Updated: 29 Jan 2010

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Introduction

Do you have to pay top dollar for the tastiest vanilla ice cream?

The lazy, hazy days of summer are when ice cream comes into its own. And there’s no purer ice cream experience than the taste of vanilla – a favourite with Kiwis of all ages.

We put 19 vanilla ice creams to the taste test and found 3 we really liked.

Our panel

The ice creams were tasted “blind” by our panel and ranged across standard, premium, and low-fat ice creams available from supermarkets. The panel was looking for appearance, body and texture, flavour, and that “melt in the mouth” sensation. 

• Kay McMath
  Expert in sensory evaluation. Chief Judge at the New Zealand Ice Cream Awards.
• Aaron Pooch
  Sales and Business Category Manager, Tetrapak. Twelve years' experience in the New Zealand, Irish and US dairy industries.
• Joanna Boese
  Experienced sensory technologist. As a keen home cook, she is more than happy to consume the best ice cream New Zealand can offer.

See the Tasting results for details of all the ice creams tasted and how they rated.

What we found

The most expensive products in the ice-cream freezer didn't top our judges' list. The three favourites in our tasting – Pam's Rich & Creamy French Vanilla, Cadbury Creamy Vanilla and Tip Top Light Vanilla – were reasonably priced at around $2-$3 a litre.

Pam's Rich & Creamy French Vanilla was the only product labelled as "French" vanilla in our tasting, but several ice creams (including the top-rated Cadbury Creamy Vanilla) had the intensity of colour and flavour you'd expect from a French vanilla ice cream.

Our judges thought the low-fat Tip Top Light Vanilla was just as good as a full-fat standard or premium ice cream. They described it as having "clean flavours, good levels of vanilla, and a light, fluffy texture".

Milk naturally contains the sugar lactose, so even low-fat ice cream can contain as much (or more) sugar as standard and premium ice creams.

New Zealand Natural Zilch was the only low-sugar ice cream in our tasting. It’s a reduced-fat ice cream with artificial sweetener added. Zilch had only 4.8g of sugar and 4.6g of fat per 100g but it failed to impress our judges: they described it as having "cardboardy, old fridge flavours and a watery finish" – rather “zilch” all round.

Tasting results

 

Guide to the tables 

Our tasting was carried out at Massey University, Albany.

• Price is what we paid in December 2009.
• Products are listed alphabetically within ratings.
• A = new product, currently available in Auckland only.

 

All about ice cream

For a product to be called ice cream it must contain no less than 10 percent milk fat and no less than 168g/L of food solids.

Standard ice cream has a fat content of 10-11 percent, and most of that is saturated fat. Premium ice creams have even higher fat levels – more than 12 percent.

Although the low- and reduced-fat products in our tasting were all called "ice cream", they were technically "frozen desserts" or "frozen confections" as they contained less than 10 percent milk fat. 

What's in ice cream?

The most expensive ice cream in our tasting – Kohu Road Vanilla ($18.99/litre) – had little more than milk, cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. But most of the ice creams in our tasting contained these basics plus a range of additives.

• Milk fat sources can include fresh cream, butter oil, sweet butter, whole milk, and other dairy products.
• Stabilisers and emulsifiers keep the texture smooth by slowing and reducing the ice crystals formed during storage. They also give ice cream a smooth texture by stopping the fat and water from separating. Egg does the same job in home-made ice cream.
• Artificial flavours are also common, but they don't need to be identified individually on the label.
• Artificial colours are usually found in novelty flavours, especially those with sweets or other extras. Vanilla and chocolate are the two flavours least likely to contain colours.

The air factor

Ice cream is sold by volume, not weight, because it has air whipped into it during manufacturing. The more air whipped in, the lighter the mix and the lower the quantity of ingredients per scoop.

Air is not a bad thing. The air (or "overrun", as it’s called in the business) adds to the smoothness and creaminess of the product. Without air, ice cream would be heavy and soggy – and wouldn't melt in your mouth.

We measured the weights of the products to see how much air they contained. The air content varied from 14 percent (Omaha Organic Berries Vanilla) to 54 percent (Tip Top Vanilla). 

Ice cream tips

Tips for serving and storage

• Put the ice cream in the freezer as soon as you get home, and don't leave it sitting on the bench when you've finished serving it.
• Ice cream lasts longer at lower temperatures. If you store it at -18°C it'll be hard and will keep its texture better than at higher temperatures.
• Before serving, let ice cream sit for about 10 minutes.
   

Keep it cold

Ice cream is best at cold, constant temperatures. Ice crystals form when ice cream fluctuates in storage temperature. When its temperature rises, even by small amounts, some of the tiny ice crystals melt. When the temperature drops again the remaining ice crystals grow larger. This is known as "heat shock" and it results in a gritty sensation on the tongue.

How do you avoid buying heat-shocked ice cream? Check the outside of the container and if it has ice crystals on it, don't buy it. It’s a sign the ice cream has undergone temperature changes.

Make your own

Use this easy recipe to make ice cream without an ice-cream maker.

Ingredients
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup caster sugar
300ml cream, lightly whipped
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

• Beat the egg whites into soft peaks then gradually beat in caster sugar.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale and fluffy.
• Gently fold beaten egg whites and yolks into the whipped cream.
• Add vanilla extract to taste.
• Freeze for 2-3 hours or until frozen.

Note: This recipe contains uncooked egg, so should be avoided by pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system.