I have a cool ice cream in a bag science experiment and amazing 5 facts about ice cream to tell you a little about its history. Also, look at my Free Summer Unit Study For Kids and Fun Starfish Craft for more ideas.
You scream, I scream…We all scream for ice cream.
Who doesn’t love a good bowl of ice cream?
I know that your kids are going to go wild for this science lesson on how ice cream is formed into an emulsion by using freezing point depression.
Follow along as we go into some of the explanation of how and why ice cream forms with our simple recipe to make it a wonderful learning experience.
You don’t have to own a fancy ice cream maker to enjoy your own creamy delicious custom flavor.
In about 20 minutes with just a few ingredients and a willing kid, you have your own creation.
To extend the science lesson you can repeat the experiment using milk or heavy whipping cream, as well as different types of salt.
5 Facts About Ice Cream
- It takes A LOT of milk to produce just 1 gallon of ice cream, 12 pounds (about 3 gallons) to be exact, to make that creamy delicious carton. That’s about half a day’s work for one cow.
- The FDA requires that to use the name ‘Ice Cream’, the manufacturer’s recipe must contain at least 10% milk fat and 6–10% milk and nonfat milk solids.
- Ice cream, or at least a very close relative of it, has been around since the reign of Cyrus the Great in 500 BC. Way back then sweetened ice was crushed up and mixed with different flavors, fruits, and toppings.
- Do you know the most popular ice cream flavors? They come with cookies & cream at #3, chocolate at #2, and vanilla making the top of the list at #1.
- Have you ever wondered why you get a headache if you eat your ice cream too fast? That is because when something cold touches the roof of your mouth, the blood vessels that run between your mouth and your brain tense up. This in turn traps blood in your brain. The pressure from the extra blood causes pain in the brain.
Also, look at my post 5 Facts About The Moon Landing and Make Fun Astronaut Ice Cream for more hands-on fun.
Next, before we make and enjoy our frozen treat learn about the science behind ice cream.
About Ice Cream
Grab this fun cookbook about ice cream.
With more than 100 recipes for ice cream flavors and revolutionary mix-ins from a James Beard - nominated pastry chef, Hello, My Name is Ice Cream explains not only how to make amazing ice cream, but also the science behind the recipes so you can understand ice cream like a pro.
The Science of Ice Cream
The reason why this method works so well is because salt lowers the freezing temperature of water.
This makes ice melt faster and that is why they salt icy roads when it snows, to get rid of it in a hurry.
This physical reaction is called freezing point depression.
Then the ice pulls the heat from whatever surrounds it, the cream mixture.
Then the ice cream mixture freezes, pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), but water mixed with salt freezes below 0 degrees Celsius.
Another science concept in this activity is making an emulsion.
Emulsion is a combo of two liquids that are not typically mixed like water and fat.
The fat molecules in the half and half are changed with the addition of water, ice crystals, sugar and air to create the tasty concoction.
- For older kids who love to cook, check out this cookbook, Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream: The Art and Science of the Scoop with recipes, developing flavors, and the science behind the tasty treat.
- Watch How Ice Cream is Made in Factories by How It’s Made to find out how ice cream is made step by step in a factory.
Finally, look at how to make ice cream in a bag.
Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe
You will need:
- Quart ziploc bag
- Gallon ziploc bag
- 3-4 cups of Ice
- ½ cup Salt
- 1 cup Half and half
- 1 Tbsp. Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract (or any extract flavor)
Optional mix-ins- chocolate chips, broken cookie pieces, coconut, cocoa powder, nuts, mm’s, etc.
First, place ice and ¼ cup of salt into the gallon bag.
Pour half and half, sugar, and extract into the quart sized bag.
Press out air and seal well to avoid getting salt in your ice cream.
We made chocolate ice cream, so I added a heaping spoon of cocoa to the bag and a bit more sugar.
Place the half and half bag into the center of the larger bag in the ice.
Press the air out of the large bag and seal.
Now the fun (and tiring) part begins.
It’s time to shake, roll, and massage the ice and salt all around the bag of cream.
Do this for about 15 to 20 minutes.
You will probably need to trade off before the ice cream begins to thicken and freeze.
You will notice the ice melts quickly and feels much colder than it typically would.
The ice cream is ready when it is about the consistency of soft serve.
Eat it right out of the bag.
Beware of the salt on the outside or transfer your ice cream to a fun dish to enjoy.
