Behold the smooth, sweet powers of liquid N (Liquid nitrogen ice cream! Yum!)

Popular Science ^ | July 2003 | Theodore Gray

[mhking]

LIKE ICE CREAM FROM TRITON [1] Besides the liquid nitrogen, no special ingredients were used in this experiment. [2] The non-cryogenic ingredients were combined in a mixing bowl. [3] The nitrogen was added a cup at a time. Note the use of heavy cryo gloves—this was not an occasion for oven mitts. [4] The concoction was stirred thoroughly and continuously to keep an unbreakable crust from forming. [5] The ice cream was ready to eat when smooth and free of lumps.

(Bottom right)Theodore Gray is a co-founder of Wolfram Research, Inc., maker of the software program Mathematica. In his spare time he plays with elements at periodictabletable.com.

Photographs by Jeff Sciortino. Styling by Kelly McKaig.

[mhking]

"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

[null and void]

A little dab'll Dewar...

[Sokol]

cool...

[Drew68]

Great post! Thanks!

[not_apathetic_anymore]

VERY cool. I'm just geeky enough to want to try this!

[Drango]

Note to self: Do not try when drunk.

[wafflehouse]

cool!

[Ruth A.]

They did a demo of this as a shop that deals in propane and other gases, etc. They used cream, milk and jam. It was so good. Plus, the temperature dropped in the area they were making it.

[supercat]

I wonder if these guys use lox as a barbecue starter?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Only if they want to vaporize the grill.

[Reeses]

To make an excellent low carb ice cream replace the sugar with a Davinci sugar-free syrup. It's sweetened with Splenda which freezes like regular sugar. I recommend. It makes a professional quality ice cream.

[drlevy88]

Pedantic point: it isn't N, it's N2.

I wonder how well pulverized dry ice would work. Not as cold as liquid nitrogen, but much easier to get. Pulverize it in a blender or food processor. (With very, very good ventilation such as a large fan blowing full blast from a window into the kitchen.)

[ffusco]

How about steaks cooked with sodium?

[Billy_bob_bob]

That's the best part. Wait for everything to cool off, then take the remains back to the store and demand a refund. I recommend using the cheapest portable grill or hibachi available. The expressions on the faces of every person working at the store will be worth the price of the LOX.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Smoked salmon is a lousy barbecue starter.

[Paleo Conservative]

The result, literally 30 seconds later, was a half-gallon of the best ice cream I'd ever tasted. The secret is in the rapid freezing. When cream is frozen by liquid nitrogen at –196°C, the ice crystals that give bad ice cream its grainy texture have no chance to form. Instead you get microcrystalline ice cream that is supremely smooth, creamy and light in texture. Martha Stewart, eat your heart out.

But how much does it cost to make ice cream this way?

[supercat]

Only if they want to vaporize the grill.

So don't use a grill--use a pit. BTW, have you seen the photos of the lox barbecue? Pretty darned impressive.

[coloradan]

-196 C is about -320 F, in case anyone is interested.

[drlevy88]

Based on what I googled up with "liquid nitrogen" "price" "liter" this recipe might use $9 worth of the stuff if bought in that small quantity at retail. Not counting the dewar flask (dunno if Thermos bottles would be good enough).