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Unflavored ice cream?

albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.

9 years ago

Just wondering, I don't recall ever seeing an ice cream that did not have a flavor named on the package. Have I just overlooked it all these years?

Featured Answer

plllog

9 years ago

No. Generally when you're making a confection (i.e., adding sugar) you at least put a little vanilla in, so would call it vanilla flavored even if it were just what, in my family, we call "white ice cream". I.e., no eggs, no vanilla bean flavor, etc. Vanilla, in the 19th century, was often the "secret ingredient". In 20th C. American sweets, it became ubiquitous and every recipe for whatever kind of cake, cookie, ice cream, etc,. called for vanilla. And they invented vanilla essence or vanillin as cheaper, artificial flavors that evoked that vanilla sense.

If you think about regular (not frozen) yoghurt, you can get plain with nothing at all in it, but if you want sweetened, it has a flavor (inc. vanilla).

If you look for cheap vanilla ice cream that looks very white, that's probably going to be the closest to non-flavored you'll find. It doesn't have much vanilla. It certainly wouldn't interfere with whatever flavor you wanted to add to it.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Lars/J. Robert Scott
9 years ago
Look in the generic section.

Ice cream without any flavoring would be pretty bland, and I think most people would want to add some sort of flavoring to it, and so I expect that the demand for unflavored ice cream would be pretty low and difficult to market.

Did you have a specific use for it in mind, such as adding fruit to it?
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albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago

I was reading an article at Smithsonian.com about the history of vanilla and this question just popped into my mind.
PRO
Lars/J. Robert Scott
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Cold Stone Creamery makes a Sweet Cream Ice Cream that is probably as close to having no extra flavors as you can find. Here's how you can make it.
plllog
9 years ago
Interesting article. There are ice cream flavors without vanilla. It's the no flavoring ice cream which, if it occurs, would be someplace like Lars's reference of Cold Stone. Since they cut flavors and mix-ins into the ice cream, it makes sense that they'd start with such a simple base. Note, that in their stores, though it's possible, the ice cream isn't meant to be eaten unflavored.
donna_loomis
9 years ago
When I was a kid and even into my twenties, I couldn't believe people could like vanilla ice cream. I said it ISN'T a flavor. It's what they put flavor INTO! Now, my absolute favorite ice cream is Coldstone's Sweet Cream. Tastes do change.
PRO
Lars/J. Robert Scott
9 years ago
Vanilla is very definitely a flavor, and I make a point not to use vanilla when I make strawberry ice cream - it really detracts from the fresh strawberry flavor. I do add fresh lemon juice, however. There are variations in the flavors of vanilla, depending on the variety. Cold Stone's plain ice cream would be good with strawberries added, or other kinds of fruit. There are definitely times when I do not want vanilla in my ice cream - mostly when I add fruit.

It's been a while since I've been to Cold Stone's shop, and I cannot remember what I had there - it was in San Diego County, but they have shops all over.

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