Ice Cream Science at Basalt and Aspen

On June 26th, Cool Science took the show on the road to demonstrate the science behind everyone's favorite frozen treat at libraries in Basalt and Aspen.  First up in the morning was a show at the Basalt Regional Library, where kids ranging from preschool age to young teenagers learned how ice cream is made and what makes it so delicious.  Later that afternoon we moved on to Aspen’s Pitkin Country Library where an eager group of kids roared and cheered as they watched a frozen hot dog smashed to pieces and a massive cloud explode from a bucket liquid nitrogen and hot water. 
 
After the shows, the kids had the chance to make their own cup of ice cream by cooling down a mixture of milk, cream, and sugar with liquid nitrogen.  Making ice cream is usually a slow process, but when rapidly cooled by liquid nitrogen, which is as cold as the planet Uranus, (-320 °F) you can have a frozen treat in just a couple minutes.
 
Cool Science’s day in the mountains was an excellent chance for kids and parents to learn how ice cream is made and, even better, make it happen with their own hands!

-posted by Joshua
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