Delicious Homemade Ice Cream Experiment

Did you know that you can make ice cream without a freezer? All you need to do this delicious and educational ice cream science experiment is a little patience and some household staples.

Equipment

• 20-100 ice cubes (depending on how many times you do the experiment)
• Salt
• 2 zip lock bags (one small and one large)
• A measuring cup
• 150 ml cream
• 150 ml milk
• 50 ml sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tea towel
• Plates and spoons for serving
• Ice cream toppings (optional)

Instructions

1. Pour the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla extract into the smaller bags. Close the bag and make sure it’s tightly sealed. Leave some air inside. The ice cream will not taste good if it leaks
2. Place 20 ice cubes and 10 tablespoons of salt in the larger bag
3. Place the smaller bag inside the larger bag with ice cubes and close the larger bag
4. Wrap the bags inside a tea towle and shake it hard for 5-10 minutes. Get some friends to help you. The ice cream is done once the inner bag is quite solid
5. Open the outer bag over the sink and remove the inner bag
6. Rinse the inner bag with cold water
7. Open the bag and serve

What happens?

Continuous stirring or shaking is necessary to make ice cream. The movements turn the proteins in the milk and cream into a foam that can enclose air and fat droplets. Up to half of the volume in ice cream is air. The ice cream would have been an ice cube without air. Sugar gives a pleasant taste to the ice cream, and it also prevents the water in the ice cream from freezing. This ensures that the ice cream stays soft even though it’s freezing. The fat in the cream gives the ice cream its full-bodied consistency.