
During the New England Ice Cream eating tour, Chris, Amy and I sampled vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce at all 50 ice cream stands. We were surprised to find that the overwhelming majority (~80%) served canned hot fudge sauce with absolutely no homemade attributes. It is surprising that all of these places put so much labor and love into their ice cream, and in several spots, ice cream cones, that they would leave the hot fudge sauce to someone else. Exceptional homemade sauce can elevate average tasting ice cream to new highs, yet, canned versions can detract from a fresh and innovative flavor.
Other than convenience, I don’t have any explanation for the canned hot fudge sauce phenomenon, but it would be great if you could share some thoughts with us.