The ripe strawberries of June are still months away, so we thought strawberry ice cream might be a viable substitute in the cold of winter. A few brands were up to the challenge but some we tried either tasted artificial or had too little of that fresh berry flavor. Considering that 9 is the highest score on our tasting, Haagen-Dazs’ average of 8 reflects its decisive victory. Still, the value-conscious among us were impressed that second-place Breyers, with its hefty score of 7.4, was considerably less expensive–it also had just 120 calories per 1 /2-cup serving. Ben & Jerry’s Organic strawberry, purchased at Whole Foods Market, took third place. Here are the results, with comments from our five judges.
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The results
1. Haagen-Dazs
(8 points. $3.99 per pint; $1 per 1 2-cup serving):
“Supercreamy; love the berry crunch.” “Intense, real berry flavor.” “Nice, large pieces of berry.”
2. Breyers
(7.4 points. $6.29 per 1.75 quarts; 45 cents per 1 2-cup serving):
“Very good; lots of berry flavor in every bite.” “I can taste real strawberries; slight tartness–wonderful.” “Tart strawberry flavor; would like more cream.”
3. Ben & Jerry’s Organic
(6.2 points. $4.39 per pint; $1.10 per 1 2-cup serving):
“Very nice, natural flavors. Creamy with light berry taste.” “The ice cream stands out more in this with the berries sitting back.” “Not the freshest strawberry taste but not artificial, either.”
Also tasted
4. Safeway Select (5.6 points) 5. Edy’s Grand (5.2 points)
6. Dean’s (4.8 points) 7. Fieldcrest (3.8 points)
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Products are scored on a scale of 1 to 9, with 9 being highest. Prices are based on what we paid for them at the supermarket and may reflect sales or discounts from frequent-shopper cards.
renna@tribune.com
