Confessions of a Novelty Ice Cream Fiend

[phaelon56]

My first "on-the-books" job was at age 15, working in a Carvel store. I quickly became the "Flying Saucer King". I made them so well and so fast that the owner assigned that duty exclusively to me (I thought I was pretty hot shit for that accomplishment). I made, literally, thousands of Flying Saucers and still enjoy them to this day.

[jschyun]

I like Fudgsicles. Please, no jokes.

I haven't had an It's It for a long time. I like them but I don't get the frenzy. I mean, it's just an ice cream sandwich, with two lusciously thick cookies surrounding a real ice cream filling... I mean, you guys on the East Coast have lots of those, right?

[Carolyn Tillie]

p.s. - Please note the WHOLE BOX of It's-It!!!

With respect... YOU SUCK!

Occasionally, yes.

But mostly I lick!

[jschyun]

Non-gettable except on the Asian rim: MELONA BARS!!!

You mean the light green melon bars? These are available at any Korean grocer. I know you can get them in NJ.

Also, I love those mochi ice creams. ball of ice cream surrounded by mochi. I like mango, green tea. You can get them cheap at Trader Joes.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Also, I love those mochi ice creams. ball of ice cream surrounded by mochi. I like mango, green tea. You can get them cheap at Trader Joes.

I just bought some of those for the first time for a Japanese dinner party I had and was surprisingly impressed! I've only had the Mango and Green Tea but will be trying the Strawberry and Chocolate soon. Yes, very cheap at TJs.

So far, Green Tea is the favorite.

[FistFullaRoux]

I should also point out that I have a thing for ice cream sandwiches, preferably the cheapest ones you can find (usually a store brand). There's something about the fake vanilla ice cream - wilted chococlate cookie combo that's very enticing.

The thing about an ice cream sandwich is, it goes through two stages during it's lifetime.

When you catch them really fresh from the factory, the cookie wafer is actually quite crisp.

As they age a bit, some of the moisture from the ice cream type substance gets into the wafer, making it the soft, almost gooey consistency.

I like both.

[patti]

EEK, I hit post instead of preview. I see I don't really know how to put a quote in a box around another quote. Sorry.

First, if you like the orange things with the vanilla goo in the middle-listen up! Winn Dixie Store Brand "Orange Things with the Vanilla Goo in the Middle" confections are excellent. At least as good as Dreamsicles. I really like the way the orange part is kind of thin and crunchy (once again, I bite ) and you get a nice mix of flavors with every toothy grab.

Now, for the quote thing.

See that box on the top-right of every post. Click it.

Then go through and delete everything not needed. THe remaining items will be in quotes with a time stamp and a name.

Simple, no?

Yes, yes! My sincere thanks. Now, let's see if I have the discipline NOT to rush out to Winn Dixie for an orange thing with the vanilla goo in the middle.

[Carolyn Tillie]

BTW, speaking of It's It -- did you guys outside of California realize they make different flavors? Living in SoCal, I had only ever had the vanilla, but now that I live in NoCal, I have discovered they are also filled with Chocolate and Coffee ice creams! No kidding!

Also, before I moved into Napa, I lived in Suisun which is a culinary wasteland that can only boast its proximity to the Jelly Belly factor and a Beer Manufacturer. But tucked into the corner of downtown Suisun is the factory that produces the COOKIES for It's It! That is all they do -- they then send the cookies to another locale for assembly with the ice cream, but when driving through downtown (a whopping mile-long stretch!), one could SMELL the aroma of the baked cookies wafting through the air.

[jschyun]

Living in SoCal, I had only ever had the vanilla, but now that I live in NoCal, I have discovered they are also filled with Chocolate and Coffee ice creams! No kidding!

Actually, when I was in school in SoCal, they sold It's It's in the cafeteria for I think 75 cents? or was it a dollar. Anyhow, they had several flavors and my fave is that mint chocolate one. Geez, it's been a while.

[jhlurie]

I should also point out that I have a thing for ice cream sandwiches, preferably the cheapest ones you can find (usually a store brand).  There's something about the fake vanilla ice cream -  wilted chococlate cookie combo that's very enticing.

The thing about an ice cream sandwich is, it goes through two stages during it's lifetime.

When you catch them really fresh from the factory, the cookie wafer is actually quite crisp.

As they age a bit, some of the moisture from the ice cream type substance gets into the wafer, making it the soft, almost gooey consistency.

I like both.

Somewhere there must be a government grant to study this vital phenomenon.

[lia]

Just bought a box of Otter Pops last week at Rite Aid, and i'd never heard of them before, only knew of Flav-r-Ice (or some such spelling.)

Speaking of Flying Saucers, has anyone here tried the low fat lookalike brand? I think the brand name is Silhouette, dunno, definitely something with an S. I'm intrigued, but not enough to buy a carton.

[Mayhaw Man]

Any of you ever had any of the fine Skinny Cow family of products? My Mom eats these things and they really aren't bad, at least they are cold and the cookie part is pretty good. Being lo cal, the mouth feel is kinda wierd (non existant), but other than that not bad for those cutting down on white sugar and corn syrup (a group I am happily not a member of).

[wnissen]

Any of you ever had any of the fine Skinny Cow family of products?

Yup, back on page 2. I actually think they taste pretty good, decently creamy, if not like real ice cream. They're also a satisfying portion. I really like it when Wal-Mart gets in a fresh shipment, and the cookie is actually crispy. What can I say, I like the young cookies!

Walt

[phaelon56]

I'm a biter... all the way. Can't help myself.

