4 ms·

The thing about ice cream is overrun. How much air is in that half gallon today vs 30 years ago? I'm sure you are buying more air today.

vel0city 2mo ago
"Ice cream" has a legal minimum density floor of 4.5lbs per gallon. It has been that way since 1958. If they're mixing more air than that per gallon, they can't legally call it "ice cream". https://www.nytimes.com/1958/03/26/archives/u-s-issues-an-ice-cream-code-calls-for-10-milk-fat-content.html https://www.nytimes.com/1958/03/26/archives/u-s-issues-an-ic... The term "ice cream" is pretty well regulated in the US. Really shows where our priorities are as Americans.
- fluoridation 2mo ago
  Why not just measure it by weight then? That's what we do here.
  - vel0city 2mo ago
    I have no clue to the history of it, but personally speaking when I'm serving myself some ice cream I'm eyeballing the volume of ice cream not measuring it on a scale. Even when I buy froyo and I literally am paying by the ounce I'm usually thinking about the size of it as I add stuff and not necessarily thinking exactly about the weight.
- sophacles 2mo ago
  And a lot of 'ice cream' tubs in the "ice cream" section of your grocery store are "frozen dairy desert" not ice cream. They are packaged like Ice Cream, flavored like Ice cream, and appear to be Ice Cream. But the words Ice Cream do not appear and instead a hard to spot "frozen dairy desert" is somewhere on the packaging.
  - vel0city 2mo ago
    If they want to make a frozen concoction of a ton of candy bars and cookies and fudge and milk and sugar and churn it all up to be nearly the consistency of chunky whipped cream I don't see any reason to not allow that to be sold as a product if we're allowing all that candy and what not anyways. I'm glad its not allowed to be labelled ice cream. And if they're making a product like that, where else would you prefer for that to be put? In between the porkchops and the steaks? Maybe between the crackers and the chips? I don't quite get where you're going with this other than to suggest they shouldn't even be allowed to make such a thing at all and sell it in stores.
    - sophacles 2mo ago
      The point is its another phenomenon similar to the shrinkflation and quiet ingredient substitution. I'm commenting on how the not-technically-human marketing creatures try to get you to think that you're buying ice cream when you're buying something else of lesser value. Particularly when its something like Breyer's light - its literally sold next to the Ice cream equivalent from Breyers and is designed to be ice cream in all but density requirements. Most people would call it ice cream and never know its designed to trick them into accepting something that is lesser quality for the same price. As to where I'm going with it - well I'm just pointing out another form of the stupid shit. I can't wait to see how you flip out when I point out all the ways that they try to trick people into believing they are buying meat.
      - vel0city 2mo ago
        > try to get you to think that you're buying ice cream when you're buying something else of lesser value. Maybe people sometimes do want the stuff loaded with fudge and candy bars and cake crumbles and whipped to nearly the consistency of whipped cream? Maybe sometimes people don't mind the tradeoff of it being whipped more so it still satisfies similar cravings and desires while being less calories per bite? I don't exactly see why its "the stupid shit" and makes people less human to concoct such things. I say let them have their fun, just make sure its actually labeled if things are "ice cream" or not, as I usually prefer the basic "ice cream". Once again, should these products just not be allowed to be sold at all? What changes to their labeling do you think are needed? Are they not allowed to actually show the product at all on the label or something? And yeah, it makes sense to stick the Breyers products next to the Breyers products. Once again where else would they put it? Wouldn't it be a bit more of PITA if the Breyers products were just kind of randomly strewn all over the place? You're seeing such negativity and bringing so much hatred for what seems to be like pretty obvious placement decisions. Ice cream like things are all around each other, similar brand products are grouped together. Are you also upset that sorbets are usually right next to the ice cream?
- xp84 2mo ago
  That's why crap companies like Dreyers mostly doesn't sell it anymore, they sell "Frozen Dairy Dessert" in fine print but with giant ice-cream-evocative words above it.
- pimlottc 2mo ago
  > The term "ice cream" is pretty well regulated in the US. Really shows where our priorities are as Americans. Most natural food products are regulated in the US [0]. Ice cream is not unique in this regard, nor is the standard is particularly onerous compared to others. It easily fits on single page [1]. 0: https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards 1: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IceCreamIngredientStandardseffectiveOctober1977.pdf https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IceCreamI...
  - vel0city 2mo ago
    I agree, and my point about "really shows where our priorities are" was meant halfway in jest. It is interesting to me though that we make such a big point to regulate even things like "ice cream" and "potato chip" with labeling regulations but then so much else of our food industry seems to be pretty open. There aren't requirements of what a "chocolate chip cookie" is, for instance. Not that I'm arguing for repealing the regulations we have currently, I do like to know the "ice cream" I'm buying meets these minimum standards.
- annoyingnoob 2mo ago
  That is the minimum. If you were making a heavier product then you could add more overrun as a form of shrinkflation, its real.
- Gormo 1mo ago
  > Really shows where our priorities are as Americans. I don't think you can discern priorities from actions unless those actions entail a manifest trade-off between mutually exclusive options, which doesn't seem to be the case here.
cucumber3732842 2mo ago
The air is necessary. A solid block doesn't scoop well with hand tools.
- annoyingnoob 1mo ago
  A solid block does not eat well either. I'm responding to the decline of ice cream products over a long time. Most of what we get now isn't even ice cream. What I make at home is technically frozen custard. https://medium.com/@dapscience/the-encrapification-of-store-bought-ice-cream-2da2d58ee0b9 https://medium.com/@dapscience/the-encrapification-of-store-...

