DIY $1300 Anti-Griddle for Under $15

An anti-griddle is an expensive kitchen appliance that flash freezes or semi-freezes foods placed on its chilled metal top part. It's part of the molecular gastronomy movement and used to create all sorts of elaborate dishes, often with a frozen outer, soft inner consistency. Please add other cool ways to use an anti-griddle in the comments below!

If you pick-up from the manufacturer, it's about 40 cents/lb. You'll want as much surface area of the ice exposed, so opt for the pellets, if available. If not, use a hammer to break the blocks into pieces. I always ensure my windows are rolled all the way down when I drive this stuff home. Keeping your car free of carbon dioxide is crucial to the rest of this instructable (and your life.)

Add 90-100% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol, fuel additive, etc.) to dry ice until it forms a sludge. This lowers the freezing temperature of the dry ice below -100 degrees Fahrenheit. That's getting close to liquid nitrogen, so you can use this concoction to burn off warts too. Unlike liquid nitrogen, this stuff will not simply evaporate upon touching skin, it will stick like glue. So be very careful. Mix in an insulated container in a well-ventilated area with proper safety equipment.

Pour this freezing slurry onto a baking sheet and place another baking sheet on top. In less than ten minutes, this top sheet will start to form a layer of frost.

I made these frozen thin-mint pancakes by blending almond milk, banana and a couple thin mint Girl Scout cookies. They were delicious. Happy freezing!

Use this freezing sludge as you would liquid nitrogen: remove unsightly skin lesions, rapidly freeze food products, cryopreserve blood or reproductive cells, brand cattle or your buddies, and even promession (yikes.)