Has the Soft Serve Ice Cream at Dairy Queen Gone Down Hill [General]
2008 Mar 11
Unfortunately, I've never had Reid's Soft Serve. To be honest I had never even heard of them until the Blizzard topic. But, I see from their website that Reid's is available in Kingston, I've therefore decided that sometime this summer I will have to check them out. I guess though to make an actual "comparisson" I'll have to find a DQ at the same time.
So Captain C, I'll get back to you on this, hopefully it will be on a day in July or August when we are all complaining about how HOT it is, and how much Ottawa is in need of "percipitation". ;-)
So Captain C, I'll get back to you on this, hopefully it will be on a day in July or August when we are all complaining about how HOT it is, and how much Ottawa is in need of "percipitation". ;-)
2008 Mar 11
Hey Pete,
Thanks for the heads up The Back River Cheese Factories soft serve. If it's better than Reid's then it will make DQ's look and taste like Mc Ice-Cream.
Can't wait for my summer visit down near Picton at the Lake on the Mountain Provincial Park where there is a free music festival. The ferry boat ride along Hwy 33 , The Loyalist Highway is fun too.
maps.google.com,-77.0224&sspn=0.076614,0.128059&ie=UTF8&ll=44.040219,-77.060852&spn=0.306522,0.512238&z=11&iwloc=addr
Thanks for the heads up The Back River Cheese Factories soft serve. If it's better than Reid's then it will make DQ's look and taste like Mc Ice-Cream.
Can't wait for my summer visit down near Picton at the Lake on the Mountain Provincial Park where there is a free music festival. The ferry boat ride along Hwy 33 , The Loyalist Highway is fun too.
maps.google.com,-77.0224&sspn=0.076614,0.128059&ie=UTF8&ll=44.040219,-77.060852&spn=0.306522,0.512238&z=11&iwloc=addr
2008 Mar 11
Biggest difference : Reid's first ingredient is CREAM and DQ's is Milkfat and nonfat milk.
The cynic in me notes that cream consists of nothing more or less than milkfat and nonfat milk, in the correct proportion. ;-)
That said, I'm eager to try Reid's at some point. I'd guess that DQ has gradually decreased the fat content of their soft serve so the nutritional info reads better. Unfortunately, decreasing fat usually has two negative side effects: an increase in sugar to compensate and a less satisfying experience overall.
The cynic in me notes that cream consists of nothing more or less than milkfat and nonfat milk, in the correct proportion. ;-)
That said, I'm eager to try Reid's at some point. I'd guess that DQ has gradually decreased the fat content of their soft serve so the nutritional info reads better. Unfortunately, decreasing fat usually has two negative side effects: an increase in sugar to compensate and a less satisfying experience overall.
2008 Apr 1
Captain Caper - Visited the Black River Cheese Company this weekend while enjoying "Maple in the County". Unfortunately, didn't get a chance to try out the Soft Serve (starts up again on Mother's Day). BUT, I did try the two maple flavours featured...
Maple Walnut... Yummy, traditional style with a good portion of walnuts.
Maple Sugar Shack... Even more yummy, with small bits of maple sugar in wonderfully flavoured rich vanilla ice cream.
Maple Walnut... Yummy, traditional style with a good portion of walnuts.
Maple Sugar Shack... Even more yummy, with small bits of maple sugar in wonderfully flavoured rich vanilla ice cream.
2008 Jun 21
BUMP
After all the recommendations here, on a recently very hot afternoon I made a pitstop along the 401 in Belleville at Reid's Dairy for some softserve ice cream. On this particular day, the place was packed, which I'm guessing really isn't that unusual, given by the size of their welcoming parking lot. I chose a small chocolate & vanilla swirl in a cup (with the hope of containing the drips) although I noticed they had both regular and waffle cones. (And they really do have milkshakes for $ 1.00, although none on the day I was there). All I can say is good thing I chose the cup, the peak of ice cream was huge, and as it was I had a hard time keeping up with my spoon to keep the moat from overflowing (it was one HOT day). All in all, I found the ice cream very tasty and refreshing, but it was gone in no time, so I'm thinking I'll have to do more research on my next trip down Lake Ontario way. And besides, to truly be able to do a taste test, I'll need to bring along a companion so we share and compare DQ & Reid's at the same time. I'll keep you posted.
After all the recommendations here, on a recently very hot afternoon I made a pitstop along the 401 in Belleville at Reid's Dairy for some softserve ice cream. On this particular day, the place was packed, which I'm guessing really isn't that unusual, given by the size of their welcoming parking lot. I chose a small chocolate & vanilla swirl in a cup (with the hope of containing the drips) although I noticed they had both regular and waffle cones. (And they really do have milkshakes for $ 1.00, although none on the day I was there). All I can say is good thing I chose the cup, the peak of ice cream was huge, and as it was I had a hard time keeping up with my spoon to keep the moat from overflowing (it was one HOT day). All in all, I found the ice cream very tasty and refreshing, but it was gone in no time, so I'm thinking I'll have to do more research on my next trip down Lake Ontario way. And besides, to truly be able to do a taste test, I'll need to bring along a companion so we share and compare DQ & Reid's at the same time. I'll keep you posted.
