How to spot good ice cream in the display case

In front of the display case you have a few seconds to decide. Fortunately, good ice cream gives a lot away at first glance. You just need to know where to look: at the colours, the shape, the tubs, the ingredient list and the range of flavours. None of these signs is foolproof, but together they give you a good picture.

The colour should match the ingredient

In 2024 Slovakia’s Chief Hygienist summed up the signs of good unpackaged ice cream like this: the smell, taste and colour should match the ingredients used, and the texture should be smooth, without ice crystals or lumps. The textbook by H. D. Goff (University of Guelph) also points out that excessive colouring suggests a cheaper product.

In practice that means muted, natural colours:

Examples of colours are given, among others, by the Italian equipment manufacturer Frigomeccanica. Take them as a guide – the colour also depends on the variety and ripeness of the fruit.

Colourings must be labelled

Some synthetic colourings (the azo dyes E 102, E 122, E 129 and others) must carry a warning that they may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. This applies to unpackaged ice cream too. According to the daily Pravda, which in 2025 quoted a report by the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic (ÚVZ SR), a missing azo dye warning was among the most common shortcomings in Slovak ice cream shops.

Low mounds and covered tubs

Tall, elaborately shaped mounds of ice cream in the display case look tempting. For ice cream to hold its shape like that at display-case temperature, it usually needs more air and more additives. Artisan shops tend to level the ice cream with the rim of the tub.

Some traditional gelaterias use pozzetti (also called carapine) – deep metal tubs with lids, set into the counter. You can’t see the ice cream at all, but it is protected from heat and light. It isn’t a condition of quality, but it does mean the shop is betting on taste rather than looks.

Surface and texture

Take a closer look and notice:

• a glossy, smooth surface – good ice cream shouldn’t look dry or dull,
• no frost or ice crystals on the surface – they can mean fluctuating temperatures or thawing,
• no “shrinking” – ice cream that has pulled away from the sides of the tub has lost air, often after temperature swings,
• sharp, clean edges after scooping.

Ingredient list and allergens

Even for unpackaged ice cream, allergen information must be available – this is required by EU Regulation No. 1169/2011. The shop may have it on a board, in a folder by the till, or the staff will tell you. If nobody can answer a question about allergens, that’s a bad sign.

The ingredient list, if available, reveals a lot:

• a good sign: a short list of recognisable ingredients – milk, cream, sugar, fruit, nuts,
• less good: “ice cream base”, “flavoured paste”, a long string of flavourings and colourings.

A powdered ice cream mix is a legal semi-finished product – the Czech Decree No. 397/2016 Sb. defines it as a product with no more than 4 % water. But it isn’t production from fresh ingredients.

Seasonality and the number of flavours

A shop that makes its ice cream from fresh fruit changes its range with the seasons. Strawberries in June, apricots and peaches in August, plums, pears or chestnuts in autumn. A fixed range of dozens of flavours all year round suggests ready-made pastes are behind it.

Less is often more. A small choice of flavours means the ice cream sells faster and doesn’t sit in the display case for long.

A clean shop

Quality isn’t only about taste. Unpackaged ice cream is a sensitive food, and both Slovak and Czech inspections repeatedly find bacteria in it that point to poor hygiene. A clean display case, counter and utensils, neat staff and ice cream shielded from the sun are therefore just as important as the colour. If a shop doesn’t look clean to you, buy your ice cream elsewhere.

Quick checklist

1. The colours are muted and match the ingredient.
2. The ice cream is levelled or in covered tubs, not in puffed-up mounds.
3. The surface is smooth, without frost.
4. Allergens are on display or the staff can list them.
5. The range changes with the seasons.
6. The shop looks clean.