Breyers Ice Cream was on sale again at Safeway: buy one- get one free. I couldn’t pass up a good deal. I bought some French Vanilla and some Mint-Chocolate Chip. You’ll have to wait for the review of the mint-chip, as today I’ll tell you about the French Vanilla.

Breyers French Vanilla is similar to Breyers Vanilla Bean in that it had vanilla bean specks and now our favorite tara gum. But, it tastes thicker, creamier, and custard-like. (And has a few more grams of fat and calories than the natural vanilla.) Not knowing what makes “French Vanilla” “French” I Googled it. Answer Bag had the answer:

“What is “french vanilla”? What is different about it from regular vanilla?”

Chef Ottevanger answered:

“The difference is lots more egg yolks.”

This makes sense when one considers that French Vanilla is actually “not a type of vanilla. It is a term used to describe an egg-custard base for ice cream.”

Also:

“French vanilla” is often used to designate preparations that actually have a strong vanilla aroma, and possibly contain vanilla grains.”

So, there you have it. French Vanilla has more egg yolks which would explain the texture feel and taste. It’s a good flavor to try if you’re in the mood for plain vanilla ice cream. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for malts, sundaes, etc. It’s too strong.

• Flavor: 4
• Flavor Intensity: 4
• Originality: 1.5
• Texture: 4
• Overall: 4
• Cost: 5.99 or free (buy one get one free sale at Safeway)

This entry was posted on Friday, November 10th, 2006 at 8:58 am and is filed under Brand: Breyers Ice Cream, Flavor: Vanilla Ice Cream, Supermarket: Safeway. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.