now produced around the world in dozens of flavours, and in low-sugar, low-fat, and fat-free varieties.

Nutrition Highlights

Ice cream (chocolate, whole-milk), 1/2 cup (66g)
Calories: 142
Protein: 2.5g
Carbohydrate: 18.6g
Total Fat: 7.2g
Fiber: 0.0g

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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or chemist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires August 2007.