2008 Jun 21
CANADA HAS WORLD'S BEST ICE CREAM
As per the Ottawa Citizen Saturday, June 21, 2008
List compiled by Tauck World Discovery, a company that offers tours in 63 countries.
1. COWS, (Prince Edward Island, CANADA)
2. Gelateria Perche No! (Florence, Italy)
3. Tip Top Ice Cream (New Zealand)
4. Kula Lodge (Maui, Hawaii, USA)
5. Freddo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
6. Gelateria di Piazza (San Gimignano, Italy)
7. Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA)
8. Glacier Berthillon (Ile de St Louis, Paris, France)
9. Las Iguanas (Boca de Arenal, Costa Rica)
10. Ben & Jerry's (Waterbury, Vermont, USA)
I can only comment on # 1 and # 10, and both are great IMO. I sure would like to get to some of these places around the world so I could taste test... anyone up for the challenge?
As per the Ottawa Citizen Saturday, June 21, 2008
List compiled by Tauck World Discovery, a company that offers tours in 63 countries.
1. COWS, (Prince Edward Island, CANADA)
2. Gelateria Perche No! (Florence, Italy)
3. Tip Top Ice Cream (New Zealand)
4. Kula Lodge (Maui, Hawaii, USA)
5. Freddo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
6. Gelateria di Piazza (San Gimignano, Italy)
7. Hot Licks Homemade Ice Cream (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA)
8. Glacier Berthillon (Ile de St Louis, Paris, France)
9. Las Iguanas (Boca de Arenal, Costa Rica)
10. Ben & Jerry's (Waterbury, Vermont, USA)
I can only comment on # 1 and # 10, and both are great IMO. I sure would like to get to some of these places around the world so I could taste test... anyone up for the challenge?
2008 Jun 21
aaaaaaah COWS !!
I have memories of Cow's on "The Boardwalk" in Cavendish, PEI.
Lot's of suburbanite tourists lined up to get rid of some of their disposible income .... on the $25 T-Shirts and a $10 coffee mug for Aunt Beatrice back home.
Can't knock the ice cream though. As their website states the ice cream is soooo good because of the following three reasons:
"HIGH BUTTERFAT CONTENT
16%
MINIMUM AIR
high density, slow to melt in your mouth ice cream!
FINEST INGREDIENTS
fresh cream, real eggs, sugar,
pure natural vanilla fresh PEI berries,
imported Holland cocoa."
I wonder why the Cow's franchise went belly-up here in Ottawa ?
Maybe once ya got yer T-Shirt and coffee mug, there wasn't a strong reason to visit, when it's -30 Deg. outside.
I have memories of Cow's on "The Boardwalk" in Cavendish, PEI.
Lot's of suburbanite tourists lined up to get rid of some of their disposible income .... on the $25 T-Shirts and a $10 coffee mug for Aunt Beatrice back home.
Can't knock the ice cream though. As their website states the ice cream is soooo good because of the following three reasons:
"HIGH BUTTERFAT CONTENT
16%
MINIMUM AIR
high density, slow to melt in your mouth ice cream!
FINEST INGREDIENTS
fresh cream, real eggs, sugar,
pure natural vanilla fresh PEI berries,
imported Holland cocoa."
I wonder why the Cow's franchise went belly-up here in Ottawa ?
Maybe once ya got yer T-Shirt and coffee mug, there wasn't a strong reason to visit, when it's -30 Deg. outside.
2008 Jun 21
Scotsburn has been a pretty good replacement for The Cape Breton Dairymen.
Back in the seventies you could get the following flavours of ice cream: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Neopolitan and Maple Walnut .... that's it.... no Cookie Dough or Brownie Bits or Candy Pieces .... no Swirls .... no Chunks ... no nothin'.
And how come when you took the Neopolitan ice cream out of the freezer, the Chocolate portion was always gone ?
Back in the seventies you could get the following flavours of ice cream: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Neopolitan and Maple Walnut .... that's it.... no Cookie Dough or Brownie Bits or Candy Pieces .... no Swirls .... no Chunks ... no nothin'.
And how come when you took the Neopolitan ice cream out of the freezer, the Chocolate portion was always gone ?
2008 Jun 21
Interesting ranking. I don't expect they made it to Slicker's in Bloomfield, Prince Edward County. I've been to Cows many times, in PEI, here in Ottawa, in Banff and Vancouver and while their ice cream is good I don't think it comes close to Slicker's. I've also been to #2 on the list, Perche No! in Florence and I'd rank it well above Cows as well, and maybe above Slicker's too, although Slickers is really good (and Italian gelato is a bit of a different beast than North American ice cream).
