system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do Whipped Cream Cans Work?

This question popped into my head while I was putting whipped cream on the lava cake I probably shouldn't be having. How do the cans spray out the whipped cream when you press your finger on top?




Hope my first ever Reddit post goes well...
gpt
The cream has nitrous oxide dissolved into it. Nitrous oxide is a gas at room temperature and *pressure*. Emphasis on pressure, because pressures affect boiling points and such. The pressure is much higher inside the can, allowing the nitrous oxide to remain a liquid at room temperature. Pressing down on the top opens a valve, allowing the liquid to flow from the higher pressure environment to the lower one (outside). With regular atmospheric pressure restored, the nitrous oxide boils out of the cream and "whips" it.