Sweet Science: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
With such a vast array of competitors, food franchises in the US are known for their creative approach to the culinary experience, offering customers something unique and special. Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yoghurt is among these, serving up liquid nitrogen ice cream treats that combine state-of-the-art scientific methods with good old-fashioned sweetness.
Super-Cool Science
While professional frozen food distributors will spot the appeal of this idea immediately, the rest of us might be wondering how liquid nitrogen ice cream is created and why customers are lining up to taste it. Nitrogen in its liquid state is extremely cold – it boils at 321°F – which means it freezes anything it touches almost instantly. The Sub Zero team uses huge tanks of liquid nitrogen to flash freeze the ingredients, such as milk, sugar and flavouring, transforming them into ice cream in 15 seconds or even less.
Now for a bit of molecular gastronomy – thanks to the super-fast freezing process, Sub Zero ice cream contains very small milk molecules, and the water molecules have no time to change into ice crystals. This makes the product exceptionally smooth and creamy.
The Sub Zero menu serves up a wide selection of ice cream flavours that can be mixed and matched in a seemingly endless list of tasty combinations. Flavours range from classic (Vanilla, Strawberry and Sweet Chocolate) to seriously cool and crazy (think Marshmallow Cream, Cake Batter, Dutch Honey, Hot Cinnamon or Dr Pepper). Customers can also decide how frozen they want these treats to be – creamy soft-serve, firm scoops or rock-hard.
Educating and Entertaining
The Sub Zero franchise also offers educational presentations for school groups. This includes demonstrations on the use of liquid nitrogen and a close-up look at the effects on the molecules as the ingredients transform into ice cream. The result is one delicious learning experience for kids of all ages. Chilled transport companies will tell you that this famous liquid nitrogen ice cream is just one of the cool new molecular gastronomy recipes taking the culinary world by storm.