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I am trying to make ice cream using liquid nitrogen and I am seeing that the ice cream melts very quickly. I'm using a spatula to mix the base with the liquid nitrogen in a vessel. Initially, I thought maybe I was using too little liquid nitrogen , so I added more liquid nitrogen to the mixture to only see the base forming frozen pieces of ice cream and not in a scoopable format.The scoopable format of ice cream I get starts melting immediately after O stop mixing

I'm currently using 1 part milk,1 part fresh cream & sugar for the base. Will using corn syrup or a stabilizer like Guar gum solve my issue?

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    I remember doing this in college, and we used all heavy cream for the liquid. I would think that milk would be too watery and make too many, too large ice crystals, which would make the whole thing freeze too solid at first and then probably melt really quickly when you stop pouring liquid nitrogen. But I'm not a scientist and its been a while since I've done this, so I could be wrong.
    – senschen
    Dec 15, 2017 at 13:47
  • You need to keep the container cold.
    – user3528438
    Dec 15, 2017 at 14:09

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I used to use a cream and condensed milk recipe to make LN ice cream. It sounds like you're not using enough LN - while you should end up with something scoopable it takes quite a bit of beating to get there.

We tended to work as a team, with one (often me) beating as someone else slowly poured in the LN. This minimised solid lumps (which then needed to be beaten back in). Getting it slightly too hard and then allowing it to soften to the desired texture seems to work well.

Making LN ice cream

In this case I'm the one holding the bowl, while one person stirs and another pours.

You're also probably making it harder for yourself using milk, as the high water content means you'll form much more solid ice.

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    I imagine that the condensation is making it look more dangerous than it is, but that picture sets off massive alarm bells for me.
    – Joshua Engel
    Dec 15, 2017 at 16:40
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    @JoshuaEngelI know what you mean. The LN was drizzling in very slowly on a hot humid day so it looks much more impressive than it is. Our cryo-gloves weren't clean enough to be around food, which is why I was holding the outside of the bowl with a towel. Splashes of LN sting a bit but that's all; I'd be more worried about my eyes
    – Chris H
    Dec 15, 2017 at 16:44
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    That picture alone is worth an upvote!
    – Stephie ♦
    Dec 15, 2017 at 20:40
  • So i've got a stand mixer now to help me with the mixing part. I will try using condensed milk instead of milk and try making it.
    – user63740
    Dec 20, 2017 at 9:04
  • @user63740 I always fancied trying with a stand mixer. Unfortunately getting it in the same place as the LN would have meant transporting one of them on a bike so it never happened
    – Chris H
    Dec 20, 2017 at 10:36
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The reason your scoopable LN2 cooled ice cream melts fast is mostly because un-aerated ice cream needs to be warmer to be scoopable. It is basically at or close to the melting temperature when you are scooping it.

Normally produced Ice cream is usually highly aerated making it softer than expected and easily scoopable at a lower temperature. The aeration also reduces the thermal conductivity of the ice cream which slows down the melting process a bit more.

You can whip some air into the ice cream mix beforehand to make it behave closer to commercially produced ice cream, though it will change the texture in the process. Adding less milk and more cream will also let you whip more air into it.

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  • So I went and got a kitchen aid stand mixer. I can whip air into the mix by running it for sometime before adding the liquid nitrogen. The ice cream still melts pretty darn fast Let me try using a wire whip to mix it instead of a beater
    – user63740
    Dec 20, 2017 at 9:03

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