Maybe I am going crazy, but I have noticed a difference about ice cream and its only been Maybe the last 8-10 years was when I first noticed it.
Ice cream from the supermarket doesn’t seem to melt properly, and is also way too soft. This seems most noticeable in novelties now, but also most hard ice cream as well.
Did they add some component to make it softer or less likely to freezer burn? Am I just going crazy?
(US, but I assume anywhere else where the same brands are sold have had the same issue.)
As there may be regional differences, you might want to specify your area. For example, ice cream in the UK doesn’t have to meet the same requirements as in the USA, so oddities like cheap ice cream made with no dairy or cream is possible, using vegetable oil instead. Evan Edinger has a video on UK ice cream in particular: https://youtu.be/CfM7yZD0PlE
In the USA/Canada the cheapo ice cream is labeled “frozen dairy dessert”, instead of “ice cream”.
It’s “frozen dessert” if it can’t meet the dairy requirement.
I am from the US and I first noticed it a long time ago with certain novelty type ice cream products. Then eventually it seemed like some of the cheaper brands changed to add whatever softening thing to it. Now it seems like almost all brands have it, even regional brands known for their quality seem to be the same.
I almost remember it was advertised by the regional brand Friendly’s as “creamy”, and you could buy other flavors and avoid it… but now it’s all seems to be like that.
Also, they just don’t really seem to freezer burn nearly as bad, which is nice… if you liked the product in the first place.