You can learn a lot about soft serve by taste-testing nearly every cone in the county. I did exactly that this summer.
First, not all soft serve is created equal. Some is thicker, some airier, some icier; even when two places use the same base, the results can be radically different. Second, Sonoma County’s dairies make some very good soft serve. And finally, I have yet to meet a twist cone I didn’t fall at least a little bit in love with.
Most of Sonoma County’s soft-serve machines use a liquid base from either Straus Family Creamery or Valley Ford Creamery. We’re more than a little spoiled to have either: Both make exceptional dairy…