Ice Cream! Whole lot of shakin' goin' on...
Updated: Aug 24
AspireED's Alyssa Huang teaches students chemistry - by making ice cream in a bag.
"Delicious ice cream is based on chemistry," said Alyssa. "Food science was my first introduction to chemistry, which I learned in the kitchen starting in middle school."
Alyssa started baking very seriously in 5th grade, when COVID hit and she was looking for a new hobby. She began taking French pastry classes and food science courses online, got hooked, and soon launched her own baking business, which she has continued for over 6 years (Instagram @alyssa_bakes_bliss).
Alyssa wants to pass along her joy for baking and cooking to her students, along with her knowledge of food science. "I have the kids experiment with different ingredients - whole cream, half and half, versus milk for them to determine what makes the 'best" tasting ice cream. We also add rock salt to a bag full of ice, and learn about the concept of freezing point depression."
"Delicious ice cream is a thermodynamic balance of fat, sugar, air, and microscopic ice cystals," explains Alyssa. The smaller the ice crystals, the smoother the ice cream, which is why constant churning (shaking) and rapid freezing is important.
"The shaking (churning) is super important," said Alyssa. "No one wants to eat chunks of ice!"
"What's funny is that the more tired their arms get, it reflects a better churn, and the result is a better tasting ice cream," said Alyssa. "Plus using whole whipping cream helps!"
Was the shaking worth the effort? You can be the judge...
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