Snack Review: Breyer’s Peach Ice Cream
Sometimes I kind of wonder who eats Breyer’s ice cream anymore. When I was kid, it was pretty much the only brand in town. But how can they even stay in business against Ben and Jerry’s and all those other dense high-fat brands with the crazy flavors?
Well, someone must buy it, because it’s still around, although the familiar rectangular boxes have shrunk from half-gallon to 1.5 quarts (without any decrease in price, as with a lot of products, someone was reporting on the radio lately).
It’s summer, peaches are in season, and I had a wicked craving for peach ice cream. Not “peach cobbler” or “peach melba” oh, please, don’t get me started on what is wrong with America that we think that if one ingredient is good then fifteen toppings on a pizza simultaneously must be better. I wanted just the heavenly combination of two perfect simple tastes that is ripe peaches and cream, which truly must be the flavor they eat in any decent afterlife that might exist.
My local handmade ice cream shop let me down, so I headed for the largest local supermarket, where I was reminded that the crazy fancy flavors are driving the old fashioned simple ones out of existence. Vanilla fudge swirl might actually be extinct, and as far as peach, Breyer’s was the only option. I bought what was the second to last package, proving that somewhere out there, there are others like me who still appreciate the perfect, simple things in life. It’s some small comfort.
So… it’s OK. It’s nice to have something lighter for a change, so the lower-fat/more-airy thing was OK. The peachiness, though… It doesn’t taste like actual peaches so much as ‘peach flavor’ from a bottle, which also seems to have the effect of overwhelming any creamy-dairy flavor element.
I don’t think I’ll have trouble finishing this, though – hey, what’s only 1.5 quarts? - especially now that I’ve remembered I have a squirty can of whipped cream in the fridge to add some creamy dairy goodness. So there’s no comparison to the Chocolate Éclair debacle. Still, a bit disappointing.
By the way, Breyer’s is not immune to the fancy flavor trend: they had one called Fried Ice Cream. I am intrigued, but more the way you’re intrigued by an accident on the side of the highway. I’m going to leave it to someone else to try that one.
5 Comments
Candy Addict » Snackerrific Weekly Roundup on September 4th, 2008
[...] Breyer’s Peach Ice Cream [...]
Snackerrific :: » Snack Review: Breyers Vanilla Fudge Brownie Ice Cream on October 23rd, 2008
[...] Days and yelling at those new-fangled ice cream flavors to get off of my lawn. I even wrote in my peach ice cream article about my fear that one of my favorite old flavors, vanilla fudge twirl, might be [...]
Dubba on March 20th, 2009
I love Breyers, they better never go away. I think their commitment to all natural (in most of their lines) will help with their long term plans. Maybe I’m just biased from growing up with Breyers as well, but there’s always Breyers in our freezer.
oh sorry, anyway, I actually enjoyed this flavor. I won’t be rushing out to buy it, but I did appreciate the fruit to cream ratio, it felt very middle of the road for me (which is what I wanted).
Barnaby on January 10th, 2010
I LOVE this ice cream. The peach tastes very real, and it is in fact natural flavors. I find Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen Dazs like eating a bar of lard and I appreciate the lightness and creaminess of this. And it’s remarkable how regular Breyer’s has less fat than “low-fat” Haagen Dazs. When I eat Breyer’s I feel like I am eating something real and rewarding but not decadent and life-threatening.
Kacey on August 23rd, 2008
I still eat Breyers ice cream! I actually prefer Breyers over any other brand. Their vanilla fudge brownie is the best flavor ever!