Whenever I eat ice cream (store bought), I have to work really hard to get it into my bowl. It always freezes when I put it in the freezer and makes it very tiresome to scoop. What are some good ways to store ice cream, so it doesn't freeze and is easy to scoop? Note: I'm not asking what to do when the ice cream is frozen, just how to make sure it doesn't get frozen. Also, I have ice cream at about the same time every night (I'm an addict), so it would need to be stored for about 24 hours, and I think that a refrigerator would cause it to melt after that long.
asked Mar 1, 2015 at 20:28
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2Is it homemade or do you buy it? I’m asking because if ice cream has too much water and not that much fat it becomes rock solid. So either buy better quality ice cream or if you are making it put more milk. Also you can set fridge thermometer on a higher temperature, but that is the worst solution..– python starterMar 1, 2015 at 21:17
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4 Answers
There seems to be a way to achieve this without having to place the ice cream on the counter to defrost for a few minutes. You can place the ice cream container into a zip lock bag and then place it in the freezer like below:
And it should be as soft as the first time you bought it !
If that doesn't float your boat, you could cut the ice cream into smaller blocks with a knife.
The reason the ice cream goes hard is because:
robbing your ice cream of its creaminess. crystals trapped inside melt. This is fine if you plan to eat your ice cream right away, but when you re-freeze partially-melted ice cream, those ice crystals re-form—but this time they're bigger and crunchier, robbing your ice cream of its creaminess.
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I don't understand the underlying reason. Would you mind elaborating? What changes between putting the ice cream tub straight into the freezer with or without the zip lock bag? If the crystals refreeze, wouldn't they do that either way? (Not rhetorical - I'm asking because I'd like to know.)– LawrenceAug 2, 2018 at 15:32
To get softer ice cream, it can't be as cold. It must be just slightly past the point of freezing and no more. You can raise the temperature slightly in the freezer, but that won't do much since freezers are made to freeze. Sometimes there's a cold spot in the refrigerator where stuff freezes. You can lower the temperature in the refrigerator to possibly take advantage of that and store the ice cream there instead.
If you eat that much ice cream, consider getting a small freezer just for the ice cream, cheap. Check used appliances for sale.
answered Mar 1, 2015 at 21:18
Dip the scoop in warm water and then scoop the ice cream.For next scoop do the same thing. By doing this the ice cream doesn't stick to scoop.
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Though this is an answer to a question, it is not an answer to my question. I asked how to store ice cream, you answered what to do when it is frozen. Mar 2, 2015 at 13:33
I've had this same question myself and recently discovered that putting the ice cream in the part of the freezer that is furthest from where the cold air enters the freezer can make scooping significantly easier. For example, I have a side-by-side refrigerator and putting the ice cream at the bottom of the freezer helps a lot:
answered Jul 31, 2018 at 12:41
