How Does Slush-It! Work?

The Slush-It! System takes advantage of a unique natural phenomenon called supercooling.  Supercooling is a process by which a liquid is cooled several degrees beyond its freezing temperature without turning solid (if it is cooled too much, it will eventually turn solid).  Once a liquid is in a supercooled state, it will remain liquid until a disturbance causes the formation of solid crystals (e.g. slush).  The disturbance in our case is the act of opening the beverage bottle or can.  For carbonated drinks, this releases pressurized carbon dioxide gas in the form of bubbles in the liquid.  These bubbles are tiny "disturbances" that causes the spontaneous formation of solid crystals and a rapid release of energy.  For non-carbonated drinks, the motion that occurs in the liquid during opening and the exposure to the open air is usually enough of a disturbance to initiate the ice crystal formation.

If This Occurs Naturally, Then Why Is The Cool Capsule Important?

The Cool Capsule is critical for several reasons.  First, it controls and slows the rate of cooling so that supercooling can occur predictably without the premature formation of ice crystals.  Second, it protects the beverage from sudden changes in temperature caused by the flowing of cold air in the freezer or the opening and closing of the freezer door.  These sudden temperature changes interfere with the supercooling process and can prevent it from working.  Finally, it contains the beverage in the event it is left in the freezer too long and it starts to leak. 

What Is the Purpose of the Slush-It! Sticker?

There is no visible difference between a liquid that is supercooled and one that is not.  Further, the amount of time it takes to properly supercool a beverage varies widely depending on many factors such as the initial beverage temperate, beverage type, beverage size, beverage container, and freezer temperature.  The Slush-It! Stickers are printed with a special temperature sensitive ink (called thermochromic ink) that changes color once the precise supercooling temperature is reached.  This eliminates the guesswork associated with supercooling beverages and allows one to predictably and reliably prepare slushy beverages without the hassle of controlling the initial beverage temperate, beverage type, beverage size, beverage container, and/or freezer temperature.

Do Some Beverages Work Better With the Slush-It! System?

Yes.  During research and development, we tested hundreds of beverages.  The final product you see here has been optimized to work well with a wide variety of beverages from carbonated soft drinks to fruit juice.  However, beverage characteristics still do have an impact on the final result.  Specifically, our research has found that the following factors may affect how well certain beverages work with the Slush-It! System:

• Sugar Content: Too much sugar and ice crystals may form prematurely; no sugar and slush can be "chunky" making it difficult to remove from the bottle or can.  Diet sodas can be especially unpredictable and sometimes produce unsatisfactory results.

• Carbonation Level: pressurization facilitates the supercooling process; the release of bubbles when the beverage is open speeds slush formation.

• Beverage Container Size: Larger beverage containers (e.g. greater than 20oz) are thermally more stable than smaller ones and therefore tend to me more compatible with Slush-It!

• Beverage Container Type: aluminum cans and glass bottles cool faster than plastic bottles and also tend to have a longer "ready window" (the amount of time the beverage is properly supercooled buy not yet frozen).
  

See instructions for a general compatibility chart or feel free to experiment with your own favorite beverage and tell us how it worked!

What Else Effects How Well Slush-It! Works?

The biggest factor besides those listed above is the freezer itself.  The Cool Capsule is designed to minimize this effect so that results are predictable regardless of what freezer you use. However, if the freezer is extremely cold or provides excessive air flow, the Cool Capsule cannot keep up.  The result is that too large of a temperature gradient is allowed to form within the beverage. In this case, instead of the beverage being supercooled, it will simply start to freeze and ice will form inside the container prematurely. The other negative effect of an excessively cold freezer is that the time between when the beverage is ready and when the beverage starts to freeze (the "ready window"), will be much shorter. The simplest remedy for this problem is to turn the freezer temperature up slightly or to try a different freezer.  

If you have other any questions about this product, please don't hesitate to contact us.