December 11, 2007We all scream...
During the winter, do we really all scream for ice cream? Or do we scream because it's freezing cold outside and the thought of eating something frozen makes our hair stand on end? This is the very serious question that I pondered for tomorrow's Front Burner column. The topic might seem a little out of season, but I truly wondered how so many ice cream parlors in the Roanoke area manage to stay open all year long. As it turns out, a lot of people crave ice cream almost as much during the winter as they do during the summer. And it doesn't hurt that you can find some tantalizing and sinful holiday-themed treats this time of year. Take, for example, the yule log ice cream cake at MaggieMoo's. Or the gingerbread cake at Pop's, which is topped with eggnog ice cream and caramel/cranberry sauces. Mmmmm! Truth is, this is the one time of year when ice cream gets downright seasonal. Peach or strawberry can be found all year 'round, but you just can't say the same for peppermint, eggnog or pumpkin. I noticed the other day that Homestead Creamery has also released its holiday flavors, which include apple pie. I only discussed ice cream parlors in my column, but Homestead makes some delicious, high-quality ice cream as well. So what's your opinion about ice cream in the winter? Love it or hate it? |
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Comments
[December 11, 2007 5:30 PM]
JohnHomestead's apple pie flavor has looooooong been a favorite of mine. Its appearance made the disappearance of lemon crunch more palatable.
I don't think I'm ever too cold for ice cream -- and if I find myself in a situation where I am, I'll just turn up the heater.
[December 11, 2007 5:47 PM]
JulieLove it!! You can actually sit outside on many days and enjoy the ice cream without it turning into a molten mess, and savor every bite. And, I do enjoy the variety of holiday flavors; try egg nog with warm caramel (I love warm, home-made dulce de leche on mine) or peppermint with marshmallow topping.
Scrum-diddly-umpsious!
[December 11, 2007 11:19 PM]
Jonathan BrownI love it all year long. I have also come to enjoy Homestead Creamery's products a lot this past year. Looking forward to reading tomorrow's column. The husband and wife team at Pop's are so great!! He makes a great Indian Lentil soup by the way. If you ever get a chance Lindsey try his lentil soup. Thanks.
[December 12, 2007 10:41 AM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/Lemon crunch ice cream? That sounds heavenly. Too bad they stopped making it.
Julie's right-- on a cold day, you can enjoy your ice cream outside slowly without fear that it will melt away.
I'm going down to Pop's the next chance I get. If the lentil soup doesn't lure me there, the grilled cheeses sure will. That's my all-time favorite sandwich.
[December 12, 2007 11:02 AM]
DennisI love it anytime! If the craving hits me I don't care what the calendar says! I get Homestead ice cream at Scot and Ellie's Ice Cream Place in Salem. I LOVE the pumpkin & the egg nog too! Haven't tried the Apple Pie but am told that topped w/ caramel it is awesome. Last year they had caramel ice cream and that was wonderful! I was told that they didn't make it this year. Changing the subject, Lindsey, try a grilled cheese on wheat at Macado's...it's the bomb!
[December 12, 2007 12:27 PM]
ScottGotta tell ya, Lindsey, Pop's rocks the ice cream casbah! And while I haven't eaten my way through the grilled cheese sandwich menu yet, it certainly won't be long -- if only Old Man Winter would stick around long enough for me to work up a good craving! Alas, I'll settle for the ice cream until then.
[December 12, 2007 12:53 PM]
RichIce cream is the vermin of the snacky world- it's always in season.
I've found myself enjoying Sonic's Creamslushes more and more. Not as good as a DQ Mister Misty Freeze (or whatever they call them now), but Sonic is 3 miles and zero stop lights closer.
On a side note- did anyone here try the Kroger Private Selection Fried Ice Cream flavor this summer? Its one of their rotating flavors. Good stuff. Hope it comes back out soon.
[December 12, 2007 1:03 PM]
JohnI love Katie's Ice Cream's Wow-Cow product all year long - almost every day. It's the lowest calorie ice cream or yogurt product I've ever seen. And it tastes great too.
[December 12, 2007 1:35 PM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/Rich, I saw that fried ice cream flavor but I never did get a chance to try it. It certainly looked interesting.
I'm a big fan of frozen yogurt in addition to ice cream. To me, it is almost as good. Peach is my favorite flavor.
Unfortunately, John, I think Katie's Ice Cream closed in October. Unless they have moved to another location, which I haven't heard.
I believe there's still a TCBY in Salem. And the candy shop in the market building sells frozen yogurt. Where else...?
[December 12, 2007 6:54 PM]
Jonathan BrownI know the Towers store for Katie's closed but I believe the Promenade Park store on Electric is still open.
[December 12, 2007 10:49 PM]
JayRich,
I tried the Kroger fried ice cream -- it was good. Not excellent, but pretty tasty. I'd buy it again. I love Ben and Jerry's cinnamon roll flavor though -- I mostly try to just eat the cinnamon swirls.
I also love Pop's -- and the Davis's are so friendly! Their grilled cheeses are to die for. And Lindsey, this sort of reminds me of a blog or column you wrote about a few months back about the simple things a host or waiter can do -- well I think it's just so simple and nice that even if all you get is ice cream, Brandon (the owner) still brings you a glass of ice water.
