You just need to keep the water agitated and they sell machines specifically for this that would pay for themselves in no time over buying pre-made fancy ice cubes.
Comment on The end of civilization costