Anyone who’s ever had a frozen Thin Mint knows that some things simply taste better frozen. On the other hand, you don’t want to take a bite of a frozen Snickers bar if you value your teeth.
We haven’t completely isolated which qualities make something taste better when it’s frozen (though we strongly suspect chocolate and mint have something to do with it). However, we do have a list of foods that we can verify taste great frozen. Here’s our list. Let us know if we missed anything.
1. Grapes
Frozen grapes taste pretty much like candy. A handful of frosty grapes on a sunny day is one of the best treats out there.
Grapes are high in sugar, so you shouldn’t go nuts with them, but they are healthier than the average sweet treat. They have Vitamin K, copper, and Vitamin B-6, and a cup of them has less than 100 calories.
2. York Peppermint Patties
Through our extensive taste-testing, we did notice one truism. Minty chocolate is elevated to an even higher level when it’s frozen.
York Peppermint Patties are great, but so are Junior Mints and Andes Creme de Menthe Thins. We have yet to find a chocolate and mint combination that doesn’t taste as good or better when it’s frozen.
3. Bananas
Plain bananas will cool you down if you freeze them, but they don’t have a ton of flavor. So if you want this healthy option for a frozen snack, we recommend doing one of two things.
Dip the banana in melted chocolate before freezing it. When frozen, the hard chocolate shell mixes with the slight banana taste to make an awesome dessert.
If you want less of a mess, you can cut slices of banana and smear them with peanut butter. This adds a slight salty boost to the banana taste.
4. Pop-Tarts
It seems counterintuitive that freezing something that is meant to be toasted would make it taste better. After all, freezing a piece of bread does not make it a dessert.
However, Pop-Tarts, particularly the chocolate-flavored varieties, taste amazing from the freezer. They also don’t crumble into a zillion pieces when you eat them.
5. Raspberries
We’re trying to be a good influence by bringing the list back to fruit every so often. In this case, it’s not just for health reasons, it’s also for the taste.
Freezing raspberries is a particularly good idea once they’ve ripened and you haven’t quite finished them. Before they can start to grow cobwebs of mold, toss them in the freezer. They’ll last as long as you need them to and they’ll be as sweet and tart as any Bomb Pop.
6. Mint Leaves
Sometimes we use mint in a recipe and leave the remainder in the fridge until it slowly turns black. Now, we have a better way to use the leftovers.
Put the mint in a water-filled ice cube try and you’ll preserve it for much longer. Then, when it’s time to enjoy a mint julep or mojito, you’ve got specially made ice to give your cocktail a minty punch.
