Artisanal astronaut ice cream is one giant leap for tastebuds
Astronaut ice cream (whose actual journey into space is widely questioned) is that freeze-dried brick you bought on your eighth grade field trip to the space museum. It tasted like cardboard dipped in strawberry cough syrup.
Now there's a Kickstarter aimed at delivering not only the freeze-dried cool factor but also delicious goods.
Gastronaut Ice Cream's Kickstarter, run by creator Robert Collignon, promises all the fun of astronaut ice cream with a huge improvement: taste.
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Instead of using the inexpensive, lackluster ingredients found in traditional astronaut ice cream, Collignon freeze-dries "super-premium organic ice cream." The high-end ingredients (Collignon tells Mashable he works with Brooklyn's Blue Marble Ice Cream) purportedly deliver the signature crumbly texture of astronaut ice cream with premium ice cream taste.
Expect flavors like peanut butter chocolate chip, Mexican chocolate chip (Collignon's personal favorite) and cookies and cream, with the possibility of non-dairy bars on the horizon.
The Kickstarter campaign, which started on July 11, exceeded its goal of $9,500 and by July 22 had made more than $29,000. The funding to bring the product to market is continuing through Aug. 11. If you really love the idea of a pantry filled with ice cream, the highest level of contribution is $300 for 60 Gastronaut bars. Bars will retail for $6 each, though those bought during the Kickstarter campaign are $5 per.
The bars procured through the Kickstarter campaign are expected to ship October 2016.
Gastronaut Ice Cream is best enjoyed within three years from the date it's made, but with no refrigeration necessary, that could see you through your next several promotions while having the coolest snack drawer in the office.
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Sarah Spigelman Richter is a contributor to Mashable's Food channel. Sarah covers everything edible, from the food industry to D.I.Y. recipes. She was previously the community manager for Tastemade NYC and her writing has been seen on The Today Show's food blog, Refinery 29, the Food Network, and Gothamist. She has also developed recipes for Tabasco and other nationally recognized brands and has blogged for 5 years at "Fritos and Foie Gras." Sarah is obsessed with "Orphan Black" and chili-cheese Fritos and is still depressed that Loehmann's closed.
