Freeze-drying ice cream is considered one of NASA's greatest technological and culinary achievements --- by anyone with a sense of humor and a strong sweet tooth. Developed in the 1960s so astronauts could have a treat as they bounded and floated through space, the dehydrated dessert is well known to anyone who has ever waited in line at a museum gift shop checkout. You can make the lighter-than-air treat in Mylar packages if you have some specific tools, machinery and the know-how to pull off a process called lyophilization.
Astronaut Ice Cream
Step 1
Carve off a small block of ice cream, typically Neapolitan ice cream, which is chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors side by side.
Step 2
Deep-freeze the ice cream block to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit in an industrial freezer, which costs $2,000 or more and is sold for medical use.
Step 3
Place the frozen ice cream in a vacuum chamber.
Step 4
Reduce the air pressure in the vacuum, removing the air from the chamber.
Step 5
Switch the vacuum to the heat setting and turn it on. This process removes every bit of moisture from the ice cream, leaving behind only freeze-dried ice cream particles.
Step 6
Remove from the vacuum chamber and eat. Freeze-dried ice cream probably isn't appropriate for serving in place of traditional ice cream at a child's birthday party. However, it is great to pack for hiking trips and when you know you'll be in a place where you can't cool foods or keep ice on hand. That's why, in addition to being available at museum gift shops as an Apollo remembrance, freeze-dried ice cream is also available at outdoor supply shops and many hiking outfitters online.
Things You'll Need
- Ice cream
- Industrial freezer
- Vacuum chamber
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