# Dry ice in the punch?



## maleficent (May 20, 2007)

I've always heard you can't use it in the punch you have to float it in a seperate bowl.


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## SunElaine (Sep 14, 2008)

Hmm.. I googled it and I guess there are two different kinds of dry ice. One is the kind you can't ingest and the other is called "food grade" dry ice and it's made from the stuff they make carbonated beverages out of. I called the ice distributor in my town and the lady said people use the stuff they sell in punch all the time for Halloween parties. She couldn't answer my questions about *HOW* I should do that though! Hopefully she knows what she's talking about... I definitely don't want to kill anyone!!


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## colmmoo (Jul 23, 2005)

It's really dangerous to put the dry ice in the punch - it'll burn anyone's insides when they drink it. Instead, put the punch in a smaller bowl, and the dry ice in the bigger bowl underneath it.


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## LHALLOW (Aug 10, 2004)

We usually use dry ice in our punch and it works really well (it's the kind from Baskin Robbins). You will just need to let your guests know that it's in there though so they don't go trying to touch it!!

5lbs sounds about right. We use our metal tongs to add the ice to the punch. We add about a chunk or 2 an hour to keep the fog going most of the night. Make sure to add one big chunk at a time.


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## twidget722 (Aug 27, 2008)

Thanks for the info, i have been wondering the same thing!


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## SunElaine (Sep 14, 2008)

LHALLOW said:


> We usually use dry ice in our punch and it works really well (it's the kind from Baskin Robbins). You will just need to let your guests know that it's in there though so they don't go trying to touch it!!
> 
> 5lbs sounds about right. We use our metal tongs to add the ice to the punch. We add about a chunk or 2 an hour to keep the fog going most of the night. Make sure to add one big chunk at a time.


Thanks for the info! Hopefully if we tell people there is dry ice in the punch bowl (which should be failry obvious, I would think!) they will be cautious when filling their glasses.

Where do you store the dry ice before you use it??


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## maleficent (May 20, 2007)

You can get a cheap styrofoam cooler or just put it in the freezer. Be sure you have good thick gloves on when working with dry ice, never let it touch your skin!


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## LHALLOW (Aug 10, 2004)

Yup, we just keep ours in a cooler since our freezer is usually stocked full of regular ice and appetizers for the party.


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## Lurkerz (Aug 13, 2008)

ok I use dry ice every day at work.. Yes it can be dangerous you should never put it in a airtight container, You should never touch it with bare skin use gloves or a hot pad it will give you frost bite. Putting it in a beverage is fine just don't put it in a glass you are drinking from. (Dry ice is used to make homemade root beer). Just use common sense it is no more dangerous than your oven if used properly.


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## jodi (Aug 24, 2006)

we always just put ours in the punch bowl. it creates a cool effect and as long as people know its there, you should be fine. like everyone has said....don't use your bare hands and bigger chunks will last longer and have more a more dramatic fog effect, also should be less likely to melt into "drinkable" sized pieces.

have fun!


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## dmagz37 (Oct 31, 2008)

I've always wondered about whether it's safe to do that, actually. I mean, I'd hate to accidentally slurp up a piece of dry ice! That would be...not pleasant!


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## Moonchicky (Jun 4, 2005)

We add dry ice to our punch every year - just make sure to throw in big pieces so people can't accidentally scoop it up. We also warn people in advance too - but most people know not to touch the ice. I'd recommend storing it wrapped in a towel inside a styrofoam cooler, instead of the freezer. We used the freezer once and the dry ice just disintegrated.


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## Long_Tom (Oct 26, 2005)

If there is chunk of dry ice in the glass, you will almost certainly see some action: bubbling and fog if it's a piece about pea-sized or bigger; or a little speck scudding around on the surface when it gets that small. In other words, you aren't all that likely to not notice one, if it is there. 

Still, be sure to check your drink before drinking.


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## ghostokc (Oct 22, 2008)

thanks for the information.


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## LV Scott T (Aug 14, 2007)

We bought a 10-pound block from the grocery store. It was about 8" x 10" x 2" thick. It came in a sealed plastic bag, and that was placed in a brown paper bag by the store clerk. I also bought a small styrofoam cooler to keep it in.

NOTE: Dry ice will melt FASTER in your freezer than it will in its own styrofoam container.

When it was time, I dropped the block on the patio and it broke into several pieces. Using only a cocktail napkin to protect my fingers, I took a medium sized piece (about 2" x 4" x 2" thick), placed it in an onion sack (plastic), tied the end, and dropped it in the punch. It immediately started generating gobs of mist (yes, gobs). That one piece only lasted about 20 minutes, then I fished out the empty onion sack, untied it, and added another piece.

