Ice Cream Science

     Tucked back in the corner of the food pavilion at the Minnesota State Fair was a small booth.  Behind it were 3 young men selling ice cream under a sign simply stating "Nitro Ice Cream."  It was a hot day and I had eaten my fill of deep fried everything and was looking for something to soothe my palate.  Ice cream seemed like a natural choice.  But Nitro ice cream?  Somehow to me that seemed explosive, given the name.

     So as I ordered up a cup of vanilla with chocolate sauce I inquired about the name behind the process.  It was an interesting story that began with two Iowa State College students who in 1999 invented a new way to flash freeze ice cream.  T. J. Paskach & Will Schroeder were the "mad scientists" who used liquid nitrogen to freeze the ice cream mixture in less than 1 second.  Doing so creates a very smooth and dense consistency to the ice cream since there is practically no air whipped into the mix and minuscule ice crystals.

     The Iowa State Fair was the first proving ground for the new process.  Then in 2002 the concession operation expanded to the Minnesota Fair and was on its way to international fame.  The Blue Sky Creamery now has mobile franchises located from Miami to Las Vegas and from Columbus to Calgary.  It's even available on-line and can be shipped directly to your door!

     I'm just another happy and satisfied customer...