[December 12, 2007 10:52 PM]
JayAnd Lindsey -- yes, I think the Tanglewood Katie's did close. The Towers one is still open. I'd check into that, but I'm pretty sure that's right. I have a friend who works there.
[December 13, 2007 9:43 AM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/Jonathan is right-- the scoop on Katie's Ice Cream (bad pun, yes) is that the Towers location closed but the one at 3530 Electric Road is still open. So John can eat Wow Cow to his heart's content.
Jay-- I know I need some water to drink when I eat ice cream. It's so rich. That is a nice touch.
[December 13, 2007 9:48 AM]
JayOther way around then -- haha.
[December 13, 2007 2:22 PM]
MaggieI was not aware Jonathan, that ice cream was now being sold in bookstores in Roanoke.
Will wonders ever cease?
[December 13, 2007 2:25 PM]
Lindsey : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/fridgemagnet/I don't get Maggie's joke.
[December 13, 2007 3:10 PM]
RichAll this talk of ice cream makes me wish more and more we had a Friendly's around here....grumble grumble...
[December 13, 2007 4:00 PM]
RichDon't worry...you're not alone.
[December 13, 2007 4:00 PM]
HenryEggnog Ice Cream. Perfect for the season.
[December 13, 2007 9:28 PM]
Jonathan BrownThe Shitake Mushroom soup Pop's served Wednesday night was Great!!!! Take care Lindsey and have a great Christmas.
[December 13, 2007 11:34 PM]
DennisI ate lunch at the new "Dickey's BBQ Pit" in Salem, and guess what they have? FREE soft serve vanilla ice cream for dessert after your meal!!! Do tell! And the BBQ was the best I've had from any of the new places in Roanoke and Salem. Both good meat and good sauce(s)!
[December 14, 2007 2:30 PM]
RichThe "thirsty" that you get from ice cream comes from the amount of salt in it, and not from the cream.
I always wondered why, and found out from a biologist friend of mine. Has to do with osmosis...who cares as long as its yummy.
[December 14, 2007 7:27 PM]
__NathanI will respectfully disagree with Rich. The answer didn't sit well with me, so I went to Ben and Jerry's web site and looked up sodium content. The highest content of any flavor was in the neighborhood of 115 mg. The FDA considers anything under 140 mg per serving to be "low sodium". The recommended daily allowance of sodium is 2300 mg -- about a teaspoon of table salt. When you make ice cream, you use a great deal of rock salt to super cool the mixer (salt melts the ice without raising its temp. The melted ice creates more surface area on the mixing tub and therefore chills its contents more efficiently) but all of this salt is kept separate from the ice cream. So if not the salt, then what? The high amount of sugars, if absorbed into the blood stream, could (just like a lot of salt) make your body think it was dehydrated, and trigger thirst. However, if I recall correctly, the thirst is triggered after just a few spoonfuls of ice cream -- long before the ice cream could even be digested and the sugars absorbed. Plus I think a single spoonful would make you thirsty. I have no research to back it up, but I'd say it was the very high fat content that coats your mouth and throat, and triggers your body to crave water to rinse it down. Just a theory, but you can bet I'll work up some anecdotal evidence this weekend.
[December 18, 2007 7:08 PM]
JayNathan,
You're exactly right -- except that it does not take long for ingredients to be absorbed into the body. True, the sugars are not immediately digested, but they are absorbed through the mucous membranes of your mouth. This is the same reason that allergic reactions can happen nearly instantaneously when the food hits someone's mouth.
[December 19, 2007 6:21 AM]
__NathanThanks, Jay, I didn't ralize that. How about alcohol? Does the wine tasting trick of spitting out the wine really prevent ingestion, or, as you said, is some of it taken in through the mucous membranes regardless of whether or not it is swallowed?
[December 19, 2007 12:14 PM]
RichGotta love the internet...it makes everyone an expert...not like working 10 years for a company that MADE ice cream and visiting plants and asking the very same question to food scientists and product development technicians. No, not at all.
It all has to do with osmosis, the sollutes in the ice cream...the sugars, fats, sodium, proteins, all combine is one big osmotic reation. as they are absorbed via the membranes of your tongue into your bloodsteam, saturating it iwth all the chemicals and triggering the thirst response.
Your body thinks it is dehydrated. Similar things happen with diabetics.
It has absolutely nothing to do with a 'coating' of your mouth and tongue. Saliva takes care of that quickly.
Listen to Jay...he obviously found a better site than you.
[December 20, 2007 7:01 PM]
meg : →http://www.roanoke.comAll this talk of ice cream reminds me: Anyone know where I might be able to find a hand-crank ice cream churn in the area? It's probably the worst time of year to be looking for such a thing, but I've been looking for years... Any thoughts?
[December 21, 2007 1:07 PM]
__NathanMeg -
Try the local hardware stores. Not Lowe's or Home Depot, but an Ace or True Value. They usually have stuff like that in the housewares section, and the small stores won't necessarily clear out inventory at the end of the season. Good Luck!
[December 21, 2007 1:53 PM]
__NathanOrdinarily I'd take the bait and argue. However, 'tis the season I suppose! Merry Christmas all, enjoy time with your families, and don't eat any ice cream without access to some ice water.