What Is Dry Ice Used For?
There are a wide variety of dry ice applications. Below we list some of the common consumer and domestic uses of dry ice.
Chilled and Frozen Storage
Maintaining produce at chilled temperatures
If you want to keep produce at chilled temperatures, then use smaller amounts of dry ice in the container and don’t place it directly on the food or drink, but rather in a side compartment or with some kind of buffer or packing between the dry ice and the food.
Gel packs are ideal if you only want to keep food and drink chilled without any risk of freezing. Soak Gel packs in water and then place in your freezer to prepare them. You can then distribute them evenly throughout your cooler.
Maintaining produce at frozen temperatures
If you want to keep your produce frozen then use dry ice. Dry Ice slices are ideal as they are individually wrapped and easy to distribute across your cooler or storage carton. 10kgs of dry ice would be suitable for 48 hours of storage.
Remember, the better insulated the container the longer the dry ice will last. Fill any remaining airspace in the container with newspaper or some kind of packaging. This helps to reduce the rate at which the dry ice sublimates (turns from a solid to a gas form).
Recommended Product: Dry Ice Slices
Airline Shipping
Recommended Product: Class 9 UN1845 Labels and Thermosafe Insulated Shipper.
Special Effects
Weddings
Create a romantic dancing-on-clouds effect for your first dance. Dry ice produces the perfect low-lying fog that flows across the ground. A dedicated dry ice smoke machine should be used with the dry ice. You can hire these from special effects companies like Team FX or Film Equipment Hire Ireland. The recommended type of dry ice is dependent on the type of dry ice smoke machine that you hire. Typically dry ice pellets or a 10kg block of dry ice is best. The hire company will be able to advise you which is most suitable.
Recommended Product: Dry Ice Pellets or Dry Ice Block (dependent on dry ice smoke machine type)
Champagne Reception
Dry ice is a spectacular addition to a champagne glass tower, creating a cascading fog effect. Always use ChilliSticks when adding dry ice to any drinks intended for consumption. ChilliSticks are specially developed to hold dry ice pellets safely in a glass without risk of swallowing the dry ice. Dry Ice should never be added loose into drinks – the extremely low temperature of the dry ice (-78oC) could result in internal injuries if consumed.
Recommended Product: Dry Ice Pellets and ChilliSticks
Halloween Special Effects
Recommended Product: Halloween Party Packs
Food and Drink Presentation
Restaurants – Food Presentation
Dry ice is sometimes used in the presentation of food in restaurants. Dry Ice pellets work best as you can add small amounts to serving trays to produce a fog effect around the food dishes. Add the dry ice pellets to warm water to produce the desired fog vapour.
Recommended Product: Dry Ice Pellets
Bars – Dry Ice Cocktails
Add Dry ice to cocktails and other drinks to produce a fun and unique fog effect. ChilliSticks are specially developed to hold dry ice pellets safely in a glass without risk of the dry ice being swallowed. You can preload them with dry ice pellets and then submerge the ChilliSticks in the remaining dry ice ready for use. Never add Dry Ice loose into drinks – the extremely low temperature of the dry ice (-78oC) could results in internal injuries if swallowed.
Recommended Product: Dry Ice Pellets and ChilliSticks
Homemade Ice-cream
Recommended Product: Dry Ice Pellets
Agriculture
Freezebranding
With a temperature of -78oC, Dry Ice blocks or slices are most suitable for freeze-branding. Place the dry ice into a container and pour methylated spirits over the Dry Ice.
Place the branding iron into this super-cooled alcohol mixture. Once sufficiently cooled, press it against the animal’s hide. This applies the permanent brand mark without damaging the hide.
Recommended Product: Dry Ice Blocks
Contact Us
Our head office and manufacturing premises are located in Co. Laois, with depots in Santry Dublin, Little island Cork, and Portadown Armagh.
Unit 3 Portarlington Ind. Est., Portarlington,
Co. Laois, R32 XR7Y
+353 (0)57 862 3860
info@polarice.ie