10 Creative Ways to Use Nitrous Oxide in the Kitchen
You may have heard of Nitrous Oxide before…
Known as laughing gas, it is typically used in dental and doctors’ offices as a tool to control minor pain. However, this material is also highly effective (and totally safe!) at aerating liquids and purees, making even the richest foods light as air.
It is typically compressed with a liquid like heavy cream in a canister and then dispensed into a foam, but here are ten other creative ways to use nitrous oxide in the kitchen.
1. Belgian Waffles
If you’ve ever been eating this famous Belgian breakfast food and have been wondering why they are so light, this is because Belgian Waffles usually incorporate whipped egg whites to the batter.
This batter can be a bit high maintenance and must be cooked immediately after whipping, so by using Nitrous Oxide in the batter, you can basically get the same effect from normal waffle or pancake batter. It will cut the density of your batter in half, leaving your cooked waffles light and crispy.
2. Hollandaise Sauce
Hollandaise is known for being one of the most rich and delicious sauces out there… but it can also be incredibly heavy.
It is almost pure fat – made from egg yolks and clarified butter – so fluffing up this sauce with the use of Nitrous Oxide can be a real treat! Simply by aerating this sauce, you cut the calories in half, but it also gives it a very pleasant lightness and mouthfeel. You can do the same thing with hollandaises’ sweet counterpart, Sabayon sauce.
3. Edible Garden Pot
By using Nitrous Oxide to aerate Gribich salad dressing, you can make a fantastic show stopper at your next event! Simply aerate and set this classic hardboiled egg dressing, and then serve it with fried panko. The beautiful foam dressing is light and airy and will blow your dinner guests away!
Chef Rui Mota is using a Smartwhip Cream Charger for this recipe.
4. Fish Batter
Who doesn’t love classic fish and chips?! One of the best part about this classic British dish is the light, crispy batter on the fried fish.
However, have you ever thought to take it one step further by aerating the batter itself before you fry it? Typically, chefs will add either soda water or beer to a fish batter for this very reason, but the problem is that the bubbles dissipate very quickly.
By using Nitrous Oxide, you can achieve a truly airy, foamy batter… making whatever you are deep-frying as light as air!
5. Soda
Who doesn’t love an ice cold glass of their favourite soda pop? But did you know that you can make it at home with Nitrous Oxide?
You can turn any juice or liquid into soda with the click of a button! Some amazing examples are: Lemonade soda, a spoon of raspberry jam in a glass of water or even real cream soda! You can also use Nitrous Oxide to give bubbles to flat, stale beer or champagne, or to your favorite summer cocktail!
6. Dark Chocolate Foam
The classic way to prepare a rich, dark chocolate mousse is to mix in dark chocolate to a cream base and let it set. The result is rich, decadent and creamy. Now try adding Nitrous Oxide to that recipe (like Chef Rui Mota does with this Tempered Chocolate Mousse) and see what you’ve been missing!
This mousse will not only be extremely decadent but is also light as air on your tongue.
7. Cheese Foam
Remember that spray can cheese from when you were a kid? The can with all the mysterious ingredients on the label, with neon cheese that sprayed out that felt a little waxy on your tongue? Imagine you could recreate the “adult” version of that cheese sauce using melted cheese of your choice – perhaps a high end aged cheddar – and Nitrous Oxide.
The result is a creamy, dreamy, frothy, delicious cheese sauce that you can use anywhere you use melted cheese – on nachos, pasta or even popcorn!
8. Funnel Cake
This classic snack is usually consumed at the county fair or baseball stadiums, but you can now make it yourself with the addition of Nitrous Oxide!
Simply aerate the batter for funnel cake and add it to a piping bag or squeeze bottle. Gently squeeze into hot oil and watch as this batter puffs up and transforms into the most delicious, light tasting fried batter you’ve ever had! Add a sprinkle of icing sugar and you are off to the races!
9. Icing, Frosting and Whipped Cream
One of the best parts of a kid’s birthday party is the CAKE! And now you can take it one step further with the use of Nitrous Oxide.
Simply add Nitrous Oxide to heavy cream and then whip in some powdered sugar and gelatin, and you have a gorgeous frosting that you can use to frost any cake. This frosting is lighter than any buttercream you’ve tasted and you can add whatever colourings and flavourings you want to make the party special.
10. Infused Oils and Butter
Who doesn’t love a drizzle of lemon oil over their fish, or some herby butter on their cob of corn? Well, now you can have all your favourites with half the fat! By aerating these fatty ingredients, you cut the calories basically in half (since the other half is just air!) and you still get all the flavour and richness from adding butter or oil to your food.
Add Nitrous Oxide to any oil and flavour it however you want for a nice, light salad dressing, or add it to butters for a sweet or savoury accompaniment to any of your favourite foods!