Jason - I noticed the Luigi's Italian Ice in hte freezer. What do you thinik sabout the texture change they introduced a couple years ago? I was not pleased - the Luigi's now have a smoother less crystalline texture that just doesn't seem right for an Italian Ice.

[Jason Perlow]

I'm a biter...  all the way. Can't help myself.

Jason -  I noticed the Luigi's Italian Ice in hte freezer. What do you thinik sabout the texture change they introduced a couple years ago?  I was not pleased - the Luigi's now have a smoother less crystalline texture that just doesn't seem right for an Italian Ice.

Yeah, I noticed that myself. I prefer a bit more icyness to an Italian Ice.

What I really like are the Marino's ices, but I can't seem to find any around here.

http://www.marinositalianices.com/

[phaelon56]

I used to buy an alternate brand with the right icy textureat the Shop-Rite in Lyndhurst but if memory serves correctly, they had a woman's name as the brand. Luigi's still had better flavor. There's also an Italian Ice shop on the left on the main drag in Lyndhurst as you're heading south on Rte 17. Can't recall the name but it's just past the train station - never did get a chance to try it when I was living there.

[bloviatrix]

I'm a biter...  all the way. Can't help myself.

Jason -  I noticed the Luigi's Italian Ice in hte freezer. What do you thinik sabout the texture change they introduced a couple years ago?  I was not pleased - the Luigi's now have a smoother less crystalline texture that just doesn't seem right for an Italian Ice.

Yeah, I noticed that myself. I prefer a bit more icyness to an Italian Ice.

What I really like are the Marino's ices, but I can't seem to find any around here.

http://www.marinositalianices.com/

I used to love those things!! Somehow the wooden spoon made them taste even better -- perhaps because of all the work you needed to put into enjoying them

I see they have them through Fresh Direct. Plus, I'm pretty sure I've seen them in Food Emporium. Why not pack a cooler the next time you drive into the city and pick some up?

[jschyun]

I am very, very envious of your IT'S-IT cache. Our full range of Klondikes currently in the freezer (Klondike, Chocolate Klondike, Dark Chocolate Klondike, Klondike Crunch, Klondike Heath, Neapolitan Klondike and Klondike Hershey with Almond) does not even compare.

No, but you've got Luigi's Italian Ice... The closest thing I can get are those Dole fruit pop things and it doesn't even come close.

Actually, I think you might be able to get Luigi's ice where you are. I know we usecd to get them here in crappy-ass Irvine, at the Italian market, before it got turned into some dance studio. It's been a while, but I think it was the lemon that I liked so much. Or was it strawberry? I should stop by Claro's and find out if they have any.

I'd be really surprised if you couldn't get it in Napa or surrounding areas.

[jschyun]

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

Hey Jason,

In your freezer pic, I just noticed something. There are these skinny white tubes between your Klondike Original bars and your Klondike Krunch. Are the tubes of frozen goodness, where you lop off the top and then work the icy, yet not frozen solid contents straight into mouth?

I remember and love those! I've never seen only white before. What flavor is that? I'm used to getting a pack of those with an array of colors and throwing them into the freezer.

Hmm, time to go shopping.

[Jason Perlow]

Thats lychee flavor, and I havent figured out a way to eat them correctly yet. I bought them from an asian supermarket and they came with no instructions.

[jschyun]

Thats lychee flavor, and I havent figured out a way to eat them correctly yet. I bought them from an asian supermarket and they came with no instructions.

There are several ways that I would eat them. When I was a kid, I would twist off that narrow little cap and then work the, uh, inner icy "pulp" with my grubby 10 year old fingers until it was sufficiently slushy enough to get through the little opening.

Now that I'm an adult, I simply slice of the narrow end with a sharp knife, creating an opening about say 2/3" wide and squeeze the icy stuff out, like you do an otter pop. it sometimes helps to palpate the frozen treat before slicing off an end, esp if it's too frozen. So basically an otter pop, just a different shape, and the ice inside is not as icy, but a smoother grained texture, at least the ones I've had.

I've seen people cut it up into little 1 " cylinders but that takes all the fun out of it.

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

My current favorites are Philly Swirl Stix, Jello Pudding Pops, and Mochi Ice Cream. I really miss kintoki though, which is a Japanese thing were they serve sweet red beans on a bed of shaved ice. Yum!

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from SF Gate on frozen fruit bars

At their best, frozen fruit bars are like sorbet on a stick. On a hot summer day, they deliver a wallop of fresh fruity goodness, just the right sweet hit and a chilly thrill as they melt in your mouth. And, they're relatively guilt free, with about 70 to 80 calories apiece. Frozen fruit bars come in all the bright flavors and colors of summer. We settled on strawberry because most major brands offer that flavor. All eight we tasted contained real strawberries.

I love these things and particularly when I don't want the creaminess of an ice cream novelty ... sorbet on a stick? whatta concept!

the chart on the top choices

Edited July 21, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Rachel Perlow]

from that article:

Also tasted but unranked were Breyers, Private Selection, Trader Joe's, Fruitfull and FrutStix.

What, no FrozFruit? And I don't understand a strawberry fruit bar being described as creamy?

Note, that on the east coast of the US, the top rated Dreyers, is known as Edy's.

[Jason Perlow]

from that article:

Also tasted but unranked were Breyers, Private Selection, Trader Joe's, Fruitfull and FrutStix.

What, no FrozFruit? And I don't understand a strawberry fruit bar being described as creamy?

Note, that on the east coast of the US, the top rated Dreyers, is known as Edy's.

Yeah, Frozfruit is THE premium frozen fruit bar on the east coast. Hard to beleive its not avalaible in San Francisco, but its possible.