vel0city 2mo ago

"Ice cream" has a legal minimum density floor of 4.5lbs per gallon. It has been that way since 1958. If they're mixing more air than that per gallon, they can't legally call it "ice cream". https://www.nytimes.com/1958/03/26/archives/u-s-issues-an-ice-cream-code-calls-for-10-milk-fat-content.html https://www.nytimes.com/1958/03/26/archives/u-s-issues-an-ic... The term "ice cream" is pretty well regulated in the US. Really shows where our priorities are as Americans.

fluoridation 2mo ago
Why not just measure it by weight then? That's what we do here.
- vel0city 2mo ago
  I have no clue to the history of it, but personally speaking when I'm serving myself some ice cream I'm eyeballing the volume of ice cream not measuring it on a scale. Even when I buy froyo and I literally am paying by the ounce I'm usually thinking about the size of it as I add stuff and not necessarily thinking exactly about the weight.
sophacles 2mo ago
And a lot of 'ice cream' tubs in the "ice cream" section of your grocery store are "frozen dairy desert" not ice cream. They are packaged like Ice Cream, flavored like Ice cream, and appear to be Ice Cream. But the words Ice Cream do not appear and instead a hard to spot "frozen dairy desert" is somewhere on the packaging.
- vel0city 2mo ago
  If they want to make a frozen concoction of a ton of candy bars and cookies and fudge and milk and sugar and churn it all up to be nearly the consistency of chunky whipped cream I don't see any reason to not allow that to be sold as a product if we're allowing all that candy and what not anyways. I'm glad its not allowed to be labelled ice cream. And if they're making a product like that, where else would you prefer for that to be put? In between the porkchops and the steaks? Maybe between the crackers and the chips? I don't quite get where you're going with this other than to suggest they shouldn't even be allowed to make such a thing at all and sell it in stores.
  - sophacles 2mo ago
    The point is its another phenomenon similar to the shrinkflation and quiet ingredient substitution. I'm commenting on how the not-technically-human marketing creatures try to get you to think that you're buying ice cream when you're buying something else of lesser value. Particularly when its something like Breyer's light - its literally sold next to the Ice cream equivalent from Breyers and is designed to be ice cream in all but density requirements. Most people would call it ice cream and never know its designed to trick them into accepting something that is lesser quality for the same price. As to where I'm going with it - well I'm just pointing out another form of the stupid shit. I can't wait to see how you flip out when I point out all the ways that they try to trick people into believing they are buying meat.
    - vel0city 2mo ago
      > try to get you to think that you're buying ice cream when you're buying something else of lesser value. Maybe people sometimes do want the stuff loaded with fudge and candy bars and cake crumbles and whipped to nearly the consistency of whipped cream? Maybe sometimes people don't mind the tradeoff of it being whipped more so it still satisfies similar cravings and desires while being less calories per bite? I don't exactly see why its "the stupid shit" and makes people less human to concoct such things. I say let them have their fun, just make sure its actually labeled if things are "ice cream" or not, as I usually prefer the basic "ice cream". Once again, should these products just not be allowed to be sold at all? What changes to their labeling do you think are needed? Are they not allowed to actually show the product at all on the label or something? And yeah, it makes sense to stick the Breyers products next to the Breyers products. Once again where else would they put it? Wouldn't it be a bit more of PITA if the Breyers products were just kind of randomly strewn all over the place? You're seeing such negativity and bringing so much hatred for what seems to be like pretty obvious placement decisions. Ice cream like things are all around each other, similar brand products are grouped together. Are you also upset that sorbets are usually right next to the ice cream?
xp84 2mo ago
That's why crap companies like Dreyers mostly doesn't sell it anymore, they sell "Frozen Dairy Dessert" in fine print but with giant ice-cream-evocative words above it.
pimlottc 2mo ago
> The term "ice cream" is pretty well regulated in the US. Really shows where our priorities are as Americans. Most natural food products are regulated in the US [0]. Ice cream is not unique in this regard, nor is the standard is particularly onerous compared to others. It easily fits on single page [1]. 0: https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards 1: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IceCreamIngredientStandardseffectiveOctober1977.pdf https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/IceCreamI...
- vel0city 2mo ago
  I agree, and my point about "really shows where our priorities are" was meant halfway in jest. It is interesting to me though that we make such a big point to regulate even things like "ice cream" and "potato chip" with labeling regulations but then so much else of our food industry seems to be pretty open. There aren't requirements of what a "chocolate chip cookie" is, for instance. Not that I'm arguing for repealing the regulations we have currently, I do like to know the "ice cream" I'm buying meets these minimum standards.
annoyingnoob 2mo ago
That is the minimum. If you were making a heavier product then you could add more overrun as a form of shrinkflation, its real.
Gormo 1mo ago
> Really shows where our priorities are as Americans. I don't think you can discern priorities from actions unless those actions entail a manifest trade-off between mutually exclusive options, which doesn't seem to be the case here.

cucumber3732842 2mo ago

The air is necessary. A solid block doesn't scoop well with hand tools.

annoyingnoob 1mo ago
A solid block does not eat well either. I'm responding to the decline of ice cream products over a long time. Most of what we get now isn't even ice cream. What I make at home is technically frozen custard. https://medium.com/@dapscience/the-encrapification-of-store-bought-ice-cream-2da2d58ee0b9 https://medium.com/@dapscience/the-encrapification-of-store-...