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In celebration of National Ice Cream Month in the United States (every July); PhillySwirl is sponsoring an A Daily Scoop Ice Cream Contest.

The grand-prize winner will get a box of PhillySwirl ice cream cupcakes shipped right to his/her door. And 10 runner ups will get a coupon for a free-box of cupcakes.

How do you win?

1. Leave a comment below with your favorite ice cream flavor
2. Make sure you include your email address in the comment form (will not be shown) so that I can contact the winners
3. On July 29th I’ll use a random number generator to choose 1 grand-prize winners and 10 runner-ups

Here are the 2 simple rules:

1. One entry per person
2. Must live in the US (due to shipping restrictions)

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Tomorrow, April 30, 2008 is 31 cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins.  Find your local Baskin Robbins ice cream store here.

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Check back on Monday.  I have compiled a best and worst list of ice creams in 2006.

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The holidays are coming. So, I decided to start of list of great presents for ice cream lovers. I’ve got a couple of ideas that I’ll present over the next few weeks. Today I’ll go with the best stocking stuffer: An ice cream scoop. Ice cream scoops are one of those things that everyone has, but most people don’t have the best one. Well, I do. I absolutely love my Oxo Ice Cream Spade. See, ice cream Spades are superior to scoops because you can get so much more ice cream out of the container. It’s wonderful. And I like Oxo because their handles are extra comfy. And I like their red logo. But, I digress. I honestly think that my Oxo Ice Cream Spade is the best scoop out there and that you won’t find a better stocking stuffer. But, if you don’t like the spade, you should check out a few other ice cream scoops that Real Simple rated:

“The Original Zeroll $16

Zeroll’s aluminum scooper, a stalwart that’s been around since 1935, earned a thumbs-up for its effortless rolling motion, which yielded nearly flawless spheres every time. The thick handle is filled with a defrosting fluid that warms on contact with a bare hand, in turn heating the scoop. This, combined with the extra-deep bowl’s beveled edge, makes carving into a carton a cinch. Hand wash.

Best Added-Feature Ice Cream Scoop:
Oxo Good Grips Lever Scoop, $8
Testers tried scoops with a quick-release lever built into the handle (unwieldy for lefties and kids), a windshield wiper–like sweeper built into the bowl (often clogged by chunky ice cream), and a squeeze-operated lever (hard to manage one-handed). This Oxo model beat them all hands down. The soft rubberized handle prevents slips when you’re dealing with hard ice cream (or when your fingers are slick with drippy meltdown), and the clever pop-up lever pushes the scoop right out of the bowl like a catapult: Scoop, pop, and serve. Next! Dishwasher-safe.

Best Mini-Scoop Ice Cream Scoop:
Stainless-Steel Mini Ambidextrous Scoop, $10
Mini scoops are perfect for gelato and sorbet, whose concentrated flavors satisfy cravings with smaller portions. This winning version has a thin metal blade that sweeps inside the bowl when the handle is pressed, unsticking the gelato and delivering a diminutive 1 1/2-inch-diameter globe every time. (With larger models, this type of mechanism often jammed. But here the combination of a smaller bowl and a spring-loaded, full-hand grip overpowered any potential clogs and sticks.) It carves a mean melon ball, too. Dishwasher-safe.”

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Some people have asked why I write ice cream reviews. There are two main reasons for my writing ice cream reviews. First, I love ice cream. Second, I want others to be able to make good decisions about their ice cream. There are so many ice cream flavors available that sometimes it’s hard to choose. (Well, I personally think it’s always hard to choose just one flavor of ice cream). When I can’t make a decision about something I read reviews. I go online and look for reviews about any sort of big purchase I’m making. I read Consumer Reports; and in DC we have Consumer Checkbook which has reviews for services like drying cleaning, insurance, car maintenance centers, and doctors. (I definitely want good reviews for a doctor). Anyway, I like reviews. And that’s why I decided to make a website about ice cream reviews. Ice cream is truly a part of American culture. And so is criticism. So, I’ll keep dishing up those ice cream reviews!

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First off, thank you to those who have encouraged me to keep posting, even if it is less frequently. With grad school starting, I really have been extremely busy. And, ice cream is expensive. And I have class at night when I’d usually post. And, well, I’ll stop with the excuses. Ultimately though, I did decide to break in the “daily scoop” goal. I still have ice cream fairly frequently, but not everyday and not always a different flavor.

But, I will start posting my reviews again. I will post some reviews this weekend of flavors I’ve had in recent weeks. And on Monday I’ll post the second article about Breyers “Natural” Vanilla. It will be a taste test of Breyers with and without tara gum.

Thanks for remaining faithful readers.

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