Graeter's ice cream is in Seattle!

As an expatriate Cincinnatian, I have ordered Graeter's ice cream many times over the years. At first I would stop at the factory on the tail end of a trip home and pick up a few pints packed in dry ice. When that was no longer possible, I would order it over the telephone or, most recently, online. And of course every trip to Cincinnati included a daily stop at Graeter's for the best ice cream in the world. (Sorry, Molly Moon. Graeter's won my heart long ago.)

Mocha chocolate chip!

Imagine my glee when I was shopping at the Fred Meyer on Seattle's Lake City Way. While looking for the coupon special, suddenly several flavors of Graeter's were staring me in the face! I practically danced up and down the frozen food aisle while piling my cart with black raspberry chip, chocolate chocolate chip, vanilla and vanilla chocolate chip. coconut chocolate chip and the quintessential mocha chocolate chip. (Mint chocolate chip is not my thing, but it was there.) 


Graeter's makes its ice cream with a traditional French Pot process, just two gallons at a time. As the website says, 

"Our secret recipe of fresh cream and egg custard is gently swirled along the chilled sides of a slowly spinning French Pot Freezer. As the creamy blend thickens, a blade softly scrapes the sides of the pot, folding the ice cream into itself. Then we add the fresh ingredients to complete our unique flavors.

The gentle folding process prevents air from whipping into our ice cream and accounts for the extremely dense and creamy consistency. Where a typical pint of ice cream can weigh as little as 8 ounces, a Graeter’s pint weighs nearly a full pound! Graeter’s ice cream is so rich and creamy that we have to pack every pint by hand."

(Are you drooling yet?)

I was once told the secret to the chocolate chip flavors is adding the chocolate in liquid form before the ice cream is frozen. As the ice cream churn, the chocolate freezes into uneven sizes and shapes. It's possible to find a "chip" the size of the first joint of your thumb or larger! No other chocolate chip ice cream can compete.

For those who don't believe me, try your own ice cream taste-off. Pick up a pint or two at Fred Meyer. (Graeter's may also be available at QFC, but Freddy's on Lake City is where I bought it today.) Compare it to any ice cream you choose. I am willing to bet that Graeter's will blow your mind, especially any flavor with chocolate chips. And it's kosher under the Vaad Haoier of Cincinnati.