If you’ve been to a space museum as a kid or even a camping store recently, odds are good you know what freeze-dried ice cream is.
For those that haven’t tried it, “astronaut ice cream” is chalky and resembles a dry sponge. The novelty is singularly what makes the experience enjoyable, because the flavors in the stuff taste about as good as the bottom of your shoe.
That’s precisely what Robert Collignon’s brainchild, Gastronaut Ice Cream, aims to change.
Launched as a Kickstarter campaign, the goal for Gastronaut Ice Cream is to mass produce what are essentially artisanal freeze-dried ice cream bars.
Collignon says he wants the bars to be both a great-tasting and organic snack.
Based in Brooklyn (because, of course), Collignon creates his bars using locally made “super-premium organic ice cream” that he slices into rectangles while frozen, pops into a freeze-dryer for a day, and then adds sea salt.
He says the astronaut ice cream of yore didn’t taste good because the producers of it “start[ed] with the cheapest ice cream imaginable.”
We tried three of the flavors Gastronaut Ice Cream makes. We got our hands on Mexican Chocolate, Cookies and Cream and Mint Chocolate Chip. The first thing we noticed is that the bars look exactly like the photos Collignon has on the Kickstarter ― a good sign.
The taste is certainly much better than any freeze-dried ice cream we’ve had in the past. Both the Cookies and Cream and Mint Chocolate Chip were salty at first bite, but not overwhelmingly so. The Mexican Chocolate had a pleasant aftertaste of salt. The milkiness and creaminess of each bar as you let them melt in your mouth is quite nice. They’re the texture of a cracker with the flavor of a candy bar.
All three taste like the flavor they intend to taste like, with the Mint Chocolate Chip also smelling profoundly like mint.
Our only complaint is the size. The expected retail price is $6 and at that price-point, we’d like something a little more substantial.
It’s also a very light snack (seriously, it’s barely heavier than a piece of paper), so if you’re looking for a substitute for a Snicker’s, this probably isn’t it. The upswing is that each bar is roughly around 100 calories, Collignon told us in an email.
Though he hasn’t done a full nutritional analysis just yet, based on the weight of ice cream that’s the expected caloric value.
“One of the benefits of freeze-drying is that it makes a healthy portion go a long way towards satisfying your craving,” he said.
The Kickstarter campaign launched on July 11 and has exceeded its goal of $9,500 five times over as of Aug. 3. You can still donate and snag bars of your own as rewards for pledging until Aug. 11.
Gastronaut Ice Cream is definitely a tasty alternative to other sweet snacks and great for when you’re on-the-go, but as a substitute for real ice cream?
Well, we’ll have to tell you later. We have a date with Ben... and Jerry.
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