The Real Reason You Should Be Trimming Your Ice Cream Containers

Not everyone finishes a whole tub of ice cream at once. Sure, stores now sell smaller tubs so that we have a bit more portion control, but that still doesn't mean you want to eat the whole thing. Perhaps you needed three flavors for a sundae or maybe your current nutrition needs only call for one scoop. No matter what the reason, many of us end up leaving ice cream in a freezer until it gets freezer burned.

Freezer burn is not exclusive to ice cream and can happen to any frozen food (via Healthline). Freezer burn happens when too much moisture leaves the food (or drink), usually after something has been frozen for a lengthy amount of time. The loss of water also results in a loss of volume, and this makes the food form ice crystals, shrivel up, or change color and become very dry and tough. The result is unpleasant-looking and unpleasant-tasting as well. 

Freezer burn turns ice cream into not-nice cream. Fortunately, there is a simple hack to fix this problem – and all you need is a pair of scissors, well, and a tub of partially eaten ice cream. 

In savvy CHOW Tips video, Paige Hansen explains that trimming your container down to the ice cream's level and then replacing the lid can help keep your frosty treat fresh for longer (via YouTube). The reason this tip helps avoid freezer burn is that one of the major factors is air exposure (via Chowhound). Cutting the carton also cuts down on the air inside of it. Apparently pleased with the tip, TigerClawsGO commented, "Hmm...and I always thought my freezer was too cold. Thanks!"

Not everyone is happy with this hack, however. YouTube user An lamented, "I no longer have an excuse to eat a carton of ice cream in one sitting." Neither do we, An, neither do we. As for the feasibility of the whole process, commenter Julius Vandeleur brought up a good point, asking, "Did you know that most ice cream containers are less wide at the base and or wide at the top?" We'll take this as an excuse to finish what ice cream remains if the lid and container no longer match up.

Whatever your technique, freezer burn is no fun and this trick might just save you a treat when you need it most.