Brain Freeze

Brain Freeze, the mortal enemy of the mighty Ice Cream. Usually a bowl of ice cream isn't too dangerous, it's those tempting trips into the freezer to spoon some ice cream right out of the container that puts you at risk. Sure, the first few bites are fine, but beware, too many and your "brain" will get frozen....ok, actually your throat. Now don't panic, there is a cure! if you don't want to waste any of that tasty ice cream, just take some slow deep breaths to warm your throat back up. If the freeze is too bad, and you don't mind washing away any tasty goodness, have some room temperature water to bring your throat temp back up real quick, at which point you can go back to shoveling in the ice cream. With water, you don't have to worry about tainting your ice cream experience with uncomplimentary flavors.

Keep it Fresh!

So, you can't seem to eat your ice cream before it starts getting dark and crystally. Well, our modern auto-defrosting freezers don't help, but this trick might: So you go to the store, pick up your favorite half gallon, and take it home. When you get home, you take it out of the bag and throw it in the fridge...Don't do it! Leave the ice cream in the bag, it adds a great layer of protection that will buy your beloved ice cream extra time in the freezer. (it's not perfect, but this has been a big help considering all the ice cream in my freezer)

Beware of the Sale

In particular, be aware of the double sale. Since switching to the rewards card system (you only get the sale price if you have the store's rewards card with you), Shaw's has the habit of putting one brand of ice cream on sale each week. Occasionally they skip a week, but this holds true for the most part.

Have you ever noticed that the ice cream on sale seems to be the one with all the frost on it? Not every time, but take a look next time. Maybe it's from all the restocking, but I've always been a little bothered by this. You know you are really in trouble when you pick up the container and it squishes in your hand.

A double sale is when there are two brands on sale instead of the usual one. Sure, it could just be a fluke, but I can't help but think it's a little more sinister than that. Case in point: I went to Shaw's last night and picked up some Turkey Hill that was on sale for $2.99. I then went further down the aisle where people were crowding around 'buy one, get one free' Edy's (so, $2.75 a pop). I figured why not get more ice cream, but every single container I picked up had ice cream spilled out from under the lid. That's right, every single container was sticky. I put down the containers and went to finish my shopping. As I went past more Edy's containers, I noticed several other flavors covered with ice cream. Apparently the last pallet of Edy's fell over ...in the hot sun ...during lunch break.

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I've seen this happen multiple times over the years. Any grocery store workers want to back up my theory? (sorry, i was a burger flipper, not a stock boy, so I have no proof)

Don't Waste

Have you ever gotten to the bottom of a half gallon and wished there was just a smidge more ice cream for your bowl? Oh, if only you hadn't wasted the lump of ice cream on the lid of the container. Who wants it now though? it has melted and refrozen at least a half dozen times by now.

So, next time you crack open a fresh container from the store, the first thing you should do is scrape the tasty goodness off the lid before it goes bad. You should get 2 or 3 scrapes, but it's fresh, so it tastes just as good as the rest of your ice cream. Don't Waste, your belly will thank you for it!