The Flash Freeze Hack For Deliciously Fizzy Soda Slushies
If you're craving a sweet, frozen treat to cool you down during the warm summer months, it may be tempting to make the trek to your nearest convenience store or 7-Eleven. (Did you know that the chain was actually started by a Dairy Queen employee?) But if you'd rather not spend the extra money, a DIY slushie could be just a few easy steps away. In fact, all you'll need to make the drink right in your own kitchen is a bottle of your favorite carbonated beverage, like Coca-Cola or orange soda, and a freezer.
While shaking carbonated beverages is generally discouraged if you want to avoid making a mess when you open them, that's exactly what you'll need to do to make this trick work. Make sure the bottled beverage is unopened, then give it a few shakes. Once your drink has been sufficiently shaken, you can place the bottle in the freezer.
Leave it there for about three hours, giving the drink enough time to totally cool down. Then, your drink should be ready — though the exact amount of time needed could vary, depending on the temperature of the freezer.
The drink will still be liquid when it comes out
Once you've pulled the bottle out, twist open the cap just a little to release some of that extra pressure. Once the bottle is open, it will need a "trigger" to kick off the last step in the freezing process.
The easiest method is simply to reseal the cap, turn the bottle upside down, and the drink will freeze right in the bottle. If you want to sip on your slushie in a different glass, you can also keep the cap off, pour the liquid into a glass, and watch as it freezes while it pours out.
Additionally, some extra coldness could help the freezing process. If you pour the beverage out into a glass and find that it's stayed mostly liquid, simply drop an ice cube in to start the freezing process. (Just make sure your ice is kept in a covered container before adding it in.) Alternatively, you can place the ice cube in the glass prior to pouring the liquid, so that it begins to react as soon as it hits the ice.
Why does it freeze as a reaction?
Though this trick might seem like magic, it's actually done through the process of supercooling. Supercooling is when a liquid is cooled down below its freezing point, but it doesn't turn into ice. By shaking up the carbonated beverage prior to placing it in the freezer, bigger bubbles can pop, preventing ice from forming on them prematurely.
While the liquid does become super cold, the liquid molecules are still moving around on their own, instead of forming together in one arrangement, reports Science Focus. The disruption — whether you choose to simply pour the liquid out, drop an ice cube in, or tip it upside down — will cause those molecules to bind together, creating that semi-frozen slushie texture. Coca-Cola even capitalized on this process in Japan a few years ago, selling bottles of its beverages in vending machines set at a specific temperature. Customers were instructed to take a sip, seal the bottle, and turn it upside down to create a slushie.
The next time you're craving a slushie, simply grab a bottle of your favorite carbonated beverage, shake it up, and toss it in your freezer for a few hours for a sweet and easy treat.