Ice Cream in a Bag for kids | Kidstir (2024)

FAQs

What is the science behind ice cream in a bag for kids? ›

Add salt and the freezing point drops by a few degrees. When you add salt to the ice in the outer bag, the ice (at 0°C) is now above its freezing point – so it begins to melt. Melting requires energy, and in this case that energy comes from the flavoured milk mixture in the inner bag.

So, in order for the bag method to produce a beautiful, smooth, creamy ice cream, it's crucial that you shake vigorously and repeatedly, without stopping, for a full 10-15 minutes, and that you have enough ice and salt packed around the base to prevent the ice from melting before you're done shaking.

Please note, the actual process of making ice cream in a bag is not a chemical change since no new substances are formed. The ingredients used (salt, cream, sugar, and flavorings) retain their original properties before and after the process.

Supposedly the bag keeps the air around the ice cream from getting too cold, resulting in easily scoopable ice cream.

In each small sealable bag, place one tablespoon of sugar, ½ cup of half-and-half (or milk or heavy whipping cream), and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Seal both bags well. Add four cups of ice cubes to one of the large, gallon-sized bags. Then add ½ cup of salt to the bag.

Ice cream is an emulsion—a combination of two liquids that don't normally mix together. Instead, one of the liquids is dispersed throughout the other. In ice cream, liquid particles of fat—called fat globules—are spread throughout a mixture of water, sugar, and ice, along with air bubbles (Fig. 1).

Salt: Rock salt, which is also sometimes labeled as "ice cream salt", works best for lowering the temperature of the ice to freeze the ice cream quickly. But coarse kosher salt or even regular table salt will work in a pinch if that's what you have on hand.

Place the melted chocolate and cream along with all other remaining ingredients in a blender and blend well. Place one gallon size zip-top bag inside another gallon size zip-top bag. Using leather gloves, carefully put a couple large pieces of dry ice into the zip-top bags.

How do you keep ice cream from melting in a bag? ›

Rock salt helps slow the melting rate of ice. In fact, rock salt was used for making old-fashioned ice cream! Scatter a handful or two of rock salt directly on top of the ice. Put the ice cream in freezer bags inside the cooler for added insulation.

The ice pulls the heat away from the ice cream to melt which allows the ice cream to freeze. This is an example of an exothermic reaction . An exothermic reaction is a chemical reaction that releases light or heat, otherwise known as energy .

The cold must penetrate the bag, the air within it, and then the carton itself before finally affecting the ice cream. The plastic bag layer helps keep the ice cream soft and easily scoopable.