turtleyacht 14 hours ago

From a chemistry textbook by Zumdahl, deep sea fish have a biological mechanism that wraps around water molecules, preventing ice formation. These polar fish would otherwise be unable to survive from typical (non-biological) solutes that would otherwise raise water's freezing point.

The book goes on to mention ice cream as one industry that would desire their product to stay cold during transport, but not to develop ice crystals, and to remain easy to scoop.

greenbit 14 hours ago

Doesn't this imply ice cream that could conceivably be presented in a not-cold state? Call me old fashioned, but isn't the point of ice cream that it's cold? Wouldn't be preferable to develop ice cream that doesn't get warm?

  • dabinat 14 hours ago

    The article is about ice cream that enters a gel-like consistency when it heats up, allowing it to keep its shape and not run. So it gives you more time to eat it or more time to get the tub from the grocery store to your freezer. I don’t think it’s intended to be appetizing at warm temperatures.

  • apothegm 14 hours ago

    I agree that warm ice cream defeats the point of ice cream.

    So if you have a good solution to the second law of thermodynamics, have at it.

    • greenbit 14 hours ago

      Yes, that second law is kind of a sticking point, isn't it. You'd think they could make an exception for ice cream. And maybe beer.

    • rkomorn 14 hours ago

      Some of you have apparently have never had a good crème anglaise.

      Ice cream is definitely the worst of the two forms.

      ... I fully expect this to be flagged immediately.

k310 12 hours ago

Edible aerogels? Come on, geniuses, make it happen.