Thread: Silly Dry Ice Question

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Probably a silly question, but I didnt really watch Mr. Wizard that much as a kid (looking back, I wish I did though!). Is it safe to put dry ice into fruit punch for that bubbling/fogging effect and then serve to guests? I know its frozen carbon dioxide and I know that the sodas we drink have pressurized carbon dioxide in it so am I safe in assuming that it would not make the drink toxic? My other concerns would be whether or not it adds a flavor to the drink and then how to keep people from coming into contact with the dry ice. If anyone has successfully tried this in the past, any ideals on how to isolate the dry ice inside a punch bowl/cauldron so that there is no accidential contact? Ive done just that in the past and I know it sucks! I really dont want anyone grabbing a ladel full of witches brew and gulping down a chunk of dry ice! Thanks in advance.

It will actually carbonate the drink a bit! You will also want a deep bowl or not to fill it up too much or the bubbling will get it everywhere. You want to make sure people don't swallow it, so you may want to put an upside-down colander over the dry ice (especially if you have "that guy" in your group of friends), put it in a cheesecloth or mesh bag for vegetables, or punch holes in a heavy duty tupperware container. Also it's better if you get a big chunk and not the pellets if you can.

It is extremely dangerous if it comes into contact with skin as well... I wouldn't personally use it in anything that would potentially touch a person's mouth or hands. It is done, but the risks of adding it directly to someone's drink are too high in my opinion:

ADD DRY ICE TO BEVERAGES
It is OK to put Dry Ice into beverages for drinking as long as the dry ice is food grade. Use 2 to 4 pounds of Dry Ice for each gallon of room temperature punch. Use large pieces of Dry Ice not small pieces. The Dry Ice is heavier than ice and will sink to the bottom. Do not use any regular ice! The Dry Ice will do the cooling and must not be eaten or swallowed. Too much Dry Ice will freeze the beverage so have extra standing by. It will bubble and give off the most fog when the beverage is room temperature. When most of the Dry Ice has sublimated, it will surround itself with ice and float to the top. There is still a small piece of Dry Ice in the center of these ice pieces so do not serve or eat them. Carefully ladle the beverage into drinking glasses without any Dry Ice. Add regular ice to glasses for cooler drinks.

Caution: Dry ice temperature is -109.3 F. (-78.5 C.) Always handle dry ice with care – wear gloves at all times. Store with plenty of ventilation. If dry ice comes in contact with bare skin, injury similar to a burn will result.

This happens to be one of those things where it might be very easy to talk myself out of it! The ideal of the dry ice fogging/bubbling in a punch would be so awesome, I just stress over anything that might pose risks to others (potential risks to myself is another story!). Maybe the ultrasonic mister route then?

There is an idea to put the dry ice alone in a cylinder or cup with a little warm water, inside the bowl face up, that is taller than the fluid in the bowl. As long as the drinking fluid is below the lip of the cup, you should be fine. It's basically isolating the dry ice while letting the fog settle on top of the fluid in the punch bowl. That way you have the fogging effect, but the dry ice never touches the liquid you are drinking.

Steps are:
Fill your punch bowl or serving bowl with whatever you want to drink.
Get a cup that will fit into your bowl but is taller than where your liquid line is.
Put in the dry ice with some warm water into the cup.
Place the cup into the bowl.
The fog will fill the cup and then run over into the punch bowl.

It can't come into contact with mucous membranes/skin. So I wouldnt use it.

I've done it for a party and just used a large chunk and no one was hurt. Just depends on your guests. If there are children pre-serve drinks or have someone keep an eye out for it the whole time.

Thanks boobear, thats an option I hadnt thought of. I was thinking of putting a wire mesh collander upside down in the punch bowl with the dry ice inside of it. Some kind of heavy weight on top of it to keep it from floating to the surface. The wire mesh should keep any small chunks from floating around right? I planned on using large chunks of dry ice but as it wears down it might produce smaller pieces. Hopefully the wire mesh keeps it contained. Im going to have try this out way before the party. Too risky?

I put a punch bowl with the drink in the middle of a black plastic cauldron. The outer inside bottom of the cauldron had the warm water and dry ice. This worked well because most people will dunk the server right in the middle to get the drink. The trick with dry ice is to exchange the cooled water for warm water to continue the cool overflowing fog effect. Almost a full-time job. If you don't maintain the water exchange, you still will be able to have the fog hover to the top of the cauldron, just not overflowing. I used the small size pieces last year. This year I am going to try the bigger chunks.

Illusionist

i wouldnt do it myself (mainly cause i have kids all over the place) ... if you decide AGAINST it, something i do is take a NON POWDERED latex glove and fill it with water with red food coloring in it (or kool aid or punch...whatever) and float it in the punch bowl. looks like a severed hand in the bowl just remember to freeze it FLAT and tie it well... LOL