Monday, December 3, 2012

Facts About Whipped Cream Chargers

By Ethel Harris


If you are a kitchen person, someone who works around using whip creams in baking cakes, then you may have heard about nangs, whippets and nossies. These are more commonly referred to as whipped cream chargers. They are cylinders usually made of steel that contain the substance, nitrous oxide. They are popularly used as whipping agents that will be added to a dispenser in a manner similar to a siphon outfitted with a cartridge. This cartridge comes with contents to be injected into creams, making foams that appear light and frothy.

The typical charger cylinders have a length of about 2.5 inches and a width of 0.7 inch. Their ends are known to form narrow tips which will need tight screwing into dispensers for piercing. The piercing will result to the cylinders releasing their contents into the dispensers. Standard cooking will require only at least 1 cartridge but never more than 2.

Homeowners need to ensure that their dispensers will not be filled beyond maximum to prevent the contents from mixing with N2O. Right after piercing the cylinders, the dispensers should be shaken just to allow the contained ingredients to mix with the injected air. Shaking for 20 seconds would usually suffice. During the shaking procedure, fat soluble gasses are expected to dissolve and mix with the dispenser contents.

The shaking procedure will also allow the building up of pressure within the dispenser. This pressure is essential as it is what will force contents out the nozzles after the levers or valves have been pressed. The gases which dissolved and mixed with the contents will return to a gaseous state and make foams more in volume than when the contents where still liquid. However, the foams will still not be stable and might return to the liquid state right after thirty minutes.

The most popular use of chargers is in making whipped cream. Adding sugar would be optional. It may also be possible to add along colors and certain flavorings if desired. These add-ons will usually be perfect for coffee shop or restaurant applications.

A charger can also have a culinary use. You can make flavored foams by adding in liquid or puree along with gelatin. Chargers may also be great for whipping meringue, custards and cake batter. You can serve the resulting foams hot or cold. In case you opt for cold foams, you will need to prepare iced water in which the dispenser will be soaked in. Soak the dispenser in warm water if you opt for the hot foams otherwise.

Chargers can be very cheap sources for nitrous oxide which can be an oxidizer for polyethylene and other solid fuels. This N2O substance can be used to power model rockets as well. It can allow a rocket to fly higher by improving its combustion.

However, charger contents are prone to abuse as well. This is mainly because they have psychoactive effects, prompting them to be taken as inhalants. Moreover, they are inexpensive and very easy to acquire because of commercial availability.

People should be wary of the effects of inhaling the N2O in whipped cream chargers though. Over time, the act can cause damage to major organs including the brain, lungs and heart. This can also cause dizziness, heart palpitations and headaches.




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