Q&A for How to Buy Dry Ice

Dry ice starts to sublimate (evaporate) as soon as you buy it; it will take about 24 hours to completely sublimate. Be sure to buy your dry ice right before you need to use it so you get the most bang for your buck.

Yes, that should be totally fine (and look pretty cool, too). Just make sure no one sticks their hands into the cauldron and open the windows and/or doors in your space so there's no gas buildup in the room (since it's dangerous to breathe the gas in a confined space).

It should be fine as long as the IGLOO container is insulated and has built-in ventilation. Never put dry ice in an air-tight container of any kind since it could explode.

It should be okay in the trunk, but when you open the trunk, step back and let it air out before you start handling the dry ice. Your trunk isn't air tight so there's no danger of gas building up to the point of bursting, but there will be some gas build up. You'll want to let that gas dissipate for a few minutes before grabbing the dry ice out of your trunk so you don't breath it in.

It's not a good idea to use dry ice in a standard freezer because the freezer doesn't have ventilation. As you mentioned, the gas won't be able to escape, so it will build up inside the freezer and could possibly burst.

It really depends on what special effects you're planning on doing, but 5-10 pounds is a pretty standard amount for most projects. If you have leftover dry ice, just leave it somewhere secure for 24 hours so it can evaporate.

Not to the point where you're going to cause a problem. While it has enough of a seal to keep food fresh and the cold air in, it isn't enough to keep air pressure from regulating itself with the expansion of gasses from the dry ice.

Place the dry ice in an open top container full of water. Break the dry ice into small pieces first to maximize sublimation. Also make sure it's outdoors or in a well ventilated space. CO2 from dry ice will fall and settle in low lying areas.

Yes! Dry ice is an excellent choice to keep food frozen for 32 hours. The main thing you will need to have is an insulated cooler. Styrofoam works well. It's a great insulator, which will be necessary to minimize melting of the dry ice over time. Get at least a pound of dry ice, per pound of food, per 24 hours of freezing. Seal the food in plastic bags and wrap further with newspaper. Cut the dry ice into roughly 1lb blocks and also wrap it in plastic and paper, but do not seal. Stack food and dry ice packs evenly in alternating layers of dry ice packs and packages of food. Use as many coolers necessary to fit equal parts food and dry ice. Use more dry ice than needed.

Yes. For example, Dippin' Dots ice cream must be kept at 40 below zero. When you order online or they are shipping to stores, they use dry ice to keep the ice cream cold during the shipping process.

Yes, the smoke generated by dry ice is not harmful.

No, Styrofoam coolers are typically not air-tight.

For short periods of time, like a day,but if it is in a temperature tight container, you risk freezer burn.

Yes, this will extend the life of regular ice.

Yes, but if you unscrew the drain plug a small amount, it will allow the gas to escape.

No, because of the huge temperature difference. Regular ice will not produce the smoke like dry ice can.

Less than a pound is fine for that period of time.

As long as it is not airtight you will be fine. If its in a airtight container the pressure from the gas build up will eventually make the container explode.

Yes, dry ice can keep the food chilled for that length of time.

If you keep the car sufficiently ventilated, you'll be fine. (You don't want carbon dioxide to build up in the passenger compartment). Too much dry ice will freeze liquids, and the cold carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere created in the cooler will carbonate liquids in open or gas-permeable containers (like milk in an open carton). Not harmful, but definitely weird.

Use frozen ice packs in a Styrofoam container that is then wrapped in insulation. Put ice on the bottom, sides and top of the fish so it does not spoil, then cover the whole container in an insulating material.

If you have extra dry ice, you should leave it in a well ventilated area, like a porch, and let it fully sublimate.

As long as you leave the windows down, that should be fine.

No, because a thermos is an airtight container and the carbon dioxide needs to vent a little or it could explode. Get a cooler or a Styrofoam container.

Yes, this will generally be fine. Being a solid, the dry ice won't have much surface area contact with the bucket, and the bucket has plenty of surface area to take heat from the air. Avoid heating the bucket suddenly (like pouring a liquid in) and you should be fine. If you want to cool a liquid in the bucket with dry ice, try to add the liquid first to avoid cooling the bucket suddenly. Most liquids will freeze if you do this.

Places like Walmart and some fishing stores carry dry ice, you may have to call and make sure, though. It's recommended to buy it as close to the event as possible to prevent unnecessary conversion.

Yes, but again, dry ice sublimates to carbon dioxide so it's not the best idea to breathe that in. Better to use just regular ice in an insulated container with a hole on both sides and a fan blowing through.

Yes, beverages with dry ice would severely burn your mouth, throat and stomach tissue with frostbite since it is carbon dioxide frozen at -109.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry ice also becomes a toxic gas, endangering you with suffocation and bloating from its gas pressures. Never use dry ice for any beverages or consume foods brought down to dry ice's temperatures. Dry ice is useful for storage and preserving foods but should never be consumed directly.

As long as you don't confine it, you can fill any container you want with dry ice. If you confine dry ice, the pressure will increase, and the container will eventually explode. If you leave the cover open, even just a little bit, you will not have to worry about explosions. You should still follow the precautions listed.

I doubt the airline would allow it onboard, since the airplane cabin is a confined space with limited ventilation. You might want to try something like traditional ice-packs cooled by dry ice to avoid the CO2 issue.