FOOD NEWS
The Intense Science That Helped Create Dippin' Dots
By Nick Johnson
One dessert brand that has been transporting consumers into the world of tomorrow for decades is Dippin' Dots. Whether or not Dippin' Dots is the ice cream of the future may be debatable, but it's undeniable that the science behind creating these spherical sweets is innovative.
Dippin' Dots are created via cryogenic encapsulation, which was introduced to frozen desserts by microbiologist Curt Jones in the late 1980s (via Adweek). Essentially, the process uses pipettes to introduce tiny drops of liquid into liquid nitrogen, and for Dippin' Dots, the ice cream droplets instantaneously freeze into flavor-filled balls.
Dippin' Dots are frozen at a temperature of negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure that they lock in maximum creaminess. Although they are exposed to absolutely frigid temperatures during their creation in liquid nitrogen, they are stored at negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the franchise takes painstaking steps to get its ice cream out to consumers.