Creative Ice Cream Experiment Goes Viral

A woman from the Upper West Side has captured attention online with her unconventional ice cream-making attempt on a freezing fire escape, garnering over 800,000 views as of Saturday.

Colette Kom, a fashion designer, started her video at 8 a.m. on a bitterly cold Friday morning with temperatures plunging to 4 degrees outside. She was situated next to a thermometer and using a KitchenAid stand mixer.

After about an hour, she checked the temperature of her custard base, which comprised cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla, only to find it was sitting at a shocking 31 degrees below freezing.

Speaking to the Post, Kom shared that her chilly venture eventually succeeded, thanks to supplies from a nearby brewery. “After three hours, I had to buy ice and coarse salt from the bodega to help lower the temperature. This whole process took six hours, and honestly, I probably won’t do it again,” she laughed.

Her cousin sampled the ice cream alongside an apple crisp she prepared. She described the taste as “very good,” yet noted that the texture ended up being “too light and airy,” likely due to five hours of mixing.

Kom, who spent her summers in Vancouver creating various ice cream flavors at her parents’ home, mentioned the space constraints of her New York apartment, which prevents her from having an ice cream maker or a small freezer.

With the forecast predicting sustained cold temperatures, the idea of making ice cream on her fire escape seemed plausible, prompting her to try it with her KitchenAid.

On Saturday, she uploaded additional videos documenting the early stages of the experiment, expressing her frustration that the mixture wasn’t as solid as she had hoped. “It’s looking more like a milkshake than actual ice cream. Not even a Wendy’s Frosty,” she remarked while waiting by the window, watching the mixer.

In another clip, she tasted the mixture, noting that while it had thickened, it still “tastes like melted ice cream.”

Despite not providing a conclusive update about the outcome of her experiment, the response in the comments was overwhelmingly positive. One user remarked, “People like you are what make this city great,” while another celebrated the involvement of women in STEM fields.

Some even floated the idea of her starting an ice cream business, suggesting a playful name like “Hijikadan Ice Cream,” joking that each drink would go for $500.

She kicked off her project with a social media poll, asking her followers if they would try ice cream made on a New York fire escape. Surprisingly, about 70% responded positively.

However, not everyone was enthusiastic. Some commenters expressed their concerns, asking if it might contain exhaust fumes or be at risk of contamination. “What if something falls into the bowl?” one pondered, while another quipped about the potential of birds causing issues. Kom took the online banter in stride and shared a laugh, saying, “If you put a KitchenAid on your fire escape, everyone notices, including the health department.”