By Shunmel Syau
Ice cream is a popular summertime (or anytime) treat that has been around for much longer than you would expect. It originates from the second century B.C. and was originally fairly exclusive to the upper class—it’s said that George Washington once spent $200 on ice cream in one summer alone (which is a big mood)!
Due to technological advances—during the Industrial Revolution—ice cream became a profitable and accessible industry in 1850. It even became “an edible morale symbol” for troops during WWII and was widely consumed in celebration at the end of the war. Nowadays, on average, each person in the United States will consume 23 pounds of ice cream annually.
Let's make some ice cream!
Making ice cream can also be a fun (and hopefully yummy) science experiment you can do at home! All you need is milk, ice, salt, ziploc bags, and some sugar and vanilla extract for flavoring (optional).
1. First, pour around a cup of milk into a bag (along with the optional flavoring).
2. Seal it and put it into another bag that’s half-filled with ice and some salt.
3. Knead the ice over the bag of milk until the consistency changes to that of ice cream.
This happens because the salt mixed in with the ice lowers the freezing point of water (this is called freezing point depression), which freezes the milk mixture.
You’ve successfully made ice cream! Although it may not be as delicious as store-bought dessert, it’s still a fun way to do a science experiment with your friends.
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Editor: Jo Ann Sun