So what IS this? does anyone know??

[snorri]

Whipped cream and the like...

I liked that link, the box with 600 chargers is designated "Starter Kit".

 

[TheDoctor]

Whipped cream on coffee?

 

[Arjimlad]

My wife had gas 'n air when giving birth and my son had it when they had to lance an enormous boil on his thumb. I never got the chance to cop a lungful for myself as the watchful eye of the medical staff was ever upon me !

These silly canisters are a blight on the landscape though.

 

[TheDoctor]

Hot chocolate with whipped cream, OTOH, is rather good. especially if garnished with a Flake.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Carbon dioxide would curdle the cream.

I've never had cream curdled by CO2 - purely for lack of ever trying. But it does make glaring sense now that you point it out.
I've seen it curdle latex emulsions used as sealant for tubeless tyres. The latex comes crashing out of the emulsion and quickly cures into a golf ball-sized blob of glue.

 

[TheDoctor]

The C02 would hit the water content of the cream and make carbonic acid, if I remember Chemistry lessons correctly.

 

[winjim]

The C02 would hit the water content of the cream and make carbonic acid, if I remember Chemistry lessons correctly.

Correct. That would denature the milk proteins, causing curdling. It also means it would come out of solution very slowly, leaving you with a curdled, slightly fizzy mess. Nitrous on the other hand, comes out of solution very quickly, and forms smaller bubbles giving a smooth consistency. Compare smoothflow nitrokeg* bitter with fizzy carbonated lager.

Nitrokeg uses N2 rather than N2O but you get the idea.

 

[jefmcg]

Now I'm going to have to study the chemistry behind the classic aussie lime spider

 

[TheDoctor]

Well, ice cream isn't just frozen cream, it's a frozen custard.
That means the fats have been cooked, somewhat, and stabilized with egg yolk (if it's decent / homemade ice cream) or with something starchy and/or gluey if it's cheaper commercial ice cream.
Still goes a bit weird though.