Make a supercooled dessert
Make a supercooled ice cream dessert using ice, salt, cream, and sugar to freeze quickly while exploring temperature changes and safe kitchen science.
Step-by-step guide to make a supercooled ice cream dessert
Forget difficult recipes! A dessert that even kids can make!
Step 1
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Step 2
Measure 1 cup of heavy cream and pour it into the small resealable plastic bag.
Step 3
Add 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the small bag with the cream.
Step 4
Squeeze out excess air and seal the small bag tightly.
Step 5
Fill the large resealable plastic bag halfway with ice cubes.
Step 6
Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of rock salt evenly over the ice in the large bag.
Step 7
Place the sealed small bag into the center of the ice in the large bag.
Step 8
Seal the large bag tightly.
Step 9
Wrap the large bag in the kitchen towel or put on oven mitts to protect your hands.
Step 10
Shake the wrapped bag continuously for 7 to 10 minutes until the cream thickens into ice cream.
Step 11
Remove the small bag from the large bag.
Step 12
Wipe the outside of the small bag dry with the towel.
Step 13
Open the small bag carefully.
Step 14
Scoop the ice cream into a bowl using a spoon.
Step 15
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of heavy cream, rock salt, or the small resealable plastic bag if those are hard to find?
If heavy cream is unavailable, use whipping cream; substitute coarse kosher or table salt for rock salt (you may need a bit more), and replace the small resealable plastic bag by double-bagging a strong freezer zipper bag to avoid leaks.
My cream didn't thicken—what common steps might have failed and how do we fix them?
If the cream stays liquid after 7–10 minutes, make sure you added the 6 tablespoons of rock salt to enough ice in the large bag, that the small bag was sealed tightly and surrounded by icy salt water, and keep shaking the wrapped towel/oven-mitted bag continuously for the full time.
How can I adjust the activity for younger kids or older kids to keep it safe and fun?
For younger children have an adult measure the 1 cup heavy cream, sprinkle the rock salt, and do the 7–10 minute shaking while the child watches and helps open the final small bag, whereas older kids can measure, seal the small bag, wrap the large bag with a towel, and do the full shaking and timing themselves using oven mitts for protection.
How can we make the ice cream more interesting or improve the texture?
To personalize and enhance the outcome, stir a splash of vanilla or cocoa and small mix-ins into the heavy cream before sealing the small bag or fold in fruit purée or chocolate chips after the cream thickens into ice cream.
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Facts about kitchen science and freezing point depression
❄️ Mixing salt and ice makes the ice melt and the mixture get colder — that extra cold is what freezes your dessert fast!
🧂 A salt–ice mixture can reach about −21°C (−6°F) at its coldest, much colder than a household freezer.
🍨 Before electric freezers, people used hand-cranked ice cream makers with ice and salt to make frozen treats at home.
🌡️ Sugar lowers the freezing point of cream, so sweeter mixes freeze softer and stay scoopable.
🧪 Supercooling lets water stay liquid below 0°C until disturbed — a neat trick, but the ice+salt method works by freezing-point depression, not supercooling.
