As Elan and I cannot currently go out to review ice cream shops for you and you cannot go out to enjoy it either, we are going to review from home. We are going to pick out the best ice cream brands you can buy at the grocery store and which three flavors are the best from each brand. 

Emily’s Top Four

Tillamook

This brand is something different. They are based in Oregon and they do not just ice cream but an array of dairy products; cheeses, yogurts, custards, gelato, and ice creams. “We promise to hold ourselves to a higher standard, so you can always be proud to serve Tillamook to your family.” – Part of the Tillamook promise. They sell their products at Target, Walmart, Publix and Harris Teeter. So if you haven’t heard of them or if you have never seen them in stores, be on the lookout for them. Their ice cream is tasty and original in flavors and consistency. They sell their ice cream by the quart for $6.99. Since a quart is two times a pint overall it is a bargain compared to the other brands I have mentioned. This  would figure to around $3.49 per pint. In other words, please check them out if you haven’t already : )

Top Three Flavors

1. Peaches & Cream Ice Cream
2. Mountain Huckleberry Ice Cream
3. Monster Cookie Ice Cream

Talenti

Talenti makes you feel like you are eating something high priced and fancy, but it is actually cheaper than Ben & Jerry’s at $4.29 a pint (Ben & Jerry’s is $4.69 a pint). Their containers are super cool and reusable. My friend Irene Lu uses them to carry fruit, but really you could use them for plenty of things. The consistency is great. For prime eating let it sit for a minute or two and it will be soft but still holds form. One thing I will say about it is that it does melt fairly easily, but it reforms well when refrozen without getting super icy. They also do both gelato and sorbet.

Top Three Flavors:

1. Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Gelato
2. Caramel Cookie Crunch Gelato
3. Mango Sorbet

Edy’s

Edy’s is pretty much just your run of the mill ice cream brand. Fairly basic flavors and their packaging is somewhat old fashioned. However, they wouldn’t make my list if they weren’t special. It is their consistency and the quality of their flavors that puts them on this list. They are the only big brand who slow churn their ice cream (other than Dryer’s – Edy’s counterpart). Slow churning reduces ice particle size and gives the ice cream ½ the amount of fat of regular churning methods. The reduction in ice particles is what gives it a smoother texture. As for their flavors, while their selection is limited, their brand has been around since 1928. Their flavors have been produced for almost 100 years giving them time to perfect them. And they have absolutely perfected them. They are all of the flavors that, while they are “basic,” are nostalgic and comforting. 

Top Three Flavors

1. Coffee Ice Cream
2. Berry Rainbow Sherbet
3. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Magnum

Magnum is unique in that they do both ice cream pints and bars. The cool thing about their pints of ice cream is that there is a cracking chocolate shell around the ice cream just like their bars. It is what makes them different from other ice cream brands. They are no more expensive than Ben & Jerry’s at $4.69 for a pint and $4.29 for their bars. I think that Ben & Jerry’s is viewed as a universally popular ice cream brand because of their good flavors and fairly reasonable prices. What is interesting is that Magnum ice cream costs the same as Ben & Jerry’s but it appears more expensive because of advertising and branding. According to Forbes, Magnum is actually the number one selling ice cream brand in the world while Ben & Jerry’s sits in fourth place. The point being, the next time you go to the store for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s maybe try Magnum instead. 

Top Three Flavors:

1. Double Almond Brown Butter Ice Cream Tub
2. Double Raspberry Ice Cream Bar
3. Double Cookie Crumble Ice Cream Tub

Elan’s Top Four

Ben & Jerry’s

Ben and Jerry’s is a classic. The biggest appeal of their very popular brand is its similarity in taste to the ice cream you can purchase in an actual store, but it’s also been rushed towards the mainstream due to its “basic” status and common depiction in tv and movies as the perfect snack for a lonely heart. Their flavors tend to stray from normal, but they don’t necessarily go too far out there… things like Half Baked or Cherry Garcia, which are mixes of common flavors, tend to wow eaters by being conveniently tasty. The biggest problem with B&J’s is the price: unnecessarily expensive. It’s overly hyped and basic, which means the market has allowed them to sell a pint for like $6… no. Meanwhile, some Publix-brand stuff would be like $4 for a quart… just saying. 

Top Three Flavors (Please don’t hate me)

1. Half Baked
2. Phish Food
3. Cherry Garcia

Breyers

Breyers is that brand that you definitely always have but never remember. They’re very popular, but they have no clout if you know what I mean. Like, their ice cream isn’t bad, but it’s also not exceptionally good. It’s just good enough that you wouldn’t mind it, but not good enough that you would specifically request it or something. What’s nice about Breyers though, is that they’re inexpensive. With a lot of common ice cream brands only making pints nowadays, Breyers is like that nice company that actually gives you enough ice cream… too much ice cream, but hey, that’s bang for your buck.

Top Three Flavors

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
2. S’mores
3. Mint Chocolate Chip

Blue Bunny

Similar to Breyers, Blue Bunny is like a classic that may not be basic and commonly talked about, but you’ve more than likely owned it at some point in time. It also comes in quarts, so that it lasts longer, and it has a slew of common flavors for anyone who wants to enjoy some frozen dairy products. Honestly, there’s not much to say about Blue Bunny because it is good enough to enjoy but it’s not outspoken or noteworthy enough to gush about, which is precisely why I think it’s enjoyable. It’s like eating at a good restaurant: not incredible, but not fast food or anything. 

Top Three Flavors

1. Blu’s Birthday Party
2. Super Chunky Cookie Dough
3. Chocolate Donut

Blue Bell

Another “Blue” brand: Blue Bell is some good ice cream in a similar bracket to Blue Bunny and Breyers. Their packaging and website make them look old-fashioned, but their ice cream sure tastes… like ice cream, considering I’m not a connoisseur and cannot differentiate old-fashioned tasting food and modern tasting food. Their ice cream is chill. Pun intended. 

Top Three Favors

1. Cookie Two Step
2. Krazy Cookie Dough 
3. Cotton Candy