"According to a 2024 report compiled by the International Dairy Foods Association, strawberry ice cream is the third most popular ice cream in the U.S. following chocolate and vanilla. While I have always been a big fan of strawberry ice cream, I usually get more adventurous when hitting the frozen aisle of the grocery store or grabbing a scoop at a local shop."
"I wanted to find out which store-bought brand offers the best strawberry ice cream, and whether there was a version of this flavor that was better than one filled with candies, cookies, chocolate, or caramel. So, I gathered up several brands, tasted them, and ranked them from worst to best. I'm lucky enough to have tasted homemade strawberry ice cream before, so I used that as my benchmark: rich strawberry flavor, balanced sweetness, and a melt-in-the-mouth smoothness."
"Knowing all of that, my expectations for this ice cream were high. The first thing I noticed about this flavor of Blue Bell ice cream was its color. It was a very bright shade of cotton candy pink, and the ice cream oddly looked just as fluffy. The second thing I noticed was the large chunks of strawberries scattered about the frozen fuchsia base, which I found delightful."
A 2024 International Dairy Foods Association report lists strawberry as the third most popular ice cream flavor in the United States, behind chocolate and vanilla. Several store-bought brands were gathered, taste-tested, and ranked against a homemade standard defined by rich strawberry flavor, balanced sweetness, melt-in-the-mouth smoothness, and natural texture from seeds and fruit chunks. The tasting prioritized authentic strawberry presence over mix-ins such as candies, cookies, chocolate, or caramel. Visual cues, including color and fruit distribution, influenced impressions. Blue Bell, available in 24 states, showed a bright cotton-candy pink base with large strawberry pieces and was ranked seventh.
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