5 Ice Cream Hacks That You’ll Be Shocked You Didn’t Know

Only one treat can really satisfy our sweet tooth and help us cool down when the summer temps start to rise. You guessed it: ice cream! Although it’s obviously great right out of the tub, there are some clever hacks out there that can help us enjoy the deliciousness even more. Yes, that is possible! 

We recommend trying each of the tricks and tips listed below with Breyers^® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream (Buy at Walmart, $3.88). It’s the number one ice cream choice in the US for a reason! Fans rave about its creamy texture and rich flavor with just the right amount of sweetness. And as the name suggests, you won’t find a bunch of additives included in their recipe. The brand keeps things simple with 100 percent grade A milk, real sugar, and fresh cream. 

One happy customer described it as “a great vanilla ice cream to have in your freezer at all times.” We can’t argue with that! Another reviewer emphasized, “Nothing about Breyers^® Natural Vanilla tastes artificial. Not overly sweetened, it leaves a fresh, clean feeling on your tongue that will have you wanting more.” Did anyone else’s taste buds just start tingling?

Take a look at how you can eat up even more of that ice cream goodness with a few easy hacks.

Make scooping a breeze.

Although customers write that Breyers^® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream “scoops easily from the first to the very last,” it still might get frosty hanging out in super chilly freezers — and no one wants to struggle with a frozen block of ice cream when they feel an urge for a scoop or two. Sure, we all know you can let it sit on the counter for about 10 to 15 minutes… but sometimes the idea of waiting that long can feel like torture. 

Luckily, the experts at Cook’s Illustrated say it’s totally fine to pop the carton in your microwave at 50 percent power for 50 second increments until it’s softened enough to easily slide your scoop or spoon through. 

If the microwave is not your thing, you can simply run a knife under hot water and cut roughly one inch deep slits into the ice cream in a checkerboard pattern before you scoop it. This should make getting it out much easier (and don’t forget to run that ice cream scooper under hot water first, too!).

To avoid hard ice cream in the first place, you can store your container in a plastic bag with all the air sucked out. Preventing your ice cream from coming in contact with air will make it soft right out of the carton. 

Keep cones from leaking with a sugary stopper.

Mini marshmallows aren’t just tasty toppers for sundaes! Adding one to the bottom of an ice cream cone will keep the melted ice cream from seeping through the bottom. 

Of course, you’ll still have to make sure you eat the scoops on top fast enough to stop that from melting too quickly — but that’s the fun challenge at almost every ice cream feast. Plus, you’ll have a sweet marshmallow surprise when you finish eating the cone! 

Flip things around to prevent freezer burn.

Tired of opening up your tub of ice cream and seeing tiny, bitter crystals have formed at the top? Although reviews claim Breyers^® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream hardly ever has this problem, you can make sure of it by simply storing the carton upside down. 

Real Simple explains that this works by allowing any partially melted remnants at the top to drip to the lid instead of evaporating on top and creating those crystals in the first place. Don’t worry about it creating a mountain of ice cream on the lid, either — it will freeze before too many drips can gather up.

Turn regular ice cream into soft serve.

The experts at Delish call this “cheater’s soft serve,” but we promise it will taste like a fully-earned A+ dessert. You’ll need three cups of your ice cream, a tablespoon of powdered sugar, and half a cup of heavy cream. 

Use an electric mixer to beat the ice cream until medium peaks form, then add the sugar and continue mixing for about 30 seconds. After that, stir in the heavy cream and then pour the mixture in a resealable bag and freeze until it firms up (at least three to four hours). When you’re ready to eat, take the bag out and knead it for about a minute until it feels softened up. Clip the tip of the bag and use it to form your own twisty soft serve ice cream. Could be perfect for a kid’s birthday party or if you’re just feeling nostalgic for your chasing the ice cream truck days. 

Get more out of that almost-empty jar of peanut butter.

Or Nutella, or jelly, any other nearly empty jar of stuff that would taste great with some ice cream! Instead of scraping away at the remnants alone, add spoonfuls of ice cream to it and let that help you get the tasty bits out as a dessert. 

On top of being absolutely scrumptious, the ice cream will loosen up whatever’s sticking to the sides so you know you’re getting the most noms out of every jar. The rich flavor of Breyers^® Natural Vanilla Ice Cream — which reviewers say tastes like it’s homemade and is the best on the market — will also bring out even more yumminess. It also pairs great with fresh fruit, nuts, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, or other toppings you can add for a delightful mini sundae that won’t dirty up a bowl!

Of all the reviews we’ve mentioned, our favorite comes from one woman who wrote, “I must say that this ice cream tastes just how it did when I was a little girl sharing a bowl with my grandfather.” You just can’t beat that on top of the amazing flavor, the company’s timeless recipe can let us all take a tasty walk down memory lane every time with every bite. 

This article is sponsored by Breyers^®.