Ice Cream Science: Where Complexity Meets Joy

“Science is boring.”

“Science is hard.”

“I won’t need this in later life.”

Three things said regularly by many a student at school.  And for some, this may indeed be true.

But in my career as a materials scientist, the most difficult ‘material’ I have ever worked on is… Ice Cream.

Why?

Because it is a 4-phase composite system (ice, air, fat, sugary matrix), that starts to change the moment it is made.  No other material has even come close in terms of complexity. 

But was working with it boring?  No. 

Was it hard to work on?  Most definitely! 

And is it needed in life?...   Well, strictly speaking, no. 

But how boring life would be without it! 😊

What’s your favourite flavour?