Which ice creams are favored by Americans?

There's nothing better than indulging in a bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day.

And while exotic choices such as Boston Cream Pie (Ben & Jerry's), Birthday Party (Blue Bunny) and Amaretto Almond Crunch (Haagen-Dazs) might turn heads, vanilla and chocolate are still the nation's favorite ice cream flavors. Consumer Reports' trained testers recently tried 13 vanillas and 11 chocolates with varying amounts of fat.

Seven were rated excellent, six of which came from Haagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's; the seventh is Archer Farms Belgian Chocolate (Target), which offers a tasty alternative for about a third of the price of the other "excellent" choices. All are dense and creamy, with strong, high-quality flavors.

Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ($1.13 per half-cup serving) topped the list of vanillas, for having a big dairy and real vanilla taste. It comes at a price, though: 270 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving. Ben & Jerry's Vanilla ($0.97 per serving) and Haagen-Dazs Five Vanilla Bean ($1.13 per serving) took the other vanilla top spots. The Ben & Jerry's product has 230 calories and 14 grams of fat, while the Five Vanilla Bean has 220 calories and 11 grams of fat.

Among the "excellent" chocolates, Consumer Reports' testers found that Archer Farms Belgian has an intense, complex chocolate flavor enhanced by bits of dark chocolate. It has 230 calories and 14 grams of fat per serving.

Both Haagen-Dazs chocolates have a big dairy flavor. The Five Milk Chocolate ($1.11 per serving) has 220 calories and 12 grams of fat, while Haagen-Dazs regular chocolate ($1.16 per serving) has 260 categories and 17 grams of fat. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate ($1.02) has a strong chocolate flavor but is a touch icy, according to testers, and has 250 calories and 14 grams of fat.

Lower-rated ice creams are less creamy and less flavorful, with flaws such as an artificial taste or gumminess. According to testers, it seems to be harder to make a high-quality vanilla ice cream than a high-quality chocolate. The chocolate may help mask mistakes. In fact, 10 of the 11 chocolate ice creams tested earned a "recommended" rating.

For an alternative to the most expensive brands, try Archer Farms Belgian Chocolate ($0.33 per serving) or Walmart's Great Value chocolate ($0.23 per serving). Both are CR Best Buys and offer excellent or very good quality at a great price.

Deciphering the label

Light. If less than half its calories come from fat, a "light" food must have one-third fewer calories or half the fat of a stated comparison food. If half or more of its calories are from fat, a "light" food must have half the fat.

Low fat. A serving has three grams of fat or less.

Fat Free. A serving has less than 0.5 grams of fat.

Superpremium. A marketing term for ice cream with low overrun (translation: air) and lots of fat.

Slow churned. A process intended to give lower-fat products a creamier feel.

Fiber. No kidding: Some ice creams have two or three grams per serving, in part from added polydextrose, a fat replacer, and gums.

Half-gallon. Gotcha. Ice cream hasn't come in that size for a long time, and most containers have shrunk even more, from 1.75 quarts to 1.5 quarts. Blue Bunny is an exception. Haagen-Dazs has thinned from 16 fluid ounces (a pint) to 14.

Copyright 2010. Consumers Union of United States Inc.

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