Follow along as we break down the most popular frozen desserts and what they mean for your health.

Frozen Yogurt

Ah, froyo! It’s such a trendy dessert. We’ve seen frozen yogurt shops like Sweet Frog, Yogurtland and Pinkberry crop up in almost every city, touting their low-fat, sugar-free or non-fat offerings. Ounce-per-ounce, the average chocolate frozen yogurt has half the calories and a third of the total fat of the typical chocolate ice cream. But before you head straight to your local froyo place, be aware that any extra toppings can add diet-busting empty calories.

However, getting more yogurt in your diet can add live bacteria, or probiotics, having a positive impact on overall health. Probiotics help with digestion and your immune system. Some companies include live and active bacteria in their frozen yogurt recipe—but watch out, because many brands don’t. Freezing seems to reduce the good bacteria count a little, so for the biggest bang, eat regular yogurt.

Pro tip: For a healthy choice, we recommend making this Frozen Berry & Yogurt Swirls recipe using low-fat yogurt that contains live bacteria.

Low-Fat Ice Cream

Halo Top, Arctic Circle—and even Breyer’s—are all offering low-calorie, low-fat alternatives to ice cream. When compared to traditional ice creams, Halo Top offers about a quarter of the calories of Ben & Jerry’s or Haagen-Dazs flavors. The brand also offers a fraction of the fat. It’s worth noting that Halo Top, in particular, sweetens their flavors using organic stevia, a sugar-free product. That’s a win for diabetics and eco-friendly consumers.

Heads up: Because many of these ice creams are sold in personal pint-sized containers, you may end up overindulging by accident. Think: An entire pint of Halo Top ice cream can add up to 300 calories (and 10g of fat). That’s just like eating a Butterfinger candy bar! If you prefer to make your own ice cream, and control the ingredients, learn how to make homemade ice cream or how to make ice cream in a bag.

Gelato

Borrowed from the boot country, Italy, gelato is ice-cream’s richer and more densely flavored cousin. Gelato typically offers fewer calories, less sugar and lower fat content per serving than ice cream. The typical 3.5 oz. serving of vanilla gelato contains 90 calories and 3 grams of fat, compared to 125 calories and 7 grams of fat in the average vanilla ice cream. However, because this is a fairly dense dessert, those calories can stack up fast. Portion control is a must if you plan on digging into this cool dessert when you’re on a diet.

In regard to added sugar, it’s important to note that gelato varieties are often made using real fruit or fruit juice. Some might consider the addition of natural fruit ingredients to be of nutritional value, but remember that fruit may increase the amount carbohydrates (that’s sugars) per serving. Always check the nutrition label first if you’re concerned.

Don’t miss our full list of frozen treats from around the world!

The Final Verdict

Which frozen dessert is healthiest? It depends on what you call “healthy.” Each option has its benefits and a few pitfalls to look out for. Here’s what we’ve concluded:

• If you’re counting calories: Low-fat ice cream may be your best best. Just make sure you scoop out a small portion!
• If you’re a fan of flavor: Just small serving of gelato may satisfy your sweet tooth without wrecking your diet.
• If you’re looking for extra benefits: The probiotics found in certain frozen yogurt brands can have some pay-offs for your health.

We’d gladly tack on a few extra calories if it means sharing a homemade dessert with the people we love!

The post Frozen Yogurt, Gelato or Low-Fat Ice Cream: Which Is Healthiest? appeared first on Taste Recipes.

When you open the fridge to grab a slice of cheesecake, the last thing you want is to be hit by a weird smell. Even worse, that stench can affect the flavor of your food—it’s a phenomenon known as taste transfer, and baking soda is one way to stop it. Here, we tell you more about how to deodorize a refrigerator in a few simple tips. Follow them, and you’ll preserve the enticing flavor of your cheesecake treats and other edibles for much longer.

Start with a Cleanup

Remove everything from your refrigerator. Check expiration dates on prepackaged foods and throw out anything that’s out-of-date. If you have funky smelling leftovers, toss those, too, along with any soft or spoiled produce.

Give the refrigerator a thorough cleaning. Getting into all those nooks and crannies to remove any lingering odor-causing spills.

Prefer to avoid chemical cleaners? Lemons, as well as more baking soda, can be used to clean and deodorize many appliances. When combined, these two agents not only help eliminate odors but add a fresh lemony scent.

If the odor problem is still present, you may need to give your refrigerator time to air out. This can take a few hours to several days, depending on the severity of the problem. Remove all food, providing proper cold storage, to prevent spoilage. Unplug the refrigerator, and after a thorough cleaning leave the door standing open to the fresh air. You may want to place baking soda, lemons, charcoal or cat litter inside to absorb any stubborn lingering odors.

Prevent Odors from Returning

Check leftovers every few days—they don’t last forever. Throw out anything with a pungent odor, mold or signs of spoilage. Wipe down the shelves. Do this before grocery shopping and you will also be removing shelving clutter, leaving more room and clean shelves for the newly purchased food.

Refrigerators are manufactured with proper food temperatures in mind. By organizing foods properly, you maintain their freshness as long as possible, which helps to keep odors at a minimum. Use the door for condiments, juice, butter, eggs, oils and soda. The meat bin is made for deli meats, bacon and cheese. Crisper drawers are for produce and usually allow you to set the humidity level according to the fruits and vegetables on hand. The lower shelf is great for fish, raw meat and poultry. The upper shelf is perfect for leftovers; place them in front within easy reach. Use or discard leftovers before they begin to spoil.

Spills inside a refrigerator are unavoidable. Taking the time to clean up any mishaps as soon as they happen is an important step in preventing odors which could require a deeper cleaning later on.

Avoid Odor Transfer

Some of our favorite foods, such as salmon, garlic mashed potatoes and French onion soup can also become sources of bad smells if we are not careful. By storing leftovers in tightly sealed containers, you can protect other foods from odor and taste transfer while ensuring that slice of chocolate swirled cheesecake you’ve been saving will taste as delicious as you imagined it would.

The post Learn How to Deodorize a Refrigerator and Stop Embarrassing Odors appeared first on Taste Recipes.