How to Make Ice Cream Using Dry Ice

Set up a tasty science experiment when you make ice cream using dry ice.

The nature of dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide, makes it an interesting substance to use for science experiments and for general observation. You can use dry ice at home to make ice cream quickly. Dry ice has a much lower temperature than water ice, as the carbon dioxide solidifies as dry ice at -78 degrees Celsius, which is about -108 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows dry ice to cool things much more quickly than regular ice, and is the reason why the ice cream in this recipe sets up so quickly. Make ice cream using dry ice for a fun project for you and your family that has tasty results.

Things You'll Need

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup coffee creamer
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tbsp. vanilla
• Manual egg beater
• Saucepan
• Dry ice (smallest amount available)
• Mixing bowl
• Wooden mixing spoon
• Thick gloves
• Paper bag
• Hammer
• 2 1/2 cups any fruit (optional)
• 2 cups any type candy (optional)
• 1 1/3 cups any type nuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Crush the ice, if you did not buy it pre-crushed. Put some thick gloves on. Use a pair of tongs to remove the ice from the packaging and place the dry ice in a paper bag. Close the bag. Use the hammer to crush the dry ice into small pieces. Set the bag of crushed ice aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar together using a hand-held egg beater.

3. Pour the milk in a saucepan. Stir in the coffee creamer. Place the saucepan on a burner and heat up the milk-cream mixture until it almost boils. Stir constantly so it does not burn.

4. Remove the pan from the burner. With the hand-held egg beater, beat the milk-cream mixture into the bowl of eggs and sugar. Stir in the whipping cream and vanilla. Add optional ingredients at this time, such as fresh fruit, syrups, nuts or candies.

5. Put on gloves before handling the dry ice. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of crushed dried ice into the bowl of cream mix. Continually stir the mixture with the wooden spoon until it hardens. Add more dry ice if needed.

6. After the ice cream has hardened fully, let it sit for a few minutes to soften and to make sure there is no dry ice left in the ice cream. Serve or store in the freezer.

Tips & Warnings

• You will know if you need to add more dry ice if the cream has not hardened and there is no more fog coming off the mixture.

• Never touch the dry ice without gloves. It is best to use tongs.

• Never leave the dry ice unattended when there are children or pets around.

References

• Wired: Ice Cream, Bubbles and Other Dry Ice Fun
• Cody's Science Education Zone: Dry Ice -- Simply Sublime!