The Best Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream According To Chefs

Chef's are pretty reliable when it comes to food, but are these really the best chocolate and vanilla flavors on the market?

Is there such thing as bad ice cream? Even a bad ice cream is something most people would eat, unless it happens to be a flavor that you truly don't like. However when it comes to basics chocolate and vanilla are the rulers of the ice cream world.

While there are so many more flavors out there these days, you can't go wrong with the classics. Soft or hard ice cream, these ones remain the two favorite flavors among ice cream lovers. The only one that comes close to it is cookies and cream, according to a 2023 survey.

Now obviously there are so many brands that have vanilla and chocolate ice creams on the market. In the Capital Region I would have to saw that Stewart's has the best regular vanilla, with their Philly Vanilla coming in second place. It's hard to rival it, but it's a regional favorite so it would explain why chefs around the country maybe haven't had a chance to sample it.

The favorite brand among chefs is Haagen Dazs. They voted on that for both chocolate and vanilla flavors.

I don't think there's anything wrong with Haagen Dazs, it's just not a brand I usually go for when it comes to ice cream. There are so many other flavors on the market, and generally I don't buy pints. With two small kids, I got to go bigger.

If I can't find Stewart's, I have gone with Tillamook recently, which is fantastic. When I travel south, I make sure to get Blue Bell.

What's your favorite?

See the Capital Region's 5 Biggest Ice Cream Cones [RANKED]

It is pretty much a fact that every stand has GREAT ice cream. But which stands serve up the biggest cones? Ya know, the ones where it is a race to eat 'em before they melt on a hot summer day? We asked our listeners who serves up the biggest scoops and soft serve - and there are the homes of the 5 biggest Captial Region Ice Cream cones!

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff