RDQOTD: Ever received ice cream that was shipped to your house?

[Midpack]

Anyone ever actually received ice cream shipped to your home? How’d it go? Melting is an obvious issue, refreezing isn’t a solution. But I wonder if dry ice is so cold it could damage the product as well.

We get offers for flavors that are only available online, but we’re afraid to try it as the minimum is 5 pints and that’s not cheap as it’s very high end ice cream. Not to mention 5 pints is way more than we’d ordinarily buy, by about 4 pints…

Here's what they say:

Our ice creams are packed in an insulated box with enough dry ice to keep them perfectly frozen (at -109.3°F to be exact) well into the evening of the delivery date. We’ve been shipping for over 15 years. We’ve got this. Guaranteed.

All sales are final. If your ice cream doesn’t arrive perfectly frozen, we’ll reship the order at our cost.

It suggests even if they drop on your porch, as long as you retrieve it on the delivery date, the ice cream will be fine?

 

[MarieIG]

Never! But if it is a delivery service that just drops off on your porch without ringing the bell, you would need to be on the alert.

I would contact the provider directly to ask about shipping - as different sellers may take different precautions.

 

[braumeister]

We're fortunate to have a local company, (Graeter's) that makes IMO the best ice cream in the world.
I've sent packages of it to friends all over the country, and they have never received it in anything but top condition. Not at all cheap, but guaranteed.

 

[latexman]

I worked in an ice cream plant many, many years ago. It was rare that we had to ship ice cream very far, but it happened occasionally. We used dry ice to keep it frozen.

 

[pacergal]

If they guarantee to re-send your order if it does not arrive frozen, what do you have to lose by ordering to try it?
The only problem would be if the 5 pints is too much, it may get freezer burned if not eaten soon enough.

 

[oldphd]

Yup, works fine. Braumeister mentioned Graeters, local to the Cincy area where we lived for decades. There's also a local restaurant called Montgomery Inn (actually 2 or 3 locations, I forget, I would go to 2, the original in Montgomery which was not far from our house and the Boathouse which is near downtown on the river, the one in Anderson burned down decades ago, IIRC) that serves ribs with a signature sauce as a specialty of the house. There is a mail order place called Cincy Favorites that will overnight those items, among others. Since moving away, we've been gifted a package containing ribs (cooked and then frozen), sauce, and ice cream several times. We've also ordered for others while we still lived there (my sister and parents who lived in other cities). Can't say how many orders all together but easily in the double digits, maybe 20+, and never had any problem, everything frozen solid on arrival. Enjoy!

A side note, unrelated to the shipping, but some may find funny. One of my high school classmates was a Graeter (the family name), and she lived across the street from a good friend of mine. On Halloween, her dad would come straight from the local branch, about a mile or so from her house, with a bunch of malts. Probably 30-40. You needed to know they were coming and be ready to pounce, pretty much only the close by neighbor kids got them, I got one when I was with my friend one time. They went fast!

 

[jazz4cash]

If they guarantee to re-send your order if it does not arrive frozen, what do you have to lose by ordering to try it?
The only problem would be if the 5 pints is too much, it may get freezer burned if not eaten soon enough.

This! Pretty sure shipment tracking would be available to avoid surprises. OP really should place an order and report back to the group.

 

[MichaelB]

I’ve not bought ice cream online but I have bought many other perishable foods. It’s always shipped 2 day express, wrapped in thermo foil, with ice packs and dry ice around the foil, and shipped in a styrofoam container. The internal temp in the package never gets so low as to damage the food. The dry ice is itself wrapped. I think there is a low likelihood of damage from the dry ice.

This is a good time of year to buy. Mid summer temps are very high, and can pass 100 inside shipping and distribution centers and delivery trucks. There is much greater risk of too high temperatures than too low.

 

[Lewis Clark]

I’ve not bought ice cream online but I have bought many other perishable foods.

We have mail ordered Danish Kringle (a type of pastry) from O & H Danish Bakery many times. It arrives just fine.

O&H Danish Bakery - Danish Kringle Bakery in Racine Wisconsin

Our Danish Kringles are the pride of Racine! Stop into any one of our five locations in Wisconsin: Racine, Oak Creek & Sturtevant. Order online or over the phone today!

www.ohdanishbakery.com

 

[Texas Proud]

I agree that is should be fine...

Many years ago a vendor sent frozen turkeys to a bunch of us... I did not go in my front door very often... so I was at work and others started talking about the turkey... say what

Got home that night and it was on my front porch... lucky for me it is in the shade so no sun on it... it was still frozen and the packaging looked like it could go another day...

 

[disneysteve]

DD has ordered ice cream from GoPuff without any issues.

