Make Ice Cream in a Bag

Introduction

Have you ever made ice cream? It can be a lot of fun, and you end up with a tasty frozen treat! There is actually a lot of interesting chemistry that goes on behind making ice cream. For example, think about how you start out with refrigerated (or room-temperature) ingredients and then need to cool them down to turn them turn into ice cream. How do the ingredients change during this process? How important do you think it is that they are cooled to a certain temperature? In this science activity, you will make your own ice cream in a bag and explore the best way to chill the ingredients to make them become a creamy delicious treat!

Credits

Materials

• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cup
• Sugar
• Half-and-half. Alternatively, milk or heavy whipping cream may be used.
• Vanilla extract
• Salt. Different types of salts, such as table salt or rock salt, will all work, but may give slightly different results.
• Ice cubes (8 C)
• Small, sealable bags, such as pint-sized or sandwich-sized Ziplocs (2)
• Gallon-sized sealable bags (2)
• Oven mitts or a small towel
• Timer or clock