Tough Job, Ice Cream Taster
John Harison has been an ice cream taster for Dreyer's Ice Cream for 25 years. Harrison's passion for ice cream is comparable to Willy Wonka's love for chocolate. In those 25 years, he's sampled about 200 million gallons of ice cream and developed about 75 different ice cream flavors, including cookies and cream — the fifth most popular ice cream flavor.
Harrison even tested the old wives' tale that pregnant women like pickles and ice cream. He mixed the two ingredients together and served it to a sample group of 1,500 women in three different cities. "Many of them came back for seconds and thirds," he said. "But the bottom line was, 'We like our vanilla and we like our pickles, but not together.' So that one never got off first base."
Each day, he assesses 60 packages of ice cream for appearance, flavor and texture. He samples each ice cream like a wine taster, but he never swallows. "I've got to be as fresh on that 60th package as I am on the first," he said. "I don't swallow because if you swallow you get full, and if you get full it's like a Thanksgiving turkey dinner, and who wants desert?" On top of that, Harrison needs to keep his taste buds — insured for $1 million — in prime condition; that's why he avoids alcohol, tobacco products, caffeine, spicy food and anything else that could numb his taste buds.
"Friday night, I can let the hair down and have a little pepperoni pizza and garlic mashed potatoes," he said. "I back off on Sunday and get ready for that Monday morning tasting."
Keith Johnson, Deseret Morning News
John Harrison is official taste tester for Dreyer's ice cream.