Magic shell … what’s the secret?
We have many interesting conversations in the newsroom …
How would you develop an app for bank robbers?
Jetpacks really DO exist.
Kristen … you haven’t seen WHAT movie?!
Photo via The Chow
Today, our conversation was aimed at food. Ice cream, to be exact. And fellow copy editor, Pete Mergenthaler mentioned his distrust of the chocolate topping that hardens when it is poured on top of ice cream, as it is not heated before doing so.
“Science can’t explain it,” he joked.
Well, Pete is wrong. Science CAN explain how the magic shell works. And here it is:
According to The Chow, some toppings use “edible paraffin wax.” In those instances, “the topping is kept warm before application, so the wax is in a melted state. When ice cream is dipped in it, the wax hardens.” Apparently, the use of wax is not uncommon in chocolate, as it is sometimes used to give it a nice sheen.
The other way to create the “magic” is coconut oil, which is naturally high in saturated fat. Coconut oil becomes solid at 70 degrees, melts at about 74 degrees, and freezes at 25 degrees.
So there it is. The illusion is shattered. Sorry, Pete.
