For anyone who's been to a carnival or theme park, you will notice that all the food is fried. Foods frozen in liquid nitrogen could also be sold. Most specifically, whipped cream. When you put a dollop in the nitrogen, it freezes very quickly. Upon consumption, the whipped cream pops, fizzles, and nitrogen gas steams out your nose. This can be extended to any number of edible products, however. You could just have a Liquid N2 stand where someone quickly drops things into the vat and then serves them to the eagerly awaiting 10 year olds. Note: I tried the whipped cream thing first, it's safe.
-- evilmathgenius, Jun 24 2004

Dippin' Dots http://www.dippindots.com/
Ice cream frozen into beads and droplets using LN2 [Detly, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

PopSci: Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream http://www.popsci.c...004eecbccdrcrd.html
It can be done safely, as demonstrated here. [krelnik, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

Floating Food http://www.halfbake...dea/Floating_20Food
Has discussion of a restaurant [hazel] went to where something a little bit like this happens. [Worldgineer, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]

And you can watch there tongues fall off after they are frozen solid. Do you know what temperature liquid nitrogen is at? I think its -195 Celsius. Not exactly pleasant.
-- energy guy, Jun 24 2004


No, you don't eat the nitrogen itself. You eat the things frozen in it. I know that liquid nitrogen is cold. But your tounge wouldn't fall off. When you pick it out of the nitrogen it warms up significantly before you get it to your mouth. Like I said, I've *tried* this. Its cold, but not dangerously so. The vast majority of the nitrogen has evaporated by the time you eat it. There will be tiny pockets of it, but those evaporate as soon as they hit your mouth-- hence the steam.
-- evilmathgenius, Jun 24 2004


Oh, I meant it would be served by someone who knows how to take the right precautions. Just like you're not going to let little kids play with a deep fryer. The person operating it would do the actual handling of the liquid nitrogen, everyone else gets to enjoy the fun and much safer results.
-- evilmathgenius, Jun 24 2004


Sounds tasty.
-- 5th Earth, Jun 24 2004


I like this. You could dip cotton candy in there also. Anything with a fluffy, airy texture would be suitable for quick freezing and rapid consumption.
-- bungston, Jun 24 2004


[bungston], thats exactly the idea. Plus, the airy texture will give you the nitrogen steaming out your mouth, which (I think) would be one of the best parts.
-- evilmathgenius, Jun 24 2004


Suggested name "N2 Fondue" +
-- sartep, Jun 24 2004


Suggest you don't buy the 'Whipped Cream' popsicles from disgruntled fertility clinic worker...
-- ConsulFlaminicus, Jun 25 2004


What happens if someone swallows a quantity of foodstuff with trapped LN2?

BTW, I saw someone on TV put a small swig of LN2 in his mouth and blow out a vapor cloud. He then proceeded to warn viewers of why they should NOT try that at home.
-- supercat, Jun 25 2004


[supercat]- When you put something with a small pocket of LN2 in your mouth, the LN2 heats up, vaporizes, and the pocket of now gaseous N2 pops. It's an effect similar to "pop rocks" candy. Enough LN2 would be dangerous, but I don't think that big enough pockets to be harmful can form. And yes, a swig of the stuff is dangerous, which is why only the things that were previously in it would be consumed. The trapped LN2 in the food would not be in very large volumes, so it would become gaseous pretty quickly after removal from the liquid.
-- evilmathgenius, Jun 25 2004


I am, certain i have heard of a chef who does use liquid nitrogen freezing as part of his cooking style. will have to dig out links
-- engineer1, Jun 25 2004


I'm always in favour of any antithesis and I like the sound of this one. Mmm, frozen cream dipped candy. I can feel my teeth crying just thinking about it. [+]
-- harderthanjesus, Jun 25 2004


Very nice idea [EMG]. I've been thinking about what you could actually put in it apart from cotton candy/candyfloss. There are some stalls that make custom made smoothies - they have lots of varieties of fresh fruits, you pick the ones you want, they put it in a blender with some milk and hey presto your own delicious drink. Now equip one of those stalls with an ice-cream maker and a jug of liquid N2 and you would be in business.
-- spacemoggy, Jun 25 2004


I've tried marshmallows and cheesies frozen in LN2, both are okay, but the novelty of it is very cool. I had a big smile on my face when I got some to play with. I work for a company called Mad Science, and we make ice cream with it, and it's some of the best icecream I've ever had.
-- ben_krak, Jun 26 2004


Intriguing name...your company have a website?
-- harderthanjesus, Jun 27 2004


Great idea! I would love to have a big LN2 fondue party in the summer. This would do great also at open air public events like rock concerts and football.
-- django, Jun 27 2004


There are several Chefs all over the world that use liquid nitrogen to "cook" with. Ferran Adria in Spain, Heston Blumenthal in England to name a few. They don't just make desserts with them either. They are cooking savory dishes also. The use of liquid nitrogen by Chefs has been around since the 1800's but they only used it to do icecream tableside for very rich clients. Now it has become very popular to use it for many different things. To clarify for "energy guy", liquid nitogen's normal temperature is around -325 celcius, it boils at -195 celcius. So when it's exposed to room temperature it is already boiling, that's why it bubbles and smokes. It can be dangerous if misused, but then again so can boiling water. Unless you spill a larger amount on yourself your pretty safe because it will have evaporated to steam by the time it actualy comes into contact with your skin. Liwuid nitrogen is actually very cheap, about $0.20 a liter, but the container to hold it in will run you anywhere from $500-$1000 dollars.
-- pittironchef, May 04 2007


//liquid nitogen's normal temperature is around -325 celcius//
So, somewhat below the so-called "absolute zero" of -273 celsius?

//it will have evaporated to steam // sp. "nitrogen"
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, May 04 2007


//liquid nitogen's normal temperature is around -325 celcius, it boils at -195 celcius//

That is silly. For one thing, -325C is about 50 degrees below absolute zero (you meant Farenheit?). For another, the "normal temperature" (whatever that means) of liquid nitrogen will be about the same as its boiling point, if it's kept under normal pressure and not externally cooled.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 04 2007


//To clarify for "energy guy", liquid nitogen's normal temperature is around -325 celcius, it boils at -195 celcius.//

I think you have that partly wrong.
You have the boiling point (at standard pressure) approximately correct, -196 degrees C or so. This is the temperature which you can maintain things at by putting them in it. A bit of the liquid boil will off, the remainder is still at the boiling point - just as you can't get liquid water hotter than 100 degrees C without pressurisation.

I can't think what you mean by 'normal' temperature of liquid nitrogen, other than that under conditions here on Earth, where most people might see it, it will usually be at its boiling point. You can of course have liquid nitrogen at any temperature between its melting/freezing and boiling points. But -325 degrees Celcius is not only colder than the melting point, it is less than absolute zero. Absolute zero (the coldest temperature possible) is about -273 degrees C.
-- Loris, May 04 2007


Ho hum, three of us all jumping on the guy all at once.
-- Loris, May 04 2007



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