DIY Ice Cream

Concept: Physical Change
A physical change occurs when the state of matter of a substance is altered but not its chemical composition. In general, a physical change is reversible. Examples of physical changes include melting, freezing, vaporization, condensation, dissolution and sublimation.

Read Aloud: Edible Science: Experiments You Can Eat by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen

Ingredients:

      ·         ½ cup Half & Half
      ·         6 tbl. Rock Salt
      ·         1 tbl. Sugar
      ·         ¼ tsp. Vanilla Extract
      ·         Ice Cubes
      ·         Pint-Sized Ziploc Baggies
      ·         Gallon-Sized Ziploc Baggies
      ·         Towels

Demonstration:

      ·         Combine ½ cup of half & half, 1 tablespoon of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract in a pint-sized Ziploc baggie. Seal the bag tightly.

      ·         Fill a gallon-sized Ziploc baggie ½ full with ice cubes. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of rock salt over the ice cubes.

      ·         Place the pint-sized baggie inside the gallon-sized baggie. Seal the bag tightly.
      ·         Shake the bag for 5-10 minutes until the ice cream mixture begins to harden into the desired consistency.

Experiment:

·         Does the ice cream taste the same if you use whipping cream?

·         Does the ice cream taste the same if you use table salt?

Observations:
When salt comes into contact with ice, the freezing point of ice is lowered. By lowering the temperature at which ice is frozen, an environment is created in which the cream mixture can freeze into ice cream.