Make Snow with Liquid Nitrogen

Apparently submerging a hand in liquid nitrogen isn't as painful as one might suspect (if you trust the Leidenfrost effect as much as Theodore of Gray Matter): I hadn't realized that my hand was quite so deep into the liquid. Amazingly, I barely felt the cold at all. My skin ...more

If you've ever turned on an episode of Iron Chef or Top Chef, chances are you've seen a contestant in gloves and goggles, yielding a canister that looks far more fit for a chemistry lab than for a kitchen. Wonder what's in the canister? Liquid nitrogen, the go-to tool/ingredie ...more

If you've got a birthday party to plan for a young budding scientist coming up, a little nitrogen should do the trick. In this project, I'll show you 10 "super cool" tricks with liquid nitrogen that you could try, but probably shouldn't! Video: . WARNING: Adult Supervision Nee ...more

Dippin' Dots are a fun way to enjoy ice cream, but the price tag is not so fun. Plus, the company filed for bankruptcy last year, so they may not be around much longer. The good news is that you don't need them—you can make your own at home with some ice cream and liquid nitro ...more

In this "Quick Clip," I tried dunking inflated balloons into a container filled with liquid nitrogen until they were completely flattened and seemingly destroyed. Once out of the liquid nitrogen, the balloons come back to life and reinflate on their own—without even touching t ...more

You can do a lot with liquid nitrogen, including freeze and shatter gummy bears, make homemade Dippin' Dots, and scare the crap out of your friends by dipping your hand in it! If you can't get your hands on any, you can even make it yourself. Or, if you want to try something a ...more

Bill Beaty's at it again! Our favorite crackpot physicist presents a backyard solution to that emergency need for cryogenic fluid. Sometimes you can't wait to freeze daisies. Recipe: dry ice, soda bottles, and rubbing alcohol. The alcohol does not freeze to solid state. Inste ...more

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. It's a universally loved treat that seems to make everyone who eats it giddy. However, there are two downsides to ice cream, in my opinion. First, it's hard to make at home, and good quality ice cream can be expensive. Second ...more

Here's how to make dry-ice at home, or wherever you feel like it! All you need is a pillow case, and a CO2 fire extinguisher. Video: . WARNING: Dry Ice is extremely cold! (-78C/-109F) and can cause instant frost-bite to exposed skin. This project should not be attempted withou ...more

Watching an ice cream pro build you a custom frozen treat mixed with your favorite fruit, candy, and/or toppings makes buying a cone even more exciting. But why go out for ice cream when you can create your favorite combinations in your own kitchen? While you might not have an ...more

Who could resist a gummy bear? Those rubbery little candy creatures shaped like a bear are just too cute and too delicious to pass up. If you can't get any enjoyment out of those gelatin-based confectioneries, then you're simple not human. Even scientists love them, but not fo ...more

IEEE Spectrum examines the practice of cryonically freezing the dead, with the intent to "reboot" when medical advances are prepared to undo their death. Is it just a matter of time (cryonics scientists predict 100 years) or pure quackery? Here's how it works: "Before the b ...more

As Theo Gray of Gray Matter demonstrates below, contrary to what the ads may say, diamonds CAN expire. Especially when attacked with a blow torch and liquid nitrogen. Gray says: "Diamonds are neither rare nor intrinsically valuable nor uniquely romantic. Those are ideas inven ...more

PopSci's Gray Matter demonstrates again and again what the layman should absolutely Not Try at Home. Which is precisely what makes Gray's experiments so fun. Remember when the mad scientist fully submerged his hand in liquid nitrogen? Today's demonstration also plays with what ...more

WonderHowTo science geek favorite, NurdRage, completely shatters a human heart using liquid nitrogen. Now, what I wanna know is... and I'm really asking... where the hell do you get a human heart? (Oh. That disclaimer left me a little disappointed).

