Nothing wrong with vanilla, but here’s something different

Devil’s Footprints & Moose Tracks: Ice cream names worth explaining

Image: Sebastian Coman Photography

Ice cream flavors are usually named after their main ingredients because, quite simply, that helps customers know what they are asking for. But, every now and then, ice cream stores come up with a flavor so special and different that a new name must be created to capture the experience of tasting it. The following ten are examples of such cases, where names as unusual as "Devil’s Footprints" or "Secret Breakfast" are part of the menu. Browse through and see for yourself if you would dare to try any of these!

Image: Markus Spiske

As weird as it seems, Moose Tracks is a branded ice cream flavor that is manufactured by different companies under various brands. The Original Moose Tracks product description is: "vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and famous Moose Tracks fudge." The "moose tracks" are the fudge bits mixed into the vanilla ice cream, resembling the animal’s footprints.

Image: Alison Marras

Perhaps not the most tempting name for an ice cream flavor, Cold Sweat can be found at Sunni Sky's Homemade Ice Cream in Angier, North Carolina. This dubious treat is packed with hot peppers and hot sauce, making it a challenging flavor that will have you reaching for water after the first lick.

Image: ABHISHEK HAJARE

Canadians have their own way of doing many things and ice cream is no exception. Tiger Tail is an orange-flavored ice cream with a black licorice swirl. As you might imagine, it is named for its resemblance to orange and black tiger stripes.

Tiger tail is most popular in parts of Canada and not often found elsewhere. It is a distinctly flavored ice cream, considered a retro flavor, and it has seen a nostalgia-driven resurgence in recent years.

Image: Michelle Tsang

Just to clarify: yes, it is "parakeet," as in the bird. An ice cream store in Japan, Torimi Cafe, offers a line of bird-inspired flavors: Java Sparrow, Parakeet, and Cockatiel. The cafe team claims they came up with the taste of the birds based on the type of food the birds eat, but also adding ingredients that simulate the same sensation of actually having those types of birds in your mouth.

Fortunately, according to the cafe, the ingredients made to create these ice cream flavors are all-natural. In a statement, the Torimi Cafe said "Once in your mouth, the aroma of a parakeet would spread intensely."

Image: Carlos Liendo

Ice cream is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a Thanksgiving Dinner. But at The Ice Cream Store, in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, it is.

As it should be, this specialty is seasonal, and it is made with vanilla ice cream studded with tomatoes, potatoes, and green beans, then topped off with hot sauce and granulated sugar.

Image: Lama Roscu

It’s very rare for someone buying ice cream to be asked to prove their age. But, if you ask for a Ghost Pepper ice cream at The Ice Cream Store in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (yes, the same place we have just talked about), that is exactly what will happen.

The dessert could easily be mistaken for vanilla, topped with strawberry sauce—both of which provide the base flavors for the creation—but one bite quickly proves otherwise. The ice cream contains three ghost pepper-based hot sauces, a jalapeño-based hot sauce, and a ghost pepper mash. Once considered the hottest pepper in the world, the ghost pepper packs 1 million Scoville units of heat.

Image: kartubi ahmad

An ice cream idea born from a competition, the Blue Mint is a peppermint ice cream dyed blue with white chocolate chunks and chocolate cookie pieces. It was conceived by a student at Utah State University and was developed in their laboratory. The original name was Aggie Iceberg, but with the addition of chocolate cookie chips, the iceberg concept was replaced.

Image: Thomas Park

The ice cream version of a clown is aptly named, Krusty the Cone—an ice cream flavor inspired by Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons. The base flavor is a simple vanilla soft-serve ice cream, but it's topped with cotton candy, cotton candy sauce, and rainbow sprinkles for its flamboyant appearance. An ice cream as sweet as it comes, for sure.

Image: Dylan Ferreira

A daring name indeed, the Devil's Footprints flavor is named after a local landmark in Trinity, Canada. Partridge berries give the ice cream its eye-catching hue, and they are hand-picked from the nearby Bonavista Peninsula. Partridge berries impart a tart and slightly sweet flavor, giving the ice cream a refreshing and fruity taste.

