best ice cream for the money?

[Prairie Gal]

Ben & Jerry's "The Tonight Dough" is my current fave. And the higher price means I don't eat much of it.

[slackmax]

Interesting to see Tillamook here.  I just noticed it for the first time at a local store in Pa. It was on sale for $1.99  for a 1.75 quart container. It's claim to fame is "smooth and creamy" I think. I like it, and it is thick and gooey. It's nice for a change. And the price is right. I wonder what it usually goes for.

I like that it is in a "big" container, 1.75 qts.  Used to be all ice cream was in 2 quart containers, which is how it ought to be, lol.

It has  guar gum and tara gum.   But No high fructose corn sugar, which is the bad thing, right? 

I got the chocolate mint   and the vanilla bean.  The vanilla has a great vanilla taste. The mint flavor is pretty weak for some reason. But OK.

Do you still have the container around?  My Tillamook was 1.5 quarts and thats what I see on their website.  If you had the bigger size, I wonder if they were clearing out inventory (hence the low sales price) to make way for the new smaller size.

OK, I went to the freezer and checked.  1.75 quarts.  I currently have 6 of these containers in my freezer. I have bought about a dozen since the sale started a month ago. 

They keep extending the sale!  And it's always 1.75 quarts. Never seen a 1.5 quart container of Tillamook there.   

My faves are the cookies and cream,  and the vanilla bean.

Thank you Tillamook ! (or the store, or both)

[youngwildandfree]

We usually add our own berries/chocolate/etc to the Kirkland vanilla. Everything else tastes fake and gross. But...this thread is inspiring me to try out the homemade option. I have a professional KitchenAid that was recently gifted to me...just need to find an ice cream attachment.

[Mr. Green]

We just had a new one that's probably a contender for my Top 3. Umpqua, based out of Roseburg, OR. Very near Tillamook. Seems to have very limited distribution. We saw it in the Portland, OR area but now we're in Olympia, WA and don't see it. Their flavors are very neat, what I would call slightly adventurous without going too far, which is fantastic for someone like me who has had most normal flavors of most big brands. If you're in the Portland area it's worth looking for it!

[Sugaree]

We usually add our own berries/chocolate/etc to the Kirkland vanilla. Everything else tastes fake and gross. But...this thread is inspiring me to try out the homemade option. I have a professional KitchenAid that was recently gifted to me...just need to find an ice cream attachment.

I've had good luck finding different attachments on FB marketplace.  People (myself included) overestimate how often they'll use certain attachments.  If you go that route, make sure the bowl isn't leaking the blue inner liquid.  There was a certain run of those that had a problem after they were frozen/thawed a couple of times.  I got mine as a "free gift" with the purchase of mine several years ago.  I think I had to send in proof-of-purchase and a form and eventually it showed up in the mail.  It's pretty cool, but I might only use it a couple of times a year.  We did find out recently that it will make a decent Coke slushie.

[Ladychips]

We usually add our own berries/chocolate/etc to the Kirkland vanilla. Everything else tastes fake and gross. But...this thread is inspiring me to try out the homemade option. I have a professional KitchenAid that was recently gifted to me...just need to find an ice cream attachment.

I've had good luck finding different attachments on FB marketplace.  People (myself included) overestimate how often they'll use certain attachments.  If you go that route, make sure the bowl isn't leaking the blue inner liquid.  There was a certain run of those that had a problem after they were frozen/thawed a couple of times.  I got mine as a "free gift" with the purchase of mine several years ago.  I think I had to send in proof-of-purchase and a form and eventually it showed up in the mail.  It's pretty cool, but I might only use it a couple of times a year.  We did find out recently that it will make a decent Coke slushie.

Sorry for taking the thread off track, but @youngwildandfree could you please talk more about the coke slushies?

[Sugaree]

We usually add our own berries/chocolate/etc to the Kirkland vanilla. Everything else tastes fake and gross. But...this thread is inspiring me to try out the homemade option. I have a professional KitchenAid that was recently gifted to me...just need to find an ice cream attachment.

I've had good luck finding different attachments on FB marketplace.  People (myself included) overestimate how often they'll use certain attachments.  If you go that route, make sure the bowl isn't leaking the blue inner liquid.  There was a certain run of those that had a problem after they were frozen/thawed a couple of times.  I got mine as a "free gift" with the purchase of mine several years ago.  I think I had to send in proof-of-purchase and a form and eventually it showed up in the mail.  It's pretty cool, but I might only use it a couple of times a year.  We did find out recently that it will make a decent Coke slushie.

Sorry for taking the thread off track, but @youngwildandfree could you please talk more about the coke slushies?

We just added a couple of cans of chilled Coke to the ice cream maker attachment of the mixer and ran it for about 20 minutes.  It tasted almost like what you used to be able to get at K-Mart.  The flavor is just a little diluted because of the iciness.  I suspect that K-Mart used to run a slightly more concentrated mix through their machines. 

[Ladychips]

We usually add our own berries/chocolate/etc to the Kirkland vanilla. Everything else tastes fake and gross. But...this thread is inspiring me to try out the homemade option. I have a professional KitchenAid that was recently gifted to me...just need to find an ice cream attachment.

I've had good luck finding different attachments on FB marketplace.  People (myself included) overestimate how often they'll use certain attachments.  If you go that route, make sure the bowl isn't leaking the blue inner liquid.  There was a certain run of those that had a problem after they were frozen/thawed a couple of times.  I got mine as a "free gift" with the purchase of mine several years ago.  I think I had to send in proof-of-purchase and a form and eventually it showed up in the mail.  It's pretty cool, but I might only use it a couple of times a year.  We did find out recently that it will make a decent Coke slushie.

