Culinary technique
What is a cream charger?
A short reference on the equipment, not a sales pitch — if you're deciding whether you even need one, start here.
The basics
What is a cream charger?
A cream charger (also written N₂O, N2O, or NO2 charger) is a small steel cylinder filled with food-grade nitrous oxide. Loaded into a whipped cream dispenser, the gas pressurizes cream to produce whipped cream on demand — and, in modern kitchens, is used well beyond dessert toppings for foams, infusions, and mousses. Chargers are single-use and food-grade, distinct from the higher-purity or differently regulated nitrous oxide used in medical or automotive settings.
Chargers come in a few standard sizes — the small 8g charger built for a single home dispenser, and larger-format cylinders and tanks (615g and up) built for continuous kitchen or catering use. See large-format tanks if you're outfitting a working kitchen rather than a home dispenser.
Keep reading
Related reading
- How to use a cream charger — step-by-step technique.
- N2O, N₂O, NO2 — why you'll see it written differently.
- Back to Learn