Ice Cream

dessert · frozen · sweet treat · science

Made from dairy. Ice cream starts with milk or cream mixed with sugar and flavors like vanilla, chocolate, or fruit. All those yummy ingredients blend together into a creamy base.

Frozen just right. The mixture gets cooled below water's freezing point while being stirred constantly. This stirring is super important because it creates tiny air bubbles and stops big ice crystals from forming, which would make it grainy and icy.

Smooth, not crunchy. The result is a soft, semi-solid foam that feels velvety on your tongue. As it gets warmer, it becomes softer and easier to scoop, which is why ice cream melts on a hot day!

Comes in every color. Food coloring and stabilizers are sometimes added to make ice cream extra colorful and help it stay creamy. Some ice cream makers even use liquid nitrogen to create the frozen mixture super fast!

Temperature transforms it. Ice cream stays solid when it's very cold, but watch what happens as it warms up, it gets softer and more scoopable. That's why ice cream shops keep it at just the right temperature.