"vanilla ice cream" news and stories

We're the first ones to admit when we're wrong. Heck, we actually enjoy it because it just means that we've found something more delicious. Last week, we posted our Vanilla Ice Cream Taste Test and within 24 hours, we had hundreds of comments telling us we had missed a crucial brand of ice cream: Blue Bell.

We didn't leave Blue Bell out purposely. The Slashfood staff is located in New York City, therefore, we don't have access to many of the brands available in the south or even the west. But since there was such an outcry for Blue Bell, we immediately went to their website and ordered ourselves four half-gallon tubs. We focused on the Homemade Vanilla and Natural Vanilla Bean flavors.

We dug our ice cream scoop into both on Thursday afternoon -- along with our editor's pick, Breyers -- for a scoop-to-scoop match-up.

Did we make a mistake or do we still think that Breyer's is the best one vanilla ice cream? Find out after the jump ...

Who makes the best vanilla ice cream? In the hot summer months, walking down the ice cream aisle of a supermarket can make your head spin -- so many flavors and varieties to choose from. Slashfood decided to help you narrow those possibilities down. We took the most simple flavor -- vanilla -- and put it to the test. Did you know that vanilla ice cream is the most popular flavor of choice? In fact, "30% of Americans prefer vanilla over any other flavor," John Harrison, Edy's flavor guru, says.

We gathered 16 different brands from local supermarkets in New York and New Jersey (most brands are available nationwide), and rated them on a scale of one to five for creaminess and vanilla bean flavor. After the editors did a round of testing themselves, we decided to organize a blind taste test with our co-workers here at AOL. More than 20 people showed up to determine which vanillas were the best -- and which ones were deemed the worst.

In the end, we came up with two winners for the best -- the editors chose one and the testers chose another -- and one for the overall worst (we were all in agreement there).

After the jump, our picks for the best and worst vanilla ice creams ...

Crème Anglaise is a classic French dessert sauce that has a distinct vanilla flavor. Try this shortcut for a list-minute dessert.

What does your favorite ice cream flavor say about you?

To help find out -- and to promote three new ice cream flavors -- Starbucks brought in StrategyOne and Food-ology researcher and behavioral food expert Juliet A. Boghossian, who authored the "What Flavor Are You?" survey.

"The seemingly simple preference for vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream says a lot more about us than you might think," Boghossian says.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Photo: The Skinny Chef

When I was a kid, ice cream was synonymous with summer. I had a trained ear and could pick out the perky chimes of the ice cream truck from miles away. Ice cream is a cool, satisfying summer treat, but a scoop a day can keep the bikini away.

Most people don't know that one pint of many commercial ice creams contains more fat than you should eat in a whole day. That doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy this calcium-rich treat. Making your own is immensely satisfying, and without having to worry about loading up on fat and calories while avoiding crazy preservatives that no one can pronounce.

Get Jennifer's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe after the jump.