Sorry for taking the thread off track, but @youngwildandfree could you please talk more about the coke slushies?

We just added a couple of cans of chilled Coke to the ice cream maker attachment of the mixer and ran it for about 20 minutes.  It tasted almost like what you used to be able to get at K-Mart.  The flavor is just a little diluted because of the iciness.  I suspect that K-Mart used to run a slightly more concentrated mix through their machines.

Hmm, now I need to look for that ice cream attachment.  Thanks for the info!!

[clarkfan1979]

Costco’s Kirkland brand vanilla is great quality for the price. Once we tried it, we quit buying premium pints like Talenti. We add our own fruits or flavors. With peppermint schnapps and some chocolate shavings, yum!

This is technically the correct answer for best premium ice cream for the money in 2016 according to Consumer Reports. We use Costco Kirkland brand as a foundation and add in our own fruits, nuts and sauces.

I created my own dreamsickle milkshake. Vanilla ice cream, whole milk, mango and orange juice. If you really want to go for it, you can add a scoop of protein powder to make it taste chaulky, like you are biting the stick.

[nereo]

Anyone tried ‘Nick’s’ ?  I can’t find it in any of the stores near me but the flavor combinations sound awesome to me.

[uniwelder]

Costco’s Kirkland brand vanilla is great quality for the price. Once we tried it, we quit buying premium pints like Talenti. We add our own fruits or flavors. With peppermint schnapps and some chocolate shavings, yum!

This is technically the correct answer for best premium ice cream for the money in 2016 according to Consumer Reports. We use Costco Kirkland brand as a foundation and add in our own fruits, nuts and sauces.

I can't access the consumer reports ratings.  What other brands were on their list?  Was Aldi tested?  There is no Costco near me, so I've never tried theirs.

[Extramedium]

Costco’s Kirkland brand vanilla is great quality for the price. Once we tried it, we quit buying premium pints like Talenti. We add our own fruits or flavors. With peppermint schnapps and some chocolate shavings, yum!

We buy this with some regularity since reading about how good it is from America's Test Kitchen.  I'd have to agree.

[uniwelder]

Long time update from OP---

2 1/2 years later, and I'm currently eating some Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream.  It was on sale for $2.50 per 14 oz container, so I felt compelled to splurge.  It is the most equivalent to my beloved Aldi super premium that I've tasted so far, though even with this super sale, still comes out 40% more expensive.  My criteria for 'good' ice cream generally means 1) flavor/texture, 2) no gums or stabilizers, 3) minimal whipped in air, and 4) full fat.  I'm almost tempted to buy some more and do a blind side by side taste test with friends.  As my memory is, I don't think anyone will distinguish the difference.

There have been numerous votes for Costco vanilla, but the closest one is 2 hours away.  I'm curious to one day try it out.

edited to add-- Its funny to look back on this thread.  The particular ice cream I keep talking about used to cost $4 per 1.5 quarts, but now is usually $6.  That's an average annual inflation rate of 18%!

[reeshau]

edited to add-- Its funny to look back on this thread.  The particular ice cream I keep talking about used to cost $4 per 1.5 quarts, but now is usually $6.  That's an average annual inflation rate of 18%!

It also was probably 1.75 quarts.  Ice Cream is an egregious example of shrinkflation, because of price sensitivity.

I give Blue Bell credit for keeping the 2 quart standard size.  But now they are over $8.00.

[uniwelder]

edited to add-- Its funny to look back on this thread.  The particular ice cream I keep talking about used to cost $4 per 1.5 quarts, but now is usually $6.  That's an average annual inflation rate of 18%!

It also was probably 1.75 quarts.  Ice Cream is an egregious example of shrinkflation, because of price sensitivity.

I give Blue Bell credit for keeping the 2 quart standard size.  But now they are over $8.00.

Unfortunately, it was already 1.5 quarts when I started this thread. Within a decade, when ice cream shrinks even more, stores will offer a 2.5 quart family size, which will then eventually shrink down to the original 2 quart. $6 is still a bargain, considering the equivalent alternatives.

[Verdure]

Ice cream is my favorite treat. I always search out top rated local ice cream places when I travel and love to try local supermarket brands as well. I agree that Aldi premium ice creams are exceptional for the price. I have never tried the Costco vanilla, and I shop there regularly. I will have to check that out!

I love homemade ice cream, and my Dad makes it all the time. Definitely a good value, but for me the time investment is more expensive as a FT worker bee than for my retired Dad. And I don’t use that much milk and cream for other things, so I’d have to make a few batches at once to use it up, which would be a lot of ice cream in my smallish freezer. (Might have the same problem with the Costco ice cream)

My favorite ice cream available in supermarkets here in the lower Midwest is Graeters,  and that’s what I buy for special occasions. It’s pricy, but decadent. An affordable luxury.

[Just Joe]

For price: Aldi's ice cream

For everything else: Mayfield Dairy Farms and Kay's Kastle

Runner-up if on sale: Breyer's and Turkey Hill

[jinga nation]

We like the homemade helado from a local Mexican place. Creamier and denser than any commercial brand we've tried, cheap and supports a small business.

Hell yeah! High five!
There's a local neveria y paleteria that makes fantastic paletas and helados. Especially the traditional flavors (mainstream flavors are just OK).
There's a vanilla tequila popsicle, mango & chamoy, mint cucumber, dragonfruit paletas, mexican hot chocolate ice cream... every time I go I feel like a kid in there. I think I might be embarrassing my kids but who cares, I'm paying!

[nereo]

Today it’s unquestionably Ben & Jerry’s for us.

[GilesMM]

Tillamook by a wide margin.  And it is often on sale here 2 for $3.99 or something.  We like the vanilla bean.  We have to keep it in stock in order to get the dog to eat her medicine once a month.