Try Talenti Gelato Layers, A Treat That Understands Our Needs

One of the benefits of being a food writer is that companies will occasionally send free samples your way. Sometimes those samples are delicious, and sometimes they're not tasty so much as entertaining. But every once in a while, a product is so good that you find yourself writing 500 words about it so that the Takeout-reading public understands the importance of tasting it for themselves. Such is the case with Talenti Gelato Layers, of which I received four pints and consumed them all in two days.

While head-over-heels smitten with this frozen dessert, I debated whether I should write about Talenti Layers, because if you decide to give them a try you will buy multiple pints—there are 11 flavors to choose from—and it doesn't matter if you stock your freezer with two pints or 20, you will eat all of them in 48 hours or less. But with all of us stuck at home and the weather getting warmer, there has never been a better time to eat all the gelato you damn well please.

What makes these Gelato Layers so exceptional isn't just the taste, but the fact that Talenti has implicitly confirmed that ice cream is supposed to be eaten directly from the carton, and that an entire pint is a single serving. If this product was meant to be shared, all the disparate components would be mixed together to make it scoopable. By layering the elements of a sundae in the jar, Talenti has created a dessert that can only be enjoyed solo: the ideal method is using a single spoon to dig your own adventure from the creamy gelato top down to the crumbly bottom layer. This product tastes like cream, sugar, and validation, and it's exactly what I need, physically and spiritually, in these unprecedented times.

While I have yet to try all eleven flavors, I recommend Lemon Berry Pie, which layers creamy lemon gelato with graham cookie crumble, blueberry sauce, and pie crust pieces, and Coffee Cookie Crumble, which contains cold brew gelato, dark chocolate chunks, chocolate espresso sauce, vanilla bean gelato, and amaretti cookie pieces. If you're interested in trying Talenti Gelato Layers out for yourself and, like me, have a local supermarket where the ice cream aisle looks as if it were ravaged by lactose-tolerant wolverines, try purchasing it your local convenience store or delivery service to make sure you have your 3 a.m. gelato fix. There's no longer any need to pretend that any of us are above that sort of behavior. We all have needs.