Shaky sorbets

You’ll need

Device with access to the internet
Spoons
Ice
Rock salt
Fruit juices
Measuring jugs
Small zip-lock bag (500ml)
Large zip-lock bag (750ml-1 litre)

Before you begin

This is a great activity to run during an online session. Check out the advice on using Zoom and other popular digital platforms and the guidance on being safe online.
Let everyone know what they'll need in advance. Everyone should use one large zip-lock bag, one small zip-lock bag, about 20 ice cubes, 100ml of water, 200g of rock salt and a choice of fruit juices.
Think about how you'll explain the instructions to everyone on the call – you could set up a camera and demonstrate the actions as you go, like a real cooking show.

Shake it up

The person leading the activity should welcome everyone to the meeting and mute them. They should explain that everyone will be making sorbet together during the session.
Everyone should choose a fruit juice to use. They should pour 300-500ml of the juice into the small zip-lock bag and seal it, making sure that none of the juice can escape.
Everyone should add all of the ice cubes to the large zip-lock bag.
Everyone should put the small zip-lock bag of juice inside the large zip-lock bag of ice and add the water. They should seal the large zip-lock bag and wrap it in the towel.
Everyone should shake their bags of ice, water, and juice. After a few minutes, everyone can stop shaking and open their large zip-lock bags.

No sorbet? Everyone should add their rock salt to the ice and water in the large zip-lock bag, leaving the small zip-lock bag as it was. They should seal the bags and shake them again in the towel.
After about 10 minutes of shaking, everyone’s juice should have frozen into sorbet. Take out the small zip-lock bag, grab a spoon and have a taste!
The person leading the activity should explain that the salt is the key. It stops the water in the large bag freezing by lowering the temperature that water freezes at. In winter, ponds and rivers freeze over before the sea does. By lowering the ‘freezing point’ of the water, it can get colder without turning to ice, allowing it to freeze the juice into sorbet. Shaking the bag made sure that all the juice froze evenly and not just on the outside.

Reflection

This activity gave everyone the chance to try something – had anyone made sorbet by shaking bags of salty ice water and juice before? Was anyone surprised that the experiment worked? People could take it in turns to explain the science behind making juice into sorbet without a freezer. Would people like to try the recipe again? Maybe they’d like to experiment with different juices or perhaps they could try to make ice cream.

Sorbet is a great choice for dessert because the juice content gives you one of your five-a-day. Would people prefer to eat sorbet or drink juice? Everyone should watch out for brain freeze – cold sorbet can give people a headache if they eat it too quickly!

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Snow and ice: Be careful when activities involve snow and ice. Check surfaces and reduce the risk of slipping where possible. Have appropriate supervision for this activity.
Science: Supervise young people, and only do science activities that are advised and age appropriate for your section. Test activities first, to make sure you’re confident you can lead them safely. Use protective clothing where necessary.
Food: Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at our guidance on food safety and hygiene.