Following my experiences with Waves in Colombia in 2017 I was intrigued to see that another company is doing something similar closer to home. My visit to Chessington World Of Adventures yesterday was made more interesting by my first taste of Nitrogenie ice cream. As far as I could see liquid nitrogen (presumably at -196C) was being bubbled through a fresh anglaise in a paddle-mixer resulting in a very cold and amazingly smooth ice cream. Imagine a decent Mr Whippy, although firmer with less over-run. According to the official Nitrogenie website the mix “freezes almost too fast for ice crystals to form, so the result is unbelievably smooth.”
This is not a new technique – chefs such as Heston Blumenthal have been using it for some time – but I have not seen it utilised in a mass-market product before.
There is a good selection of flavours – I had salted caramel with honeycomb but could have chosen triple choc brownie, Nutella Ella Ella or Lemon Meringue Pie.
Pricing is predictably premium at £4.25 for a smallish (3oz) tub: around the corner a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s was over a pound cheaper. The Nitrogenie product is very rich, so a little goes a long way. If anything I found the texture a little too smooth and could have done with more inclusions to vary the texture.
Also despite the tag-line of Ice Cream From Magic I saw little theatre – at Waves the product is made in front of you whereas the production of Nitrogenie is hidden from view. A missed opportunity.
But overall an intriguing and welcome addition to the ice cream world. Watch out for it !