The Only Way You Can Avoid Freezer Burn on Ice Cream, According to Ben & Jerry's
There's nothing sadder than freezer-burned ice cream. Luckily, Ben & Jerry's has a couple of easy tricks for keeping ice cream fresh and delicious.
I’ve got a confession: I can’t remember the last time I saw the back of my freezer. It’s a wonder it even closes. Between the frozen fruit, Parmesan rinds, nuts, flours, and Ziploc-ed sliced bread, there’s barely enough room for ice cube trays.
As a result of my overstuffing, things do occasionally get lost in my freezer. Those unlucky foods often fall victim to a fate only slightly better than mold: freezer burn. It comes for my bread, my peas, and worst of all, my beloved mint chocolate chip ice cream.
The disappointment of a frost-bitten scoop of ice cream made me wonder how I could permanently avoid eating another spoonful of musty ice cream again. So I reached out to the experts at Ben & Jerry’s and got the 411 on ice cream storage from the company's Flavor Guru, Chris Rivard.
How To Store Ice Cream To Avoid Freezer Burn
According to Rivard, the best way to prevent freezer burn is to avoid letting your ice cream melt. He says that this “causes the ice crystals in your ice cream to slowly melt into a liquid,” and when that liquid slowly refreezes it forms much larger ice crystals, transforming the smooth, creamy ice cream into a much grittier scoop.
To avoid melting, it’s best to pop your pint straight into a cooler for transit from the store to your home. No cooler? Don’t worry, Rivard’s got a solution: “Wrapping the pints in an extra sweatshirt can help insulate the ice cream to keep it from melting.”
Speaking of melting, Rivard passionately emphasized one thing you should never do with your pint: microwave it. “Out of respect to all hard-working ice cream makers everywhere and all that is sacred, don’t put your ice cream in the microwave to make it easier to scoop unless you plan to eat the whole pint.”
Instead, scoop out what you’d like into a bowl and allow it to soften on the counter for a few minutes—it’s worth the wait.
To further extend the freshness of your ice cream, Rivard suggests storing your carton in the back corner of your freezer, “where two sides of the freezer can touch the container and provide maximum freezing.”
This is the motivation I need to finally organize my freezer because I am not losing another pint to freezer burn.
How To Keep Open Containers of Ice Cream Fresh
When a pint of ice cream is partially eaten, its surface is exposed to air, which can expedite freezer burn. To avoid this, Rivard suggests cutting a piece of parchment paper to cover the surface of the ice cream before re-covering it with the lid. If you won’t be getting back to your pint for a while, this is a great way to maintain its freshness.
Does Ice Cream Go Bad?
Because ice cream is stored frozen, microbial growth isn’t likely. However, since freezers run through freeze-and-thaw cycles, simply storing your pint will cause it to partially melt and refreeze repeatedly. Though this process only slightly degrades the ice cream, it will lead to freezer burn over time. To enjoy your ice cream at peak quality, consume it before its expiration date.
