Ice Cream Cones
Food historians have debunked the story that ice cream cones were invented at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, but they haven’t yet been able to determine when they did originate. Horn-shaped wafers filled with ice cream, called “cornets,” appear to have been served nearly 100 years earlier in Paris, while dessert wafers, rolled or flat, date back to the Middle Ages. We tasted five supermarket sugar cones and waffle cones (after much debate, we decided to save cup-style “cake” cones for another day), both plain and filled with vanilla ice cream.
Despite their name, “sugar” cones are no sweeter than “waffle” cones. While the ingredients are similar, sugar cones are smaller and symmetrical. Waffle cones hold more ice cream and have an angled, wrapped opening and a more pronounced “waffle” texture. Sold in boxes of 12, the cones came nested in foam clamshells and sealed in plastic bags to preserve freshness.
Tasters preferred cones that were less sweet, for better contrast with the sweet ice cream. We set aside ice cream–filled cones for 20 minutes in 74-degree weather and found that all stayed commendably crisp and leak-free, even as the ice cream turned soupy. Our favorite cone even comes with its own paper jacket to help keep things neat. While we recommend all five products, we listed them in order of (slight) preference.
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Magic Chocolate Swirl Ice Cream -
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Magic Strawberry Ice Cream -
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Magic Vanilla Ice Cream
| Product Tested | Origin | Price* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highly Recommended | |||
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Columela Extra Virgin Olive OilOur favorite premium extra-virgin olive oil from a previous tasting, Columela is composed of a blend of intense Picual, mild Hojiblanca, Ocal, and Arbequina olives. This oil took top honors for its fruity flavor and excellent balance. Tasters praised its “big olive aroma, big olive taste” with a “buttery” flavor that is “sweet” and “full,” with a “peppery finish.” One taster said: “It’s very green and fresh—like a squeezed olive.” Another simply wrote: “Fantastic.” |
Spain | $19 for 17 oz |
| Recommended | |||
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Lucini Italia Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive OilTasters noted this oil’s flavor was “much deeper than the other samples,” describing it as “fruity, with a slight peppery finish,” “buttery undertones,” and a “clean, green taste” that was “aromatic, with a good balance.” “It has the flavor that some good EVOOs have,” said one admiring taster. |
Italy | $19.99 for 500 ml ($39.98 per liter) |
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Colavita Extra Virgin Olive OilVirtually tied for second place, this oil was deemed “round and buttery,” with a “light body” and flavor that was “briny and fruity,” “very fine and smooth,” and “almost herbal,” with “great balance.” “Good olive flavor. I could smell it and taste it,” approved one taster. In a word, “pleasant.” |
Italy | $17.99 for 750 ml ($23.98 per liter) |
| Recommended with Reservations | |||
|
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive OilA clear step down from the top oils, tasters noted “overall mild” flavor and “very little aroma,” with only a “hint of green olive” and a “hint of spiciness at the end.” In pasta, it was initially “not complex,” but gradually “bloomed in your mouth.” Overall, it was “worthy of a second bite.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $12.49 for 750 ml ($16.65 per liter) |
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Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive OilWhile some tasters found this oil “sweet” and “buttery” with “medium body” and “slight spice at the end,” others complained that it had “zero olive flavor” and was “so floral it’s almost like eating perfume”; still others noted a “bitter” aftertaste. In pasta, it was “extremely mild” to the point of being “boring.” |
Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia | $10.99 for 750 ml ($14.65 per liter) |
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Goya Extra Virgin Olive OilComments: The best comments tasters could muster were “mild” and “neutral.” Some liked it on pasta (though one called it “Snoozeville”), but complaints were myriad: “metallic,” “soapy,” “briny,” “hints of dirt.” Carped one taster, “I can’t imagine what is in here, but they have a nerve calling it EVOO.” |
Spain | $13.99 for 1 liter |
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