The versatile role of industrial gases in food applications was showcased in the UK last week, as three Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal demonstrated his molecular cooking skills to the Queen by making his signature dish dessert of ice-cream with liquid nitrogen.
At the official re-opening of the Royal Institution of Great Britain in late May, Blumenthal wowed onlookers with his utilisation of the liquid industrial gas for making the popular foodstuff.
A relatively new technique for making ice-cream, liquid nitrogen can be used in the cooling stage of production as it is stirred into the mixture while stirring with a spoon or spatula and immediately freezes the product – eliminating a careful, time-consuming and slightly laborious process using mechanical refrigeration.
Following a £22m, two-and-a half year upgrade, the science-focused Royal Institution in London will once again be open to the public from this summer. At an event to mark the re-opening, Blumenthal made his signature ice-cream with liquid nitrogen in front of the Queen and 400 other guests.
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