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Off topic question about freezer spray

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grrr_arrghh

New Member
Hi.

I often hear of freezer spray being used in electronics, and so wondered if anyone knows if it is dangerous? Because if I make a cake, and put some whipped cream in a pretty pattern on top, it probably wont stay like it, so I wondered if freezing it with freezer spray might help, but I don't want to do it if its gonna poison people. Also it might be useful for creme brulé (melt the sugar, then freeze it instantly).

Anyone know? Anyone tried it?

Cheers,

Tim
 
The rapid expansion of a compressed gas results in a cooling effect. The degree of this effect is dependent on the gas and the amount of decompression.

The boiling/expansion of a liquid is also accompanied by a cooling effect. Propane happens to be a good example- at modest pressure it's a liquid at room temp but if released to atmosphere it boils/evaporates - with a rather extreme cooling - note frost on the valve or tank if discharge rate is sufficient.

Problems that I can see:

Asphyxiation as oxygen is displaced.
Explosive/flammable issues with some materials.
Exposure of flesh or other things to freezing.
Displacement of that which you are trying to preserve in the first place.
Cost/complexity

With that said it's likely that some of this effect is already incorporated into food preparation/preservation. As I recall some shave cream propellant was or is propane or a similar gas - which probably helps with foaming. Whipped cream in aerosol cans might use this as well though the cooling effect may not be significant.

I have used a device that uses compressed air discharged thru an orifice to cool an airstream to provide local cooling - in electronics cabinets, suits for high temp environments, etc. They work but they consume a lot of compressed air. I can't think of the name of the company at the moment.
 
lol, hmmm, interesting.

so what you are saying is, I might as well just put it in the freezer? But you don't think that the spray in itself is actually harmful, at least in terms of the chemical element?

and I just discovered that whipped cream in cans uses laughing gas as a propellant!! Maybe its a marketing strategy...?

Tim
 
Nitrous oxide ( laughing gas ) is an accepted food additive, and is used primarily as that now, mostly whipping cream. It disolves well into organic liquids, and when released from pressure the gas does produce the "whipped" effect.

Most of the cooling/dusting aerosol cans I have seen have refrigerant R152a in them. This is the "new" refrigerant used in AC systems. One problem with it is exposure to flame, where it can produce very nasty byproducts.
 
Hi,
a lowtech solution: freeze the patterns before placing them on the cake.
Create the patterns on a pan liner and put it in Your freezer. If they are frozen You can place them easily on Your cake.
Enjoy Your meal.
joachim
 
RGBrainbow said:
Hi,
a lowtech solution: freeze the patterns before placing them on the cake.
Create the patterns on a pan liner and put it in Your freezer. If they are frozen You can place them easily on Your cake.
Enjoy Your meal.
joachim
probably the safest option. saves me risking killing people.

Thanks for all the comments on this.

Tim
 
A safety information sheet I have here says it contains:

Dichlorodifluoromethane

It's listed as non-hazardous, but can produce toxic vapours in a fire.
 
Nigel Goodwin said:
A safety information sheet I have here says it contains:

Dichlorodifluoromethane

It's listed as non-hazardous, but can produce toxic vapours in a fire.
lol, well my cooking may be bad, but I don't intend to set them alight!! I'll maybe look into that a bit further (fluorine, chlorine and methane probably aren't good)

To be honest, I will probably go with RGBrainbow solution, as I can't be sure about the spray. Also, though, vapours aren't a problem to me (people wouldn't use it if was gonna kill the user), it was just the residues left over that I was worried about.

Cheers,

Tim
 
grrr_arrghh said:
To be honest, I will probably go with RGBrainbow solution, as I can't be sure about the spray. Also, though, vapours aren't a problem to me (people wouldn't use it if was gonna kill the user), it was just the residues left over that I was worried about.

According to the datasheet there is no residue, it evaporates totally.

But I must admit, I wouldn't be interested in sampling your cooking if you were spraying it on the food :lol:
 
That is just the complicated name for the HCFC R134a, the replacement for freon. It is nontoxic unless decomposed in flame. It is cold enough to cause frostbite instantly. It can cause asphyxiation if there is enough to displace breathable air.

I used it freeze a mashmallow peep to far below 0F. The consistency resembled a week-old bagel. It's got a very faint bit of smell but that seems to goe away quickly, the liquid molecules really want to turn into gas. Now if you spray it into a food product, some of the gas can be trapped in pores indefinitely and it might have a noticible chemical taste.
 
There may also be other contaminants in the can. When metals are processed there is often some metal dust or other processing chemicals left over. Since the freeze-it spray isn't meant for food or medical use, cleaning may not be that big of a priority at the factory and the spray may be contaminated.

It's also an expensive way to freeze something.
 
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