Sub Zero Ice Cream
The Scoop
My buddy Kirk told me about cryogenic ice cream today and I just had to try it. The basic idea is that they take a cream/sugar base and add flavoring and mix-in toppings in a bowl. Then they add liquid nitrogen to the mix which not only makes for a really cool cloud of coldness but also instantly freezes the cream mixture and, voila! you’ve got instant ice cream.
The Science
Liquid nitrogen is kept at right around -320 °F and all scientific resources consulted in my research agree that -320 °F is very very cold. When liquid nitrogen comes into contact with the deliciously creamy mixture in the bowl, the atoms in the cream are arranged into a pattern that vaguely resembles a solar system, a Rubix cube, an organized, repeating pattern of particles. Imagine what that stuff would do if it came into contact with your skin! The girl who prepared my cryogenic treat wasn’t wearing gloves or even those killer cool lab goggles from Chem 105.
The Taste Test
The first step in the zap-frozen ice cream creation per Sub Zero’s website is:
Step 1: Choose Low High or Medium Fat
How could a food product that let’s you choose your fat comfort/acceptance level NOT be delicious? Seriously one of the greatest inventions since 2% milk. Overall, I really enjoyed the ice cream. I got “High Fat” with fudge chocolate and malt flavoring with dark chocolate shavings as a mix-in. It was delicious and fun to eat and my 6 oz. cup only set me back $3.49. My tongue was a little bit raw afterward, minor frostbite I’m sure, but when my spoon hit the bottom of that cup I was wishing that I had bought more than half a cup of the stuff!
2 Responses to “Sub Zero Ice Cream”
By Jason and Hannah on Nov 6, 2007 | Reply
whoa! We will have to try that out.
By Shawn on Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
It sounds scary, exciting, and totally outrageous! Are you sure your tongue cells are being rearranged? Do we want raw tongues? Is the taste experience worth the potential for solar systems in our mouths?