The Disturbing Reason Why Your Ice Cream Sandwich Refuses To Melt

What’s the best kind of sandwich? If you didn’t respond with “ice cream sandwich,” you’re in the wrong. Sure, it’s technically a dessert, but it’s still a sweet, sweet sandwich. Now…the bad news: There’s a lot going on in an ice cream sandwich that you might not know about. For one, there’s a reason why an ice cream sandwich doesn’t melt the same way other ice cream does.

Most of the ice cream that you buy at the store contains emulsifiers, which are used in many types of processed food in order to help stabilize it. Emulsifiers specifically bind water to fat and help ice cream keep its texture, so that your ice cream sandwich doesn’t turn into soup in the sun. This has never been a secret — ingredients like guar gum, calcium sulfate, and carob bean gum are emulsifiers that have always been included on food packages. While it’s not the case with ice cream sandwiches, egg yolk is often a popular emulsifier as well.

So, are they safe? Unless you plan on scarfing down a ton of ice cream sandwiches, they’re fine.

Guar gum, in particular, comes from legumes, and according to FoodBeast, is only questioned while being used as a weight loss aid. The phrase “everything in moderation” makes a bunch of sense here.

Even without the emulsifiers, you can argue that nobody ever looked at an ice cream sandwich and referred to it as health food. For the record, a lot of ice cream snacks and ice cream pints tubs have them too. In general, it’s just good to know what you’re eating, and have an answer if someone asks you why your delicious ice cream sandwich is keeping its famous form.

Are you now craving an ice cream sandwich? Don’t worry — we’ve got your back with this Oreo churro ice cream sandwich:

This is the perfect summer treat.