Wouldn’t it be nice if you could enjoy a nice refreshing ice-cream on a hot summer day without having to constantly lick at it to keep it from dripping all over your hands? Well, thanks to Gastronaut ice Cream, now you can!
34-year-old Rob Collington, founder of Gastronaut Ice Cream, had always been a big fan of Astronaut Ice Cream, a freeze-dried ice cream sold at space museums and camping stores across the US. He has enjoyed eating it since he was a little boy, even though he admits it doesn’t very good, because it’s made with the cheapest ice-cream available and contains artificial ingredients. But it does have a big advantage over even the most delicious traditional ice cream – it doesn’t melt, no matter how hot the sun burns.
Photo: Gastronaut Ice Cream
As he grew up, Collington’s culinary tastes changed – he now prefers organic foods with no preservatives or food coloring – but he never forgot his favorite childhood treat. So one day he decided applying his current tastes to the Astronaut ice cream he loved so much as a kid would be a good idea. He quit his job as an office worker and spent three and a half years working on his own version of a natural, organic freeze-dried ice-cream, traveling over 20,000 miles across the United States, Mexico and Canada to try different kinds of Astronaut ice cream.
After gathering all the necessary know-how, Rob Collington created Gastronaut Ice Cream, a premium take on Astronaut Ice Cream which is made by freeze-drying “super-premium organic ice cream”. The freeze-drying process involves first freezing a food substance, then creating a powerful vacuum and adding heat which draws out the frozen liquid as vapor. Unlike regular ice cream, Gastronaut is room temperature and crumbles in your hand, but once you take a bite, it absorbs the moisture in your mouth and turns into “the exact same sweet and creamy ice cream you’ve known all your life – but with no brain freeze.”
Photo: Gastronaut Ice Cream
After a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, which has already raised over $35,000 of the $9,500 goal with 16 days to go, Collington is launching his Gastronaut ice cream online and in select stores in Brooklyn, New York, but plans to expand internationally in the near future.
Gastronaut ice cream is currently available in three flavors – Mexican Chocolate Chip, Cookies and Cream and Mint Chocolate Chip – and can be consumed anywhere, no matter how far you are from a freezer.
Photo: Gastronaut Ice Cream
“Anybody that appreciates quality food made with quality ingredients would enjoy Gastronaut Ice Cream,” Collington said. “When people try it – at first they like it, then they love it, then they become addicted.”
If you’re curious about this melt-proof ice-cream, you can get at least two bars of it at the discount price of $6 a piece by pledging at least $12 on Kickstarter. You’ll have to wait a while, though, as the estimated delivery time is October 2016.
