Nitrous oxide -- N2O, the gas also known as laughing gas -- reaches a professional kitchen in two forms, and the difference is practical rather than chemical.
A cream charger is a sealed unit sized for a bench: 666 g, 2 kg or 4.33 kg. It connects to a compatible dispensing system, gets used, and gets replaced. Handling is simple, storage is simple, and a kitchen can keep a couple in reserve without thinking about it.
A professional N2O tank, at 5 kg or 10 kg, is a cylinder rather than a charger. It carries far more, it needs a compatible regulator, and it needs a considered place to live. In return it removes the interruption of swapping units during service.
Compare formats using the manufacturer documentation for the exact items, not a general assumption about who uses them. The listed amount is only one part of the record. Package dimensions, approved connections, storage requirements and the labelled purpose also need to match the intended setup. A larger format is not automatically a better or equivalent alternative.
What does not change is the compliance side. Both forms are supplied for lawful culinary and food-service use only, with equipment specified as compatible in current manufacturer instructions, and within the applicable regulations. Inspect before use, never run damaged or wrongly connected equipment, and follow the manufacturer on ventilation, storage and disposal.
If you are not certain which form fits your setup, send the regulator or siphon you already run and we will check it against the listing before anything is arranged.
