The Best Store-Bought Ice Creams Have This Ingredient Listed First

Store-bought ice cream made with the highest quality ingredients may have tons of ingredients on their label, but David Davidov, recipe developer, artisanal ice cream expert, creator of The Cooking Foodie, and ice cream instructor on Domestika, explained to Food Republic that one must come first. "The first ingredient should usually be milk or cream."

"Ingredients are listed by weight, so if milk or cream comes first, it means the ice cream is mostly real dairy, which gives proper richness and texture," said Davidov. "If sugar, water, or fillers appear first, the product is usually lighter and less creamy." Milk and cream provide the fat that prevents the formation of large ice crystals that give ice cream a frozen, unsatisfyingly crisp texture. The U.S. FDA requires all ice cream to have at least 10% dairy fat, but Davidov insisted that higher-quality brands typically hover around 14%.

While there's nothing inherently wrong with an additive or two to help stabilize ice cream, using too many emulsifiers, like guar gum, can be particularly harmful to texture. Controlling the way fat captures air is a balance, and while more emulsifiers may make the process cheaper and easier, it creates a worse product. But even high-quality, low-fat options, like Halo Top, lean on small amounts of thickeners like cellulose gum, so as long as they're low on the ingredient list, feel free to add them to your shopping cart.

While dairy ingredients should usually come first on the nutrition label, David Davidov admitted that there are a few exceptions. Keep in mind that even soft serve isn't technically considered ice cream, so the rigidity of this rule depends on how loose you are with the term "ice cream." His main exception? Gelato.

Gelato differs from ice cream in a few ways, but it's not officially ice cream because it typically maxes out at only 9% milk fat. Between less fat, air, and fewer (read: none) egg yolks, it tends to be denser than ice cream, so you can't always judge it the same way. However, you can usually judge this particular book by its cover. Great, naturally made gelato has a more subdued, matte coloring and often lacks the shine of ice cream. If you see bright colors and a shiny surface, you're likely looking at something made with artificial ingredients, and it's likely close to melting.

Sherbet takes this a step further as it's mostly water and fruit juice. While most recipes call for some amount of fat to give it a creamy texture, the end product may only have 1 or 2%. This comes from using whole milk, rather than cream, as most people enjoy the slightly icier texture that straddles the line between ice cream and sorbet. For sherbet, your best bet is to evaluate the source of fruit and purchase products that use real juice.