Ice Cream dilemma.......................…

You might try putting a layer of saran wrap on the surface of the ice cream, or putting the container in a zip lock freezer bag. It sounds like air is getting to the ice cream, makes the surface yucky. By the way, the frozen hardness of ice cream is one way to tell if your freezer is working. If it is soft when you scoop it out, the freezer is not cold enough.