How to prevent ice cream freezer burn? Methods explored

Ice cream freezer burn is perhaps one of the most annoying things when it comes to food. You open a pint of ice cream and it's covered with ice crystals on top. It ruins the eating experience and can even cause small cuts in your mouth.

A freezer burn is when you keep a food item in the freezer and it ends up having ice crystals on it. It generally happens at the surface level of the food item. In the case of ice cream, it mostly happens to pints or cups that have been opened at least once.

When you open a pint, the moisture in the ice cream combines with the air and sits on top of the ice cream. When this goes back in the freezer, this combination condenses and freezes and forms an icy layer on top. This leaves you with an icy, crunchy, and bad ice cream-eating experience.

However, there are multiple ways in which you can avoid an ice cream freezer burn. Let's take a look at them (via Ben & Jerry's).

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1) Make sure the ice cream is really cold

Baskin Robbins (Image Source: Getty)

While 0 degrees Fahrenheit is a standard practice, ice cream is best stored in temperatures even below that. Most of the freezers do go below that temperature but you need to set the dial to the coldest setting. You can also consider getting a freezer thermometer to measure and monitor the temperature.

Make sure the ice cream is stored in a really cold temperature. Before serving, you can leave it outside at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it.

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2) Hide it at the back

Another great way to prevent ice cream freezer burn is to ensure that it doesn't have to deal with temperature changes. Hence, it's better to keep it at the back of the freezer. Keep it behind other items so that even if you open the freezer for something, your ice cream remains away from warm air.

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3) Use a knife to cut through ice cream freezer burn

One of the reasons for the ice cream freezer burn is the space left after you scoop out the ice cream from a pint or a tub. This leads to air getting in and also more space leaders to larger ice crystals.

One way to avoid this is by using a knife to cut through the pint and peeling off the cover as required. This makes sure that the remaining ice cream remains compact and you can store it in the freezer. You can also cut the top layer off in an already-affected ice cream using a knife.

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4) Wrap it before storing

Before putting a lid on the pint after you've scooped out the required amount, put parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap against the ice cream. This would help in avoiding air contact.

You can also put it in an airtight bag before storing it.

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5) Invert it

Another great way to prevent a freezer burn is by storing the ice cream upside down. It makes sure that the soft ice cream moves toward the lid and there is no space for air to form the crystals.

However, this is a tricky method and you'll have to ensure that you have a good-fitting lid before you try this.

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Ice cream freezer burn is a common occurrence and it's hard to deal with. The aforementioned steps will certainly help prevent or reduce its effect. However, in the end, the best way to avoid it is to eat the complete pint in one sitting!