Behind the scenes, the dairy industry categorizes ice creams by quality, with Premium and Super Premium being the best. There’s a few ways to find them at the store.

The absence of terms like Premium or Super Premium doesn't rule out quality. Nothing stops Economy brands from selling at a higher price or Premium brands from offering great deals.

A more reliable indicator is weight, as a pint of Premium ice cream will weigh more than a pint of Regular ice cream due to lower overrun, meaning less air is in the mix.

The heavier the pint, the more Premium the ice cream. Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's are considered Premium. For a Super Premium option, consider Straus Family Creamery.

Keep an eye out for the term “frozen dessert,” which means the product doesn’t meet the FDA's guidelines to be classified as ice cream.

“Frozen dessert” shouldn’t be considered an automatic red flag. Nondairy ice creams, for instance, must use this label, and there are high-quality vegan product lines on the market.