How to Eat Ice Cream

Reviewed by Craig Watson

Last Updated: February 18, 2024

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Ice cream comes in all sorts of delicious flavors, from chocolate to mint and even cotton candy. Eating ice cream is a very enjoyable experience, but there are a few techniques you can use to make it even better. This article will go over the basics of eating and enjoying your ice cream.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Serving the Ice Cream

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If you're too young to go out and buy ice cream yourself, ask your mom or dad to buy you some. In the freezer section, you can buy gallons or pints of ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and pre-made cones, in addition to other treats. You can also go to an ice cream shop and have them serve you the ice cream and toppings.
This includes pre-made cones, ice cream sandwiches, and any frozen treats that come in packaging. Be careful not to drop your ice cream when you open the container it is in. Throw away your wrapper in a trash can.

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Scoop the ice cream into a bowl, waffle bowl, or cone. You will have to do this for gallons or pints of ice cream. Using a sturdy spoon or ice cream scooper, remove scoops of ice cream one at a time, and place the scoops in your cone or bowl. If you are using a cone, ask someone to hold it while you scoop the ice cream into it.
- Run the spoon or scooper under warm water for a few seconds before scooping. This will make it scoop better.
- Careful—pushing down hard with the spoon may cause it to bend.
- Gently push the top of the ice cream into the cone so it makes room for more.
Bits of brownie, sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, crushed nuts, cookie pieces, and even gummy bears are all excellent toppings for your ice cream.
Putting the ice cream in the freezer before it begins to melt will keep it fresh longer.
You can use a spoon for a cone, too, but cones are made to be eaten by hand.
If you’re eating an ice cream come, you need a napkin because melted ice cream tends to drip out of the bottom. Wrapping a napkin or small piece of foil around the base will prevent the ice cream from melting quickly and dripping on you.

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Eating the Ice Cream

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Make sure it's a safe place where you and your ice cream won't be prone to accidents. Walking around with ice cream might make you spill it or bump into someone.
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Lick up any dripping ice cream. You don't want to waste any ice cream! If the bottom of your cone is leaking, you can regularly suck out the drips from the bottom.
- Make sure to lick the edges of your ice cream sandwich, if you are eating one.
- If you don’t like the melted ice cream, wipe it away with a napkin instead of your tongue.
3
Eat an ice cream cone with a series of licks. Moving from the top of the ice cream down to the beginning of the cone, lick away the ice cream resting on top of the cone. Then, start nibbling at the cone. With your tongue, gently push down the top of the ice cream so it fills the cone and doesn’t fall out. Move the napkin away from the area you’re eating.
- Never start eating from the base of the cone.
- As you nibble the cone away, more ice cream will appear, so alternate between nibbling the cone and licking the ice cream.
- When just the tip of the cone is left, you can eat it whole.
- Some people like to bite their ice cream, but this could cause your teeth to ache.
Some people like to spoon the ice cream into their mouth upside down so the ice cream lands directly on their tongue, and others prefer a plastic spoon to a metal once since plastic doesn’t get as cold. Try a few different spoon methods, and see what you like best!
For example, ice cream sandwiches will need to be bitten, not just licked. Cones can also be bitten instead of nibbled. Just try to keep the bites small so you don’t get a brain freeze.
If you’re really sticky, wash your hands and face in the sink.

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Fun Ways to Eat Ice Cream

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1
Build your own ice cream sandwich. Take your two favorite cookies, grab a dollop of ice cream, and smash them together. One of life's simplest, but most delicious pleasures is a good ice cream sandwich. To make it easier, freeze the cookies for 15-30 minutes before building so that they are cold and don't melt the ice cream.
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
- Graham Cracker
- Holiday Themed
- Oatmeal Cookie
- You can use anything -- even waffles, pancakes, or rice cakes.^{[1]
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Make an ice cream float. The silky mixture of ice cream and soda is an old classic and can be mixed and matched any way you want. To make one, simply fill a glass 3/4 of the way with soda, add a dollop of ice cream, then top off with a bit more soda. If you're looking to get fancy... there's a float for leprechaun day! Mint choc. chip ice cream with sprite.
- Classic Coke Float
- Make a Coffee Float
- You can even try it with Guinness and chocolate ice cream for a boozy float.^{[2]
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3
Make an ice cream cake. Looking to get a little more complicated? Then it's time to take your ice cream eating to the next level and make an ice cream dish worthy of even the best party. There are lots of variations including:
- The classic Baskin-Robbins ice cream cake.
- Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
- Ice Cream Cupcakes
4
Make a milkshake. Milkshakes are easier to eat, bigger, and more cooler. You can add as many flavors or mix-ins (chocolate chips, cookies, fruit, etc.) as you want. All you need is a blender. Simply mix in equal parts milk and your favorite ice cream, blend and enjoy.
- Chocolate Milkshake
- Almond Milkshake
- Nutella Milkshake
5
Pair ice cream with brownies, pies, and grilled fruits for "á la mode." Don't let the fancy French term fool you, adding ice cream to a dessert is easy and incredibly delicious. Try it with:
- Grilled peaches, pineapples, and pears
- Brownies, cookies, and cakes
- Fruit Pies
- French fries and chocolate sauce (trust us!)^{[3]
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- Coffee or hot chocolate poured over the scoops (affogato).
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Make your own ice cream. There is nothing quite like homemade ice cream. While you'll need an ice cream maker for the best consistency and results, the ingredient list is blissfully small and the machine does most of the work for you.
- Make chocolate ice cream.
Click to check out Wikihow's diverse collection of ice cream recipes. While the best are collected below, there are hundreds of ways to eat ice cream that take it from simple treat to decadent desert. Whatever your style, you're sure to find a recipe for you.

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How do I eat this without my teeth getting cold?

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Instead of biting, let the ice cream melt on your tongue.

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Can eating ice cream result in the loss of brain cells?

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No.

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How old do I have to be to eat ice cream?

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There is no age requirement for eating ice cream. It just depends on what your parents do and do not allow you to have. Ice cream contains a lot of sugar, so it should be eaten in moderation, especially by children.

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If you get a brain freeze, stop eating and place your tongue on the roof of your mouth, or drink something warm.^{[4]
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Always have a napkin handy when eating ice cream. You never know when you'll have a spill.

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Eat your ice cream slowly so you can enjoy it for longer,(it may start to melt and drip!).

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Roughly half of the people in this world are lactose intolerant, which means they can't eat ice cream or other dairy products without stomach pain, diarrhea, and flatulence. If you think you might be lactose intolerant but still love ice cream, look for non-dairy or plant-based ice creams that use almonds, cashews, soy, and other milk-free ingredients! There are so many new non-dairy ice cream brands, and even major ice cream makers like Ben and Jerry's make non-dairy versions of their best flavors.
If you order an ice cream cone while you're out, ask for a bowl as well. Having a bowl makes it so you can still eat your ice cream with a spoon if the cone breaks. It also makes it possible to put down your ice cream in case you have to go to the restroom or do something with your hands.

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