Making Ice Cream with Liquid Nitrogen

Here is an interesting event that I hosted last week with a group of Montreal Food Bloggers. Working in a very cold temperature laboratory (near absolute zero, WAY colder than Antartica and the Moon), I thought of making something out of liquid nitrogen like in the show Iron Chef: Battle of the Beets. The foodies suggested to make ICE CREAM with liquid nitrogen. Due to quick freezing, the mix forms these small crystals which result into a smoother and creamier texture compared to ice cream via conventional cooling.

I would like to thank the foodies for coming to this cool event: Judy, Evelyne, Elaine, Valérie and Laurent.

Here is a basic ice cream recipe.

Serves 8-10
Preparation Time: 1 min
Freezing Time: 2 mins

Ingredients

5L liquid nitrogen
4 cups half-and-half or heavy cream
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips or mashed fruits or any other flavorings

Procedure

1. In a stainless steel bowl, mix cream, milk, sugar and vanilla extract using a wooden spoon.

2. While stirring, pour a small amount of liquid nitrogen into the mixture. Continue to stir while slowly adding more liquid nitrogen. Once it starts to thicken, add mashed fruits or chocolate chips.

3. Continue adding liquid nitrogen until it is hard to stir. Let the excess liquid nitrogen boil off. Immediately serve.

Check out the video filmed by Evelyne.