While the ice cream cone has been around since the early 19th century, not everything was meant to last forever. In the 21st century, we have the technology to create sturdier, even cuppier ice cream containers. Americans eat ice cream an average of 28.5 times per year, and not one of those times should end up with a scoop on the sidewalk because of inferior ice cream containers. It’s time the cone went the way of the dinosaur, beehive hairdos and slap-bracelets. The age of the ice cream cup has arrived!
1.Never dribble down your hand again.
Ice cream cups are specifically designed to hold your ice cream within its sides, unlike cones, which require you to balance your frozen treat like a circus performer. When ice cream in a cup melts, it simply waits for your spoon at the bottom of the cup. On the other hand as your coned ice cream melts it runs down that other hand, up your wrist, and into your shirt. When you’re trying to enjoy a gelato, you shouldn’t have to contort yourself, holding your food above your head and sticking out your tongue to catch that drip of melted dessert like it’s the first snowflake of winter. You should be able to savor that frozen dessert, to eat that dessert so slow that it stops being frozen. And then you should be able to use a straw. Bonus reason: Use a straw for your melted leftovers.
2.Don’t be expected to eat the dish.
Even if you manage to enjoy eating your icy cream from a cone without dribbles, there’s still the chore of eating the combination cardboard and cracker that is an ice cream cone. While your father cracks his teeth by munching happily away on his hardtack cone, muttering to himself about ‘back in the day’, feel free to toss your ice cream cup and spoon in the nearest recycling bin guilt-free. Why eat a stale graham cracker when you can have even more ice cream.
3.Ice cream cups are BIGGER.
Don’t hand me one of these little sugar cones with a dollop of soft-serve resting gently on the top! I need a cup piled so high I can barely see the little plastic spoon sticking out of the side of the cup. It needs to have weight to it. I want to get a workout carrying it back to my table from the ice cream buffet.
4.How are you supposed to put toppings on an ice cream cone?
Don’t even try saying that they stick in the ice cream. Everyone knows that even caramel and fudge slide down the side of the creamy frozen lumps as they melt. Only an ice cream cup can hold the half-cup of chocolate that a true dessert demands. Don’t even get me started with sprinkles, cookie dough, chocolate chips or strawberries.
5.Be ready to hit the road with a to go cup.
Okay, that’s a lot of toppings, maybe you shouldn’t eat that all in one go. Not a problem with a cup! Lid that sucker and bring it home to enjoy later with a spoon or straw. An ice cream cone isn’t going to fare well in a car. With ice cream cups and plastic spoons on the other hand, you can eat on the run with confidence that your shorts won’t end up looking like a Jackson Pollock. Throw in a paper straw and a lid and you can save your ice cream until it’s soup. Try doing that with a waffle cone!