Although it?s cold, ice cream is one of America?s hottest treats today. With a huge variety of flavors and textures that appeal to everyone; from classic, old vanilla and chocolate, to new inventions like Phish Food and Dippin? Dots, it?s no wonder Americans spend 4 billion dollars a year on ice cream products. We know that flavor is an important contribution to a person?s fondness for ice cream, but could the brand of ice cream also be a factor?
In the ice cream industry, the biggest names seem to come from a mixture of brands, such as Breyer?s; and ice cream shop chains, like Baskin – Robbins. Surprisingly, the favorite flavors among most people in America seem to be the oldest and simplest flavors as well. This includes vanilla, then chocolate, with Butter Pecan, Strawberry, Neapolitan, and Chocolate Chip following close behind.
For testing an edible product such as ice cream, the best thing to look for would probably be its taste. The ice cream with the best flavor and texture would most likely win for this category. But there are other factors that can be tested for finding the best ice cream as well.
A survey was conducted in Mr. Kandell?s fifth period Beginning Journalism class to test which brand of cookie dough ice cream is the ?best?. Factors for determining the ?best? brand included the flavor and texture (on a scale of one to five), the price of the ice cream, and its nutrition facts (amount of sugar, fat and calories).
The class tested seven different brands of cookie dough ice cream; Coldstone Creamery, Haagen Dazs, Dreyer?s Grand Slow Churned Rich and Creamy (less calories and fat), Dreyer?s Grand, Ben & Jerry?s, Baskin-Robbins, and Safeway Select Premium Quality. The products that stood out in taste were the brands that had a creamy, rich flavor and smooth, thick texture. The products that stood out in price cost very little. In this test, the prices were found per pint of ice cream for each brand. The nutrition of the ice cream also contributed to the product?s final rating. Most people look for a brand with fewer calories, fat, and sugar. The healthier, cheaper, and tastier, the better.
Although this test wasn?t very scientific, it was probably more accurate than if there was scientific testing involved as there isn?t much science to eating ice cream. Other factors that could have been tested would be the length of time each ice cream can sit out before completely melting, how easy it is to scoop out of its container, or possibly it?s accessibility in a store or supermarket.  However, we did not test these particular factors.
After the testing, the prices and nutrition facts were recorded and the rating of the ice creams flavor and texture were calculated to find an average score. The class found that the ice cream brand with the best flavor as well as texture was Dreyer?s Grand, which was awarded 3.9 points out of 5 in both categories. The runner up for taste was Baskin-Robbins with 3.7 points in each category. The worst tasting brand was Coldstone, receiving about 2 points for its flavor and texture. As for each brand?s healthfulness, the best choice was Dreyer?s Grand Slow Churned Rich and Creamy, which has half the fat and calories as regular Dreyer?s Grand. The least healthy brand was Haagen Dazs, having the highest number in calories, fat, and sugar. In the pricing of these brands, Safeway Select cost the least, while Coldstone cost more than seven times that amount.
 Based on the results from this test, the class came to the agreement that Dreyer?s Grand is the best brand of cookie dough ice cream. It has the best taste, and its pricing and nutrition facts were reasonable. The class unanimously voted Coldstone to be the worst brand of cookie dough ice cream, having the worst taste and costing the most by a landslide. Hopefully from this test, one can gather from the information stated which would be the best brands to buy and enjoy.