Last July I opened a pint of ice cream and found it covered in that grayish frosty crust. Half of it tasted like freezer. I was annoyed, and then I realized it was my own fault.

Freezer burn is just ice crystals forming where the ice cream meets air. It happens faster in summer for a reason, and the fix is simpler than you think.

Why summer makes it worse

Every time you open the freezer in hot weather, warm moist air rushes in. When it meets the cold ice cream, that moisture freezes into crystals on the surface. The more you open the freezer, the more frost builds up, and the more the texture turns icy and grainy.

It is not the ice cream going bad. It is just dehydration and air exposure. Still, nobody wants a pint that tastes like cardboard.

The plastic wrap trick

Before you close the lid, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream, then put the lid on over it. The plastic keeps air from touching the surface, which is where the crystals form.

This is the single best thing I did. It adds ten seconds and it works for every tub, not just pints.

Other things that help

• Store it in the back of the freezer, not the door, where the temperature swings most.
• Keep the freezer full. Frozen food acts as insulation and keeps the temperature steadier.
• Scoop quickly and close the lid right away. Do not leave it sitting on the counter while you find a spoon.

If it is already frosty

You cannot un-burn it, but you can save most of it. Scrape off the icy top layer and eat the creamier part underneath, or blend the whole pint into a milkshake where the texture does not matter.