Airy ice cream is also lighter. Beware pints that weigh less than expected. At a minimum, it indicates a ton of air whipped into the mix. But it's also a decent proxy for low-quality ingredients or garbage fillers.

In the grocery store / mass market context, it's hard to do much better than Häagen-Dazs. Just be aware that their "pints" are now only 88% of a pint (this baffles me -- are the ingredients really a meaningful contributor to total COGS?).

Well, for Haagen-Dazs, perhaps yes. It’s decent stuff because it’s mostly cream and eggs. Also, smaller packs are not just about COGS: you’ll probably buy more or buy again sooner.