2008 Jun 21
One wonders how they might have compared all these ice creams. After all, it's kind of hard to do a side-by-side taste test of highly perishable items from all over the world! My guess is that there was no expert panel -- it was likely based on tabulation of several votes. Popular does not always mean better (and I'm very aware of this distinction, given that the whole thumbs-up and thumbs-down concept of the Ottawa Foodies ranking system operates on the premise of popularity). Still, one hopes that over time, the cream rises to the top and the better products become more popular...
2008 Jun 23
Momomoto - Sorry I am not familiar with Scottsburn, could you provide more info.
Inkling - Hope to get to Slickers for ice cream over the summer. Lucky you getting to Italy... I've now put #2 and #6 on my Italy Trip Wish List, I figure one has to eat in addition to enjoying Italian vino.
Fresh Foodie - Believe the tabulation was put together by employees of the company and their (clients too) favourite spots throughout the 63 countries. As for the Ottawa Foodies Thumbs Up & Thumbs Down concept, it isn't scientific, but I for one think it works well. I use it as a baseline (along with the reviews) if I'm looking at going to a new restaurant.
Inkling - Hope to get to Slickers for ice cream over the summer. Lucky you getting to Italy... I've now put #2 and #6 on my Italy Trip Wish List, I figure one has to eat in addition to enjoying Italian vino.
Fresh Foodie - Believe the tabulation was put together by employees of the company and their (clients too) favourite spots throughout the 63 countries. As for the Ottawa Foodies Thumbs Up & Thumbs Down concept, it isn't scientific, but I for one think it works well. I use it as a baseline (along with the reviews) if I'm looking at going to a new restaurant.
2008 Jun 23
Scotsburn Ice Cream may not be premium or gourmet but .... you can't beat the selection of this summers flavours.
Here they are, all 43 of them including three new ones for 2008:
---> www.scotsburn.com <---
For those who like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, there is Udderly Devine.
And here is Udderly Devine's ingredient list:
UDDERLY DEVINE INGREDIENTS
MILK INGREDIENTS, SUGAR, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, GLUCOSE SOLIDS, COCOA, PEANUT OIL, PEANUTS, INVERT SUGAR, WATER, COCONUT OIL, HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT, CORN STARCH,CELLULOSE GUM, SOY LECITHIN, GUAR GUM, POLYSORBATE 80, CARRAGEENAN, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR, COLOUR.
At least they are keeping some people on Prince Edward Island is business. That is where the carrageenan is made. The last time I looked, back in the 80's, the Irish Moss seaweed was still collected by a horse pulled rake, on the beaches of northern PEI. The Irish Moss is then converted to food grade carrageenan at a local plant (The Miminegash Seaside Co-operative), which I remember touring as a kid.
Here they are, all 43 of them including three new ones for 2008:
---> www.scotsburn.com <---
For those who like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, there is Udderly Devine.
And here is Udderly Devine's ingredient list:
UDDERLY DEVINE INGREDIENTS
MILK INGREDIENTS, SUGAR, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, GLUCOSE SOLIDS, COCOA, PEANUT OIL, PEANUTS, INVERT SUGAR, WATER, COCONUT OIL, HYDROGENATED PALM OIL, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT, CORN STARCH,CELLULOSE GUM, SOY LECITHIN, GUAR GUM, POLYSORBATE 80, CARRAGEENAN, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR, COLOUR.
At least they are keeping some people on Prince Edward Island is business. That is where the carrageenan is made. The last time I looked, back in the 80's, the Irish Moss seaweed was still collected by a horse pulled rake, on the beaches of northern PEI. The Irish Moss is then converted to food grade carrageenan at a local plant (The Miminegash Seaside Co-operative), which I remember touring as a kid.
2008 Jun 23
Speaking of ice cream, apparently Marble Slab will be opening up a store in Ottawa! I recently tried it for the first time in Toronto. Had their Birthday Cake flavour with fresh strawberries mixed in. The ice cream itself was delicious and extremely memorable.
It doesn't look like Cold Stone will be opening up in Canada at all though.
It doesn't look like Cold Stone will be opening up in Canada at all though.
Captain Caper
Anyone notice a slipping of the quality of the soft serve at DQ. If you don't ... try it side by side with a Reid's Dairy cone. When I did.... I said "mmmmmmm... Reid's tastes like Dairy Queen used to". www.reidsdairy.com/home.htm
So, after a little digging,
Here is the ingredient list for DQ's soft serve (from DQ's website):
Milkfat and nonfat milk, sugar, corn syrup, whey, mono and diglycerides,artificial flavor, guar gum, polysorbate 80, carrageenan, and vitamin A palmitate.
and from Trevor G. Rikley, Quality Assurance Manager, Reid's Dairy Co. Ltd., the soft serve ingredient list for Reid's Dairy:
Fresh cream, sugar/glucose, modified milk ingredients, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gum, guar gum, polysorbate 80, sodium phosphate, calcium sulphate, carrageenan, artificial and natural flavour.
Biggest difference : Reid's first ingredient is CREAM and DQ's is Milkfat and nonfat milk.
So I'll step back now.... and let your tongues decide if DQ's soft serve has gone down hill.
PS: Isn't the term Ice Milk Product no longer used ?