The Leidenfrost Effect: “a phenomenon in which a liquid, in near contact with a mass significantly hotter than the liquid’s boiling point, produces an insulating vapor layer which keeps that liquid from boiling rapidly”. It looks pretty spectacular captured at 3000 frames-per- ...more

I first heard the term molecular gastronomy while watching an episode of Bravo's Top Chef a few seasons back. Intrigued by the concept, I sought to find out more about this modern, deconstructed type of cookery. If you happen to be around foodies and the topic of molecular gas ...more

In 1782, an English plumber named William Watts came up with a clever method for making shotgun ammo. Watts constructed a six story "shot tower", consisting of a series of perfectly lined up holes, drilled into all six floors of the structure. Watts then poured molten lead thr ...more

Here at WonderHowTo, we love science. And of course, explosions. So, naturally we find Gray Matter's demonstration of fiery hydrogen bubbles pretty awesome. But the most interesting part is the reason behind the demonstration. Did you know the same gas that heats your house c ...more

Theo Gray of Gray Matter explains the principle behind sending steel up in flames- as long as it's steel wool, of course. The process is beyond simple. Spend 2 bucks and 2 minutes: purchase a steel wool pad, hold in pliers, light with a match. But the question is, why is steel ...more

The clock is ticking! Pick up some bokeh tips or buy an app—whichever method you choose, you have until Monday, November 7th, 11:59pm PST to participate in this week's Giveaway Tuesdays Photo Challenge. Below, 50 beautiful bokeh photographs to inspire your entry. Something He ...more

We hang flags to proclaim our patriotic spirit. This is especially true for retired veterans or those who have loved ones serving in the military. Others hang flags representing the seasons, important events, favorite teams or just a cute and whimsical design as decoration. An ...more

Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty are some of the most horrific fairy tales ever written, but over the course of nearly 200 years they've become watered down and sugar coated for innocent children everywhere. The original tales by the Brothers Grimm are vi ...more

"Cooking" with liquid nitrogen seems like one of those activities that should be strictly limited to pros who are appearing on Top Chef, but it's the only way you'd ever be able to make Dippin' Dots at home. If that isn't enough of a reason for you to get some LN2 for your kit ...more

Sriracha has quickly become one of the country's most universally loved condiments. The addictive and affordable chili sauce seemingly goes on anything, and with anything, and never seems to get old. To wit: when I studied abroad, all of our food was boring, pre-packaged Sysco ...more

Fireworks are synonymous with holidays like Fourth of July and New Year's, but rarely do you ever hear about fireworks or explosives going off during a Christmas celebration—until now. Greg Foot and Mike Sansom from Head Squeeze changed the traditional "Twelve Days of Christm ...more

A visit to Disneyland is not complete without a trip to the Tiki Juice Bar where the famous Dole Whip soft serve dessert resides. These golden swirls of frozen pineapple-y goodness are an essential part of any magical visit. But trips to Disneyland are pretty pricey nowadays. ...more

Essentially, the Anti-Griddle does exactly what its name promises: it turns things almost instantaneously cold when you drop them on its "grilling" surface. Unlike home methods of flash freezing, its staggeringly low temperatures (-30°F/-34.4°C) allows ingredients that normall ...more

Parties are a great way to celebrate and have fun with your good friends, so to make sure your next party rocks, I've assembled some of the biggest life-hackers on YouTube to bring you 10 outrageous party tricks your guests will not forget. Video: . All these YouTubers posted ...more

Maglev trains. Why are they so cool? Well, for starters, they float. The idea of levitating trains have been around since the '60's.  The first commercially available levitator was introduce in 1984, Birmingham, England. The fastest known floating train is Japan's JR-Maglev, ...more

When I was a little kid, my parents often eschewed cakes for my birthday parties, and instead opted for ice cream sundaes and banana splits. It made perfect sense: ice cream is so easy, and you can get multiple flavors to ensure that everyone is happy. Don't Miss: How to Make ...more

You may have had to deal with this unfortunate scenario when you have a hankering for homemade ice cream: you find a great recipe, just the flavor you want to make, you start reading it... and you discover those ever-dreaded words "pour into your ice cream maker and process ac ...more

There are few things that make me smile more than ice cream… or bread! So why not combine them for double the happiness? We've discussed the art of making ice cream bread before, but not everyone has the time (or, let's face it—the patience) to bake bread in the oven, no matte ...more

Cast-iron cookware breeds a strange kind of obsession. When I got my first pan, I spent untold hours seasoning, cooking, researching the best non-soap methods to use for cleaning, and re-seasoning that thing. Finally, I became exhausted by the whole process and realized that y ...more