There’s A Surprising Reason Why You Can’t Buy Dippin’ Dots At The Grocery Store

Growing up, every time I was brought along on a trip to the mall, I would insist on stopping by the Dippin' Dots kiosk for the very special frozen dessert. Though I was aware that it was a rare treat, it never occurred to me to wonder why Dippin' Dots wasn't stocked in our grocery store's freezer aisle along with all the other ice creams, sorbets, and frozen yogurts. According to Thrillist, it did, however, occur to a Reddit user by the name of Ihatethemuffinman, which is why they recently posted the answer in the Today I Learned subreddit. The Dippin' Dots' website actually answers the question in its FAQs section, and the reason might surprise you. Apparently, Dippin' Dots must be stored at a temperature of -40 degrees Fahrenheit in order to keep the dots intact. Seeing as standard freezers are usually set to about 0 degrees, Dippin' Dots just can't survive in them. Another Reddit user made the comment, "They were so busy inventing The Ice Cream of the Future that they didn't bother to invent the freezer of the future." This hilarious and snarky observation is pretty typical of Reddit, but it's not entirely true. According to Thrillist, in 2013, the company started providing special freezers to convenience stores, and now-a-days you can even get the dots shipped directly to your front door. Redditor TemetNosce, says when you order it to your home, you receive a standard styrofoam cooler that comes filled with 1/3 dry ice, 1/3 Dippin' Dots, and 1/3 air. To get an order of 30 Dippin' Dots cups sent to your home, you have to pay around $70, Thrillist reports. I want to know how much it would cost to just go ahead and install one of those special freezers in my kitchen so I never have to step foot in a mall again.