Image: K8

Having ice cream for breakfast is an odd choice, but adding a shot of bourbon to the mix is even stranger. Humphry Slocombe’s Secret Breakfast combines bourbon ice cream with crunchy cornflakes (we suspect that this is where the "breakfast" part comes from), and it’s one of the most popular scoops on the menu.

Stop! You’ve been using these 11 objects the wrong way

Image: Diana Polekhina

We use countless objects daily without questioning their design, yet many have hidden features or were meant for entirely different purposes. From kitchen tools to bananas, here are 11 everyday items you might be using all wrong—or that at least have surprising secrets built in.

Image: Anastasia Nikitina

Yes, toothpaste was always intended to clean and polish teeth, but its mild abrasives make it effective for cleaning jewelry, removing stains from clothing, and even defogging mirrors.

Interestingly, the first toothpaste-like substance dates back to ancient Egypt, where a blend of pumice and vinegar was used for oral care. Modern toothpaste, which includes ingredients like baking soda—another household staple—explains why it’s so effective on surfaces beyond just teeth.

Image: Markus Winkler

That hole in your pasta spoon isn’t just for draining water; it can also help measure a perfect portion of dry spaghetti!

A single serving of spaghetti is about the amount that fits through the hole. This design prevents cooking too much or too little, though not all pasta spoons have holes large enough for accurate measuring.

Image: engin akyurt

The latch inside gas pump nozzles was originally designed to shut off fuel flow automatically when the tank is full, not to hold the pump open.

Modern pumps use this mechanism as a safety feature, preventing spills and overflows. In some places, using the latch to hold the nozzle open is even illegal due to fire risks.

Image: Karsten Winegeart

Those metal loops on the back of grocery cart seats aren’t just for show—they’re designed to hold plastic bags with fragile items.

Hanging lighter bags here prevents them from being crushed by heavier groceries in the cart, yet few shoppers take advantage of this simple design. So, next time you go shopping, give it a try—it could be a real lifesaver.

Image: Bam Mccarthy

The hole in a soda can tab isn’t just part of the opening mechanism—it can double as a straw holder. Once you pop the can open, turning the tab around aligns the hole perfectly for a straw. This prevents the straw from floating or shifting while drinking.

While this wasn’t the original intent behind the design, it’s a clever and surprisingly convenient way to make use of an otherwise inconsequential design quirk.

Image: Annie Spratt

If you're like me, this has likely been a brain teaser since childhood: What is the blue side of a two-tone eraser for? Popular wisdom says it's for ink removal, but have you ever tried erasing ink with that side? It just completely obliterates the paper.

Well, it turns out the blue side of a two-tone eraser was actually designed for use on heavier paper, not for removing ink.

Image: Matúš Kameniar

The small bumps on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys exist to help typists find their hand placement without looking.

These tactile guides help your fingers find their way back to the home row, enabling faster and more efficient typing. Even if you're not a professional typist, you can rely on this feature to improve both speed and accuracy while writing.

Image: Monika Guzikowska

Ever watched a monkey peel a banana? You might be in for a surprise, because it turns out the easiest way to peel a banana is from the bottom, not the stem.

Monkeys naturally pinch the bottom of the banana and pull, avoiding the struggle of breaking the tough stem. This method also reduces the risk of squishing the fruit inside.

Image: Brett Jordan

The small hole at the end of a measuring tape is designed to hook onto nails or screws for one-person measurements. This feature provides a more stable grip when measuring long distances without needing an extra set of hands.

Also, the serrated edge on some tapes doubles as a tool for marking surfaces. So, next time you don't have a buddy around to help, don’t worry—your measuring tape has you covered!

Image: Andrea Davis

Many people use the drawer under their oven for storage, but it was originally designed as a warming drawer.

This compartment keeps cooked food warm while the rest of the meal finishes, though in some modern models, it may simply be intended for extra storage. Checking your oven’s manual might reveal its true purpose.

Image: Mockup Free

Ever heard someone say you can judge a good wine by the depth of the indentation at the bottom of the bottle? Well, that’s a myth, though it may suggest a better-designed bottle.

The indent at the bottom of a wine bottle, called a punt, helps distribute pressure and maintain structural integrity. Originally designed to support the bottle against carbonation in sparkling wines, it’s now mostly tradition but still improves durability.