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A little reason to celebrate

National Soft Ice Cream Day

Food · August 19

Soft serve ice cream, the smooth, airy kind that curls out of a machine into a cone, and the simple ways people enjoy it on a warm afternoon.

National Soft Ice Cream Day falls on Thursday, August 19, 2027. That is 296 days away.

Soft serve is ice cream that never quite sets hard. It comes out of a machine in a thick, smooth ribbon, and whoever is working the counter turns the cone so it stacks into a tidy curl with a little peak on top.

The texture comes from how it is made. The mix is frozen while it is churned, and air is worked in along the way. It is served a few degrees warmer than scooped ice cream, so it feels lighter and melts faster on the tongue. That is also why it starts dripping down the cone the moment you step outside.

The classic order is vanilla, chocolate or a twist of both. From there the choices pile up: a dip that hardens into a thin shell, a shake of sprinkles, a cup instead of a cone for anyone who eats slowly. Plenty of roadside stands, diners and fast food counters keep a machine running all summer, and some towns have a walk-up window that draws a line every warm evening.

Eating it well takes a bit of technique. Start at the base of the swirl, not the tip, and keep turning the cone as you go so the drips never get a head start. A napkin wrapped around the cone helps too.

The last bite is usually the bottom of the cone, where a small plug of soft serve has been pressed down inside and stayed cold.

Ways to celebrate

• Order a vanilla and chocolate twist cone from a local stand.
• Try a dipped cone and watch the coating harden.
• Share a cup of soft serve with a friend and compare toppings.
• Look for a walk-up ice cream window in your town.

Dates

All national days on August 19

Also on August 19

• National Potato Day
• National Aviation Day
• World Photo Day

Categories: Food days