 

[Midpack]

If they guarantee to re-send your order if it does not arrive frozen, what do you have to lose by ordering to try it?
The only problem would be if the 5 pints is too much, it may get freezer burned if not eaten soon enough.

This! Pretty sure shipment tracking would be available to avoid surprises. OP really should place an order and report back to the group.

Done, we ordered 5 pints, we’ll see. As for 5 pints, we’ll put them in ziplock bags to further keep air out and hopefully they’ll survive in the freezer for 4-8 weeks…

 

[audreyh1]

Home freezers aren’t usually as cold as commercial freezers. Hard to believe sealed ice cream would suffer over 8 weeks unless the freezer temps aren’t steady.

 

[braumeister]

5 pints would last 5 days here. That's why I rarely buy it.

 

[Koolau]

Yeah, 5 pints sounds like a binge week-end to me, but YMMV.

We used to buy from the Schwan Man right off the truck. But I see that they have changed hands and are no longer going to deliver frozen food as of this month. Bummer.

 

[folivier]

A pint is a single serving for DW and me. So 5 pints, that's maybe a week.
In Colorado we're an hour from the nearest grocery. We use a 12 volt freezer in the car to get ice cream back frozen. At our city condo there are multiple grocery stores nearby.
Haven't tried having ice cream shipped. Probably won't as long as Blue Bell is still available.

 

[savory]

We have mail ordered Danish Kringle (a type of pastry) from O & H Danish Bakery many times. It arrives just fine.

O&H Danish Bakery - Danish Kringle Bakery in Racine Wisconsin

Our Danish Kringles are the pride of Racine! Stop into any one of our five locations in Wisconsin: Racine, Oak Creek & Sturtevant. Order online or over the phone today!

www.ohdanishbakery.com

A long time fan of O&H and shipping works fine. They have been shipping all over the USA for years.

If you are flexible with your choice of flavor or do not mind waiting until it arrives, Trader Joe’s has it on the shelf. I have also seen it at Stew Leonards during the Festive Season. But, if you pass through Racine WI be sure to stop.

 

[savory]

We shipped Kopps Frozen Custard in Milwaukee. The frozen custard arrived without a problem. It’s not inexpensive but the opportunity of enjoying one of our special treat foods, for our special occasion, made ir worth the price.

Culver the WI chain sells custard but it ain’t Kopps.

 

[Koolau]

A pint is a single serving for DW and me. So 5 pints, that's maybe a week.
In Colorado we're an hour from the nearest grocery. We use a 12 volt freezer in the car to get ice cream back frozen. At our city condo there are multiple grocery stores nearby.
Haven't tried having ice cream shipped. Probably won't as long as Blue Bell is still available.

Whoa! An HOUR to a grocery? So probably longer to an emergency room? As I age, I like things closer - not further away, but YMMV.

 

[MichaelB]

Done, we ordered 5 pints, we’ll see. As for 5 pints, we’ll put them in ziplock bags to further keep air out and hopefully they’ll survive in the freezer for 4-8 weeks…

Good! Now, if you don’t mind, would you give us an update as you consume the ice cream?

 

[athena53]

We're fortunate to have a local company, (Graeter's) that makes IMO the best ice cream in the world.
I've sent packages of it to friends all over the country, and they have never received it in anything but top condition. Not at all cheap, but guaranteed.

Ah, I went to college in Cincinnati and haven't seen that name in ages! Glad they're still in business. Sorry I don't have anything to contribute to the original question but I'd be wary, too.

 

[folivier]

But a short ride on a helicopter.

 

[audreyh1]

What ice cream did you order?

 

[FI_RElater]

Yup, works fine. Braumeister mentioned Graeters, local to the Cincy area where we lived for decades. There's also a local restaurant called Montgomery Inn (actually 2 or 3 locations, I forget, I would go to 2, the original in Montgomery which was not far from our house and the Boathouse which is near downtown on the river, the one in Anderson burned down decades ago, IIRC) that serves ribs with a signature sauce as a specialty of the house.

I was coming off the Beechmont exit of 275 and saw it BURNING

The indicated back then that they wouldn't re-open, as the Boathouse and original locations were doing well enough. A bit later a Tony Romas rib place opened up, but closed some time after we corporate relocated. (Apparently there is some sort of a restaurant in there now)

 

[Midpack]

My 5 pints of ice cream is scheduled to arrive this afternoon from Nashville TN - their HQ is Columbus, OH? Since I ordered, I realized they have scoop shops in many states, and don't make it in store. So they ship product to 28 scoop shops every day, and hundreds of grocery stores, without issue. Obviously larger quantities than my order, but nowhere near enough to be (reefer) truck load quantities at scoop shops or grocery stores, so I am sure they're capable.