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What you see here is an example of the Leidenfrost effect. When a liquid comes into contact with an object that is much hotter than the boiling point of the liquid, a layer of vapor forms that insulates the liquid from the hot object. We&#39;ve all seen this phenomenon in action: If you flick droplets of water onto a really hot griddle, they bead up and skitter around rather than simply boiling away. That&#39;s because they are riding on a thin layer of steam that insulates the droplet of water from the heat of the griddle. Here, Grant Crilly&#39;s hand, which is a warm 98.6 °F / 37 °C, is plunged into liquid nitrogen, which boils at -321 °F / -196 °C. The extreme temperature of nearly 420 °F / 233 °C is more than enough to create a blanket of nitrogen gas that briefly insulates Grant&#39;s hand from the extreme cold of the surrounding liquid. A word of caution, this effect is short lived, and after a few moments the insulating gas is stripped away by the turbulence of boiling nitrogen, resulting in a painful burning sensation. Said another way: don&#39;t try this at home.CAUTION: Please make sure you’ve read our page on<a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/frozen-cryogenic-poaching-with-liquid-nitrogen"> how to safely handle liquid nitrogen</a>.