Because we don’t want you to miss out on a single, delicious bite.
There are very few treats more satisfying than a cold bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day. But excitedly uncapping your pint to find a layer of freezer burn on your chocolate chip cookie dough? Definitely a bummer.
We spoke to ice cream experts to find out the best tricks for preventing freezer burn on ice cream. Keep reading, and you can say goodbye to those flavorless crystals for good.
What is freezer burn?
Before we dive into how to prevent freezer burn, it’s essential to understand what it is. “Freezer burn happens when ice crystals form on the surface of the ice cream,” explains McKenzie Kaufmann, the senior R&D manager at The Magnum Ice Cream Company. “This is sometimes accompanied by a dry or icy texture in the ice cream near the surface.” Since it’s only on the surface, you can bypass the freezer burn by scooping and disposing of the top layer of ice cream, but who wants to waste even a bite of creamy goodness? Not us.
What causes freezer burn?
“Freezer burn is caused by a mixture of air and temperature change,” says Hayley Sykes, the R&D Manager at Alden’s Organic. “Every time your ice cream container is opened and exposed to warm air, it will melt slightly. When that melted portion refreezes, it turns into ice crystals. Over time, this cycle will dry out the ice cream and change the taste and texture.” For this reason, foods with high moisture content that you are repeatedly removing from the freezer and then putting back are most susceptible, and ice cream is at the top of the list.
How do you prevent freezer burn on ice cream?
“The best way to prevent freezer burn is eating your ice cream as quickly as possible,” says Kaufmann. That said, we understand that you won’t always polish off a pint or a quart in one sitting (no matter how badly you want to). Instead, try one of these expert-approved tricks for preventing freezer burn.
Store it in the coldest part of the freezer
“Keeping your ice cream in the coldest part of the freezer helps preserve that smooth, creamy texture longer,” Sykes says. That means tucking it way in the back, where the temperature remains the most stable, and keeping it far away from the front of a chest freezer or the door of the freezer. Bonus: This is also a smart tactic for hiding your ice cream from your spouse or kids!
Serve it quickly
“Keeping your ice cream away from open air and as cold as possible is one of the best ways to limit freezer burn,” says Kaufmann. “This means limiting the amount of time you have your ice cream out and open.” Instead of leaving ice cream on the counter to soften for a few minutes before you scoop it into a bowl, both our experts recommend running your ice cream scoop under warm water before using it, which will allow it to scoop through even the most frozen ice cream.
Cover it with parchment or wax paper
For this trick, you’ll press a piece of parchment paper or wax paper onto the top of the ice cream—taking care to cover it completely—before putting the cover on top. “This creates a barrier between the ice cream and air, which helps lock in moisture and prevent those dreaded crystals,” Sykes explains.
Put the pint in a freezer bag
If you don’t have parchment paper available, a freezer bag is another option. As long as you squeeze all the air out of the bag and make sure it’s sealed tight, Sykes says this trick can help protect the ice cream from the air exposure and temperature changes that cause freezer burn, especially if you’re opening your freezer often. But, be warned, if you leave air in the bag, it could have the opposite effect. “If your ice cream is warmed up and you have air in the bag, the air in the bag would act as insulation from your freezer, keeping your ice cream warmer for longer,” explains Kaufmann.
Flip the carton upside down
“If a little air sneaks into the container, storing it upside down helps any melted ice cream collect in the lid rather than forming crystals on top of the ice cream,” Sykes says. “It’s not foolproof, but it can help a bit.”
