In a time when many of us are separated from our favorite restaurants, we thought we’d look at some of the over-the-top food inventions that are only made possible by liquid nitrogen.
A quick disclaimer – while eating properly prepared and served treats made with food-grade liquid nitrogen is safe (except for the danger of brain-freeze), handling or making your own foods with liquid nitrogen requires both appropriate training and protective equipment.
Now, on to the treats.
Liquid Nitrogen Cocktails
With alcohol’s freezing temperature (-173.5°F in its purest form) much lower than water, freezing alcoholic drinks isn’t possible with standard equipment. But, with liquid nitrogen, so much more is possible.
Several Los Angeles-area bars take advantage of this unique property of liquid nitrogen to create chilled and frozen cocktails, sans ice.
Check out this visit to The Bazaar by José Andrés, from Zagat.
Molecular Gastronomy
Many chefs have taken advantage of liquid nitrogen’s unique properties to create otherwise unobtainable foods. But none perhaps have taken it as far as Heston Blumenthal, in a tasting menu for his 3-Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck outside of London.
Highlights from a tasting menu recounted here include:
• A nitro green tea and lime mousse, made from green tea powder added to “a spoonful of mousse swirled around in liquid nitrogen”
• Hot and iced tea, which looks like a regular cup of tea, “but the right-hand side is hot and the left cold”
• A nitro scrambled egg and bacon ice cream, where the eggs are cracked into a bowl of liquid nitrogen and “spooned around until scrambled”
Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
Our personal favorite: liquid nitrogen ice cream seems to be the most enduring, popular liquid-nitrogen enabled food. When liquid nitrogen is used to freeze something, it can help to avoid the large ice crystals that form during the traditional freezing process. That gives foods like ice cream a smoother, more velvety texture.
Looking for the best liquid nitrogen ice cream and treats in the Los Angeles area? Check out these top-rated places on Yelp, some of which are offering takeout orders for a stay-at-home treat during the pandemic.
Have an Idea for Your Own Liquid Nitrogen Treat?
If you’re a culinary professional looking for supplies to make the next big hit in liquid nitrogen cooking, we’ve got all the storage, handling and safety equipment you need, not to mention plenty of food-grade liquid nitrogen to get you going.
Just contact us today to get started.