I just received this ice cream in the mail because it is currently being distributed in Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and select accounts in eastern Indiana and Chicago, Illinois. It comes in a 1.75 quart container. It came complete with dry ice, which the kids loved to see steam and bubble in the sink. It looked like a spell experiment from Harry Potter. (Of course, we took the ice cream containers out before we started the experiment.)
Onto the nutritional information!
For a 1/2 cup serving:
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 20 mg
Sodium: 35mg
Total Carbohydrates: 14g
Dietary Fiber 7g
Sugars 3g
Sugar Alcohol: 4g
Protein: 3g
It is much more creamy than the CarbSmart brand. My two kids and I really, really liked it. My husband doesn't care much for ice cream and said it was OK. (He, on the other hand, does like the CarbSmart ice cream sandwiches. He eats two of them instead of one! Bad, bad, husband! But he is still maintaining his weight so I guess I shouldn't complain. Men always have it easier.)
However, at $4.99 - $5.59, the Pierre's can be more expensive. I have seen CarbSmart pricing all over the map from $1.99 on sale all the way up to $5.99. If I had a choice at a similar price point or even $1 more, I would choose the Pierre's because it just tastes better. I honestly can't tell the difference between Pierre's and other premium ice cream. If the CarbSmart were $1.99 and the Pierre's $4.99, I would have to think about whether the occasion warranted the higher price point. If it were for a celebration, no problem. If it were just for a regular day, I would have to think about it. (I have two kids with lots of friends. Unfortunately, they tend to leave half-eaten bowls of food around, and I don't want to make them finish things if they aren't hungry!)
Both Pierre's and CarbSmart should just about finish off the Atkins brand for the people who can pace themselves. All the Atkins brand brings is portion control (and the Pierre's easily beats it on taste and creaminess.) For some people, that is worth paying a huge premium, but for me it is not worth it.
There is another brand of low carb ice cream that is available at Stop & Shop. It is called Keto. I include it in my Stop & Shop Low Carb Shopping List. Well, the marketing manager for the Keto ice cream saw this and emailed me the following:
I see that you have seen the Keto ice cream in your grocery store. Please give it a try.
The reason for the difference in cost will be evident to you immediately. Ice cream is made with a certain amount of air whipped into the product called "over run." The more air or "over run," the more profitable the item however, more air means less density and creaminess.
The Carb Smart items have approx. 78% over run, where the Keto items have approx. 30% over run. I'll give you another comparison: pick up a pint of the Atkin's ice cream and then pick up a pint of the Keto brand. The Keto brand is about 30% heavier than the Atkins for the same pint container at about the same retail. Consumers are paying for air.
The Keto product also is the lowest in net carbs per serving and we use none of the controversial sugar alcohols in our base formulas (Van, Choc, Butter Pecan) and only minimal amounts in our inclusions (choc coating, cookies n cream, ect).
Let's be honest, taste is what is most important in low carb offereings.You will not find the aftertaste in the Keto like the other low carb ice creams. We have basically used Hagan Daz as a model and made a product that is comparable in butter fat, creaminess and mouth feel except instead of approx. 28 g of net carbs, Keto is from 2 - 5g of net carbs (varies by item). Try the milk coated bars too! Carb Smart is a 3oz bar with 5 net carbs, Keto is a 4oz bar with only 2 net carbs. Raspberry is my personal favorite. It'll remind you of a Dove Bar.
Let me know what you think and feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have.
Best regards,
Joe
I just can't bring myself to pay that much for a little itty bit of ice cream. (I think it is $5.99 or $6.99 a pint.) I suppose if I were living alone, were only concerned about myself, then I could think of things in that way -- but my whole family is low carbing! And, as I have said previously, they eat a lot! (grin) When it gets a little warmer here, I think I'll splurge and taste it on a nice sunny day. (It is cold and rainy here now.)
I assume that what Joe says about Keto also applies to the Pierre's ice cream because it does taste like there is less air.
I ate a bit of the Pierre's ice cream with low carb whipped cream and now I'm patiently waiting for the low carb chocolate or caramel sauce. Add a few nuts and it will seem like I never left high carb eating. (But I still only eat 300 calories or less a day of non-natural low carb foods! This means ice cream, cookies, pasta, etc. combined.)
If you have tried any of these products, please let me know your thoughts!