Are you an adventurous person? If you are, then a time comes when crazy ideas pop up in your head. Such individuals believe that life is too short to be cautious about every little thing that may happen to you.
Now, have you ever thought what would happen if you put ice in a deep fryer? Well, to give you a hint, the results would be explosive and chaotic. You may even be left without a face to look at in the mirror.
Well, we (kitchen pursuit) have decided to join your crazy world, only that this time we will try to give you an explanation as to why this reaction happens.
Let’s go!
Table of Contents
First Things First
To start with, you should know that the results of your experiment depend on the type of ice you would be using. Yes, there are different types of ice, and we shall explain to you what they are:
Normal Ice
As the name suggests, this is the type that most of us are familiar with. You can make it by freezing water at 0 degrees Celsius.
Dry Ice
This is simply carbon dioxide that has been solidified. It is prepared by storing the gas in a small space that has very low temperatures.
This ice has a lower temperature than regular ice, and you may find it in many factories being used as a cooling agent.
Of the two options, we strongly recommend that you use normal ice for this trial.
Why Normal Ice?
We can point out a few reasons why normal ice would be the better choice.
- First, it is readily available, and you could pick it out of your freezer
- It is cheaper since dry ice needs technical machinery to solidify carbon dioxide
- Lastly, it is a safer option, and this shall be the main focus of our article
Dipping Ice Into The Deep Fryer
There are a couple of things that have to be present for this experiment. They include:
- A deep fryer
- Cooking Oil
- Normal Ice
- Fire resistant material (should be worn on the hands at all times)
The Experiment
If you want to remain with your good looks, maintain a reasonable distance from the deep fryer. This is due to the chaotic scene that is going to unfold before you.
The reaction between ice and the hot cooking oil is going to create bubbles, plus there will be a lot of oil that will be spit in the air.
Once the ice touches the hot oil, it begins melting, and we shall now be dealing with cold water rather than ice.
Explanation Behind this Reaction
We shall try to explain everything to you in the most straightforward language, even though there is a scientific reason behind it.
The boiling point of water is 100 degrees Celsius while that of oil is as high as 210 degrees Celsius. The significance of this difference is that the specific heat capacity of water would be twice that of oil.
NB: The Specific Heat Capacity is the amount of heat that is needed to raise the temperature of a substance per unit of mass.
The extremely high temperatures cause an instant change in the state from ice to cold water and then to steam. This change in state is accompanied by a significant change in pressure and volume as well.
Therefore, as each water molecule goes through a state change, a lot of heat is released, accompanied by a change in pressure and volume. This may explain the explosive reaction that you will witness.
Video of What Happens When You Put Ice Into a Deep Fryer
What’s More
You could try a similar experiment with dry ice, though you should expect a more vigorous reaction. This is due to the boiling temperature of dry ice being -78 degrees Celsius, which is much lower than that of oil.
Wrapping It Up
As you can see, the reaction that occurs when you place ice in a deep fryer is not a joke. Whether it is normal or dry ice, hot cooking oil would make it expand, which would lead to the popping that we have stated.
It does not matter how much oil you use in the experiment as the oil spat out is hot enough to leave your face with permanent marks.
That is why we advise you to conduct this trial only if necessary; or if you feel brave enough.