Edible Comets!
Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to make edible comets (which will taste suspiciously like
ice cream). It also provides a nearly fail-proof way of remembering what comets are
really made out of.
Audience: This activity is suitable for all ages.
Activity:
Ingredients:
- Half & Half (to simulate water)
- sugar (to simulate salts)
- vanilla extract (to simulate ammonia)
- chocolate syrup (to make the comet dirty/simulate organic materials)
- broken up Oreos (to simulate bits of rock and dirt). Note that using
flavored Oreos makes the comets especially yummy.
- ~2 liters of liquid nitrogen (to freeze the comet)
Other materials:
- a large, flat-bottomed pot
- a wooden spoon or two for stirring and serving
- Dixie cups (small or large)
- plastic spoons
Pour Half & Half (amount depends on how much ice cream you want to make) into the
flat-bottomed pot. Add sugar: pour sugar into a pile in the middle of the
cream. Once the top of the pile of sugar has poked out of the top of the
cream, that's enough. Add a small amount of vanilla (a few drips to a
teaspoon), and the broken up Oreos. Have one person pour in the liquid
nitrogen (about 2 liters) while the other person stirs, until the ice cream freezes.
Scoop into the Dixie cups and enjoy!