Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Materials: ★★★ Requires materials not commonly found in school laboratories
Difficulty: ★★☆ Can be done by science teachers
Safety: ★★★ Only to be attempted with adequate safety procedures and trained staff
Categories: Food Science and Nutrition, Liquid Nitrogen
Alternative titles:
Summary
creamy ice cream is made by rapidly freezing a prepared base with liquid nitrogen, creating very small ice crystals that give it a smooth texture.
Procedure
- Prepare a vanilla ice cream base using milk, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until cold.
- Place the mixture in a metal mixing bowl.
- Start a stand mixer on low to medium speed.
- Slowly add liquid nitrogen to the bowl a little at a time while mixing.
- Continue mixing and adding liquid nitrogen until the mixture thickens into ice cream.
- Serve immediately once it reaches the desired consistency.
Links
How to Make Instant Ice Cream With Liquid Nitrogen - Impossible Science At Home:
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Demonstration - Always Packed for Adventure:
📄 Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Recipe - 101 Cookbooks: https://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001366.html
📄 Recipe for Making Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream: https://www.lsu.edu/science/chemistry/files/chemdemo/demos/liquid_nitrogen_ice-cream.pdf
Variations
- Use different ice cream bases such as chocolate or fruit purées.
- Add mix-ins (cookies, nuts, or candy) after the ice cream has thickened.
- Demonstrate the effect by comparing liquid nitrogen freezing with a traditional freezer method.
Safety Precautions
- Safety glasses required.
- Wear insulated gloves when handling liquid nitrogen.
- Use only in a well-ventilated area to prevent oxygen displacement.
- Never touch liquid nitrogen with bare skin - it can cause severe frostbite.
- Do not ingest liquid nitrogen directly - only consume food after nitrogen has fully evaporated.
- Use a metal or thick-walled mixing bowl to withstand the extreme cold.
Questions to Consider
- Why does liquid nitrogen create smoother ice cream compared to traditional freezing?
- What happens to water molecules during rapid freezing?
- How does the evaporation of liquid nitrogen create the visible fog effect?
- Could other cryogenic liquids be used for freezing food safely? Why or why not?
- How is this demonstration similar to and different from freezing with dry ice?