Dry Ice Cookin'

People’s minds usually think about the fog from their favorite rock concert, or the mysterious white stuff that villains used to get away from the gang in Scooby Doo, when the subject of dry ice is bought up in conversation. Dry ice is solidified carbon dioxide. As it melts, it becomes carbon dioxide. It is common in the earth’s atmosphere. Dry Ice is useful for freezing, because of it has a very cold temperature of -109.3°F or -78.5°C. Human exhale it, while plants use it for photosynthesis. Dry ice received its name, because in normal temperature, it changes directly from a solid to a gas, which is called sublimation.

Dry ice was first recorded by a French chemist named Thiloirier. He recorded solid carbon dioxide in 1835 by watching a large amount of liquid carbon dioxide evaporate to leave dry ice. The first commercial and common use for dry ice was in 1925 by Prest Air Devices, which created the first carbon dioxide fire extinguisher. Since then dry ice has been used for many other things such as: to make fog, to use as freezing sources, carbonate liquids, store food, fix dents, protect fish and game, and for medical reasons. Though, the most recent and increasingly popular use is for cooking.

Cooking with dry ice has become extremely popular. It has become so popular, restaurants specialize in it and there are thousands of tutorials and cooking guides to assist home chefs. Popularized by televisions shows such as Top Chef, it is slowly becoming an acceptable form of cooking. Cooking with dry ice can possibly cause many health hazards, not only for the eater, but for the person cooking with it. Being overexposed to dry ice can cause headache and difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, and unconsciousness. I believe that if the food is being cooked with dry ice does not show any signs of contamination and is proven healthy by scientists, it deserves a chance.