It's not JUST Vanilla

           Eating a pint full of Blue Bell Ice Cream is the mark of a successful vacation in Texas for my uncle Lorenzo, who moved to Washington D.C. seven years ago. He avidly claims that there is no “real” ice cream, unless it reads Blue Bell. Cleaning out the refrigerator at home, we found an old pint of Blue Bell Ice Cream and were reminded of my uncle’s last visit. Cold, sweet, a little frost-bitten, yet delicious, I said to myself, “Yeah this is good, but Dryers slow churned Vanilla Bean is much better.”  My sisters were in the kitchen at the time and we argued over the best brands and flavors, and for me it all boils down to which brand can make the best of the simplest flavor: vanilla.  

Our Ice Cream Selections: Blue Bell, Dryer's,
and Haagen Dazs, all vanilla.

       We made a trip to our neighborhood corner store, where pints of ice cream were on sale for $1. Blue Bell, Haagen Dazs, and Dryers vanilla flavors were soon in our basket. I needed to know which of these made the best vanilla ice cream, and if I would ever choose anything over my favorite brand, Dryers.

My brother, the health nut of the family, opted out of the taste test and administered it to me, before we all enjoyed the ice cream together. Small shot glasses were filled with a spoonful of vanilla, since we didn’t want the spoon to play a factor in the test.

The first shot of vanilla was light and creamy, with a slight taste of cardboard, which I could tell was from the top layer of the pint. It was very fresh, natural-tasting and smooth. The ice cream seemed to be a wonderful base for a fruity dessert.

The second glass was icier and thicker in texture, but very creamy once it melted a bit on my palate. There was a lingering aftertaste of vanilla that kept me wanting more, and I found that I was sipping on the melted bit in the glass. There was some artificial flavoring, I thought, because the coloration was more yellow, but the taste of vanilla was addicting.

Glass number three, I immediately could tell was vanilla bean. The ice cream was speckled with black bits of vanilla bean, appeared more whipped, and was easier to slide out of the glass; I immediately knew that it was my all-time favorite Dryers. Tasting it after the others though, was less appetizing by itself, as when I usually eat it paired with a brownie. Perhaps it’s because I eat it so often that I’m conditioned to process it that way, but I was a little sad that it was not my very favorite after all—not eaten alone anyway. 

The verdict

Glass one was Haagen Dazs Vanilla, the second glass had Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla and the third was of course Dryer’s slow Churned Vanilla Bean. While Haagen Dazs was the freshest, and my Dryers was the most flavorful, I found that Blue Bell Ice cream was indeed my favorite to eat just by itself. While I did note that it looked artificial or perhaps more concentrated than the others, it felt more comforting to me and kept me wanting more. I wanted that plain vanilla ice cream with nothing added, like I wished for the others.

My uncle has a point. And while I maintain my favorite brand, I understand now the cold, rich, creamy, simple taste of home he recalls every time he opens a new pint of Blue Bell Ice Cream.