Dry ice is one of the most popular and most amazing materials to use and even experiment with. Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide and if used carefully and stored correctly, it provides for an array of uses, some of which many may not know about.
One of the most important considerations is to obtain dry ice from a trusted supplier such as Dry Ice Africa. Dry Ice Africa has been in the industry for more than two decades, providing a variety of industries with dry ice in all shapes, sizes, and a variety of densities.
5 New Ways to Use Dry Ice
Make a Dry Ice Balloon
To make a dry ice balloon, you will need:
- Balloons
- Dry Ice Pellets
- Funnel (Recommended)
- Hold the mouth of the balloon open and place the funnel in the balloon.
- Pour the dry ice pellets into the balloon.
- Tie off the mouth of the balloon so that the gas cannot escape.
- The balloon will begin to inflate as sublimation occurs – which means that carbon dioxide goes from being a solid to a gas without turning to liquid first.
Preserve Produce
Dry ice can be used to flash freeze food and it has been proven to be more efficient in freezing fruit and vegetables than placing produce in a conventional freezer. Flash-frozen produce is known to retain its initial texture and will not go soggy when thawed.
To flash-freeze produce, you can use dry ice in a large cooler, place produce on a cookie sheet or baking tray, and lay it on top of the dry ice. Once the produce is fully frozen, you can transfer it into containers or Ziploc bags and place it in your conventional freezer.
Protection against Pests
Dry ice can be used to lure bugs such as mosquitos away from human targets by placing dry ice in a cloth bag. The cloth bag can be hung or placed close to mosquito traps to increase the efficacy of the trap.
Make Ice Cream with Dry Ice
To make ice cream, you will need:
- ¾ cups fine dry ice
- 1 cup milk (or any milk substitute)
- 1 cup cream (or coconut cream)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 drop vanilla bean paste
- ¾ cups strawberries
To make the ice cream, you can follow these steps:
- Mix the milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla bean paste in a mixer.
- Smash the strawberries and add them to this mix.
- Smash the dry ice into small particles and add it in small portions to the cream mixture while continuously blending.
- Keep adding dry ice until the mixture reaches the frozen, soft texture of ice cream.
Self-Inflating Balloons
To inflate balloons using dry ice, you will need:
- Balloons
- Funnel
- Small pieces of dry ice
- Gloves and tongs
To inflate the balloons, you can follow these steps:
- Insert the funnel into the mouth of the balloon.
- Drop a small piece of dry ice into the balloon.
- Tie the mouth of the balloon off tightly so that no gas will escape.
- Watch the balloon inflate with carbon dioxide as the dry ice sublimates.
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