Actually, I'm not exactly sure how long the pieces lasted. Someone came & told me that the first piece had stopped, but not how long ago. After the 2nd piece, nobody remembered to add more, so the rest sat in the cooler all night.

At about 11:00 the next morning, the newlyweds came by to get their gifts and the cake. My wife had placed the cake's top layer in our freezer immediately after the cutting, so it was well on its way to being frozen. Not wanting it to thaw, they asked if we had some ice... I thought of the abandoned dry ice & styrofoam cooler outside (sitting in the morning sun) and wondered if it would have any dry ice left. Well, even after about 16 hours, there was still a bunch left! And guess what? The cake top fit inside perfectly!

So there you have it. Everything you ever wanted to know about dry ice... and wedding cake tops.


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## LV Scott T (Aug 14, 2007)

And here is a short video. The bubbling sound comes from the fact that this is a bubbling cauldron. More on that later...

http://www.starkmadness.com/photos/albums/userpics/10001/101_3467.MOV


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## johnpoll (Nov 8, 2008)

Hi,
I always put ice cream in the bowl or in a cone.


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## Lonely Grave Walker (Aug 13, 2008)

That is pretty awesome!! I am going to remember this for next year!


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## victoria1313 (Jan 29, 2009)

we ran a small hose into the caldren to a pump - it blows into the punch to give a bubbling sound and look


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## LV Scott T (Aug 14, 2007)

victoria1313 said:


> we ran a small hose into the caldren to a pump - it blows into the punch to give a bubbling sound and look


Yeah, same here. I made a loop of plastic (PV?) tubing, drilled a bunch of small holes into it, and attached it around the bottom of the cauldron. A watertight fitting passed through the wall of the cauldron, and more of the tubing ran 20' or so to an air pump.

NOTE: If you don't incorporate an anti-syphon valve, at least be sure the tubing runs higher in elevation than the ring at some point. Otherwise, the punch WILL find its way to the pump... and there's nothing worse than a drunk pump!


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## Demon Dog (Feb 26, 2009)

Yes, definitely trap it within a screened container like LV Scott T described if you really want the dry ice in the punch. Accidentally drinking dry ice would be very bad. Halloween parties have lots of distractions and accidents happen. And if there are kids at the party, they'll be drawn like a moth to the flame with dry ice.

A cooler almost the same size as the dry ice will work the best. The dry ice chills the air in the cooler, so the larger the cooler the more air there is for it to chill and the dry ice disappears more quickly.


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## braynor21 (May 11, 2009)

I always wanted to have a proper Witch's Brew, and this past year I finally went and found the dry ice, but wanting to be safe, I put the punch in a separate bowl inside the cauldron and the dry ice outside the bowl and just kept pouring hot water into the cauldron. Problem was, the effect was ruined a bit by the bright orange punch bowl and the dry ice chilled the water so fast that the smoke didnt last long. Not to mention that it was a pain to have to keep putting water in the cauldron and then dumping the water as it got too high.

Is there a better way to do this so that it's maintenance free? Maybe I need a better/bigger cauldron or a smaller punch bowl? Any help or ideas would be great!

Here is a link to my setup: Bob Raynor's Photos | Facebook


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## adam (Aug 1, 2008)

You know we had to do the same type of thing with dry ice. I don't know if there is a way to make it work, someone else might have a better idea. I would reccommend using another decorative cauldron with the dry ice in it. I think you could have a fogging cauldron and than a separate bunch bowl, make the table centerpiece a bit spooky with the fogging cauldron as the main attraction. I know they also make bigger ionizers, they can be pricy but could be worth it as the one ionizer sometimes doesn't make enough mist/fog. 

I would think though to utilize the dry ice idea in a cauldron would be to glue something in the middle that could house the dry ice/water and surrounding it could be the punch. That way the dry ice comes out the center and doesn't mix with the punch - just the fog will hover over it. Although I don't know if the glue got wet, if anyone would ingest it or if it would break down? I think if the material of the cauldron and the center to house the dry ice was the right material, it could work. Someone should have invented something like this already! Like one of those big plastic cauldrons, with a little cauldron in the center. The little cauldron would have to stay down with some sort of glue or light melting of the bottom to make it stick? Either way - like I said, as long as the punch can go around the middle cauldron and touch the dried glue and not have it cause a problem when people drink it. 

I also suggest using an ice face and hands for the punch bowl instead of dry ice, as its very creepy and fun!


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