Best ice cream in the country?

Posted by Dana McMahan

While roaming through Kroger this evening waiting for a prescription to be filled (note to self: you are too old to go sledding -- pain pills for a cracked rib should not be the consequence of a fun afternoon in the snow) I chatted with my mom on the phone. "Oh, you're in Kroger?" she said. "Blue Bell ice cream is on sale. You HAVE to get some!"

I'm a pretty loyal Ben and Jerry's fan, having even gone so far as visiting their factory. But I'm open to suggestions when it comes to satisfying my sweet tooth. My husband and I trolled the frozen aisle and scoped out the ice cream selection. My mom was still singing the virtues of Blue Bell. "They've only been selling it n Kentucky for a year and when it first came out here we bought four cartons of it."

Brian and I settled on the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, passed our usual Ben and Jerry's pick-up point, and headed for the checkout. The man in line behind us could have been planted there by my mom. "Have you tried that Blue Bell ice cream?" he asked. "That is the BEST ice cream!"

A moment later I felt like I'd stepped unknowingly into a TV skit. Our young cashier bypassed the usual hellos and launched immediately into, "Oh, you got Blue Bell. I LOVE that ice cream! It's the best! I'm going to college this fall and if I don't have room for anything else in my dorm fridge, I'll keep Blue Bell in it!" I had to giggle at that point.

I checked out the Blue Bell web site when I got home to see what all the fuss is about. This brand of ice cream has been around for 100 years, and though it is only available in about 20% of America's supermarkets, it ranks as one of the top three best selling ice creams in the country. I wonder how I haven't heard of it. My Ben and Jerry's love has prevented my eye from wandering in the ice cream aisle evidently.

After dinner I was too full to eat a much (though Brian gamely scooped himself a heaping bowl) but I felt it my duty to taste test a big spoonful. The verdict? Creamy, rich, full vanilla flavor, and the cookie dough was soft and moist -- not crumbly like in lesser ice creams. It is definitely good. I'm not sure I would rave about it to strangers like the fans at Kroger, but I'll happily experiment with some more flavors.

TAGS: Ice Cream
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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1

D. said:

Try the Birthday Cake flavor. It's very tasty. Here (in CT), the best ice creams are by Turkey Hill and Brigham's. Both have an amazing range of yummy flavors.

Posted at 04:49 PM, on March 30 2008

2

Cari said:

Blue Bell rocks! It's the Texas National Ice Cream. The Anniversary Sundae is rather yummy. Other than Ben and Jerry's, it's the only ice cream the boy likes.

Posted at 08:26 PM, on April 2 2008

3

Dana McMahan said:

Texas *national*? Isn't Texas a state? ;)

Posted at 09:06 PM, on April 2 2008

4

Brenda Bowling said:

It is the BEST icecream I ever ate!!!

Posted at 07:58 PM, on April 8 2008

Best ice cream in the country?

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