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Food & Recipes

This Super Simple Trick Will Protect Your Ice Cream From Freezer Burn

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How many times have you decided to treat yourself to a few scoops of ice cream, only to pop open the tub and see freezer burn has spread all over your favorite flavor? It’s so common that you might just expect to always be greeted by the bitter crystals after re-opening your carton — but it turns out there’s a totally easy way to avoid the issue altogether.

The simple tip comes from the ice cream experts at Ben & Jerry’s (or “Flavor Gurus,” as they like to call themselves). They shared a few of their favorite anti-freezer burn methods in a blog post earlier this year, but one stood out as the most fool-proof option. All you need is a little bit of wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap to place under the lid of your leftover ice cream before popping it back into the freezer (Click through to see how to make other foods last well in the freezer).

This extra barrier helps protect your sweet treat from air exposure that can seep in the crevices of the lid on its own, which the company describes as “ice cream’s worst enemy.” The crystals form when that air hits the moisture of the ice cream, so keeping it from entering your tub in the first place is key. You can use the lid to roughly measure out the wax, parchment, or plastic.

Here’s what it should look like, according to their advice:

Ice cream with wax paper under lid
WomansWorld.com

Apologies to Ben and Jerry for not having their brand on-hand for the photo op, but we can confirm that our French vanilla stayed crystal-free after trying this out for ourselves.

The company offers another simple option for avoiding ice cream freezer burn: “Eat it all!” They aren’t just being silly with this suggestion, but explain that “prolonged freezer storage will slowly ruin even the best ice cream.” That doesn’t have to mean nomming an entire tub up in one sitting, but the quicker the better. Whether you decide to share your ice cream with friends or family to get that job done or tackle the tasty task all on your own is up to you.

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