Ben and Jerry's Phish Food has been my favorite ice cream for as long as I can remember. I love the chocolate chunks, the chocolate ice cream, the marshmallow and the caramel. There's nothing not to fall in love with. Come to think of it, I've never met a person who doesn't Ben and Jerry's. They're even eco-friendly! So when I started hearing rumors of "core" ice cream flavors, I started scouring the shelves every time I went to the grocery store.
Current Core Flavors Offered by Ben and Jerry's:
- Hazed and Confused
- Peanut Butter Fudge
- Salted Caramel
- That's My Jam
- Karamel Sutra
It seems I could only happen upon the Karamel Sutra flavor, but that's ok with me because it was awesome. I searched around for other flavors, but they must not be available in Arizona yet, or they're not filling the shelves with them. In any case, I'm not sure how Ben and Jerry's didn't think of this before. They had all the ingredients to do it. Instead of swirling them together, they just had to plop two flavors in the carton and squirt some fudge or caramel in the middle...duh. Guess it takes a long time for even ice cream geniuses to come upon exemplary new ideas.
The best part about the new core is that you can get a bite of fudge or caramel in every bite. Unlike a traditional Sunday, you don't have the topping melting your ice cream or only on the top for you to eat first. With the core, you can eat through the ice cream without it disintegrating under the hot fudge or caramel and you can taste it until the end of the carton.
Another champion feat is that the core is smooth, gooey and soft. It's not hard, even though it's frozen like a lot of other toppings. I guess this is something they've already perfected since many of their other ice cream flavors have soft toppings included, but still, a nice feature to have.
The ice cream itself was, as usual, delicious and creamy. I ate more than I wanted to, but it was outstanding; I had to have just one more bite about five times. It was great to get an even mixture. Even though I love Phish Food, I don't always get a bite of marshmallow, caramel or chocolate fish chunks in every bite. With the core, you can save it or dive right in.
I love that you can choose when to eat the topping. When they're all mixed together, you're forced to eat all at the same time. What if you want just caramel or fudge? What if you want just ice cream? What if you want just a chocolate chunk? Now you have the option to customize your ice cream experience. It's more than a sundae in a carton. It's a chance to savor the topping until the end or eat it all from the start without the melting ice cream effect.
Next time you're cruising through your local supermarket, make sure to check out Ben and Jerry's Core ice cream flavors. They're truly great and give you a heaping helping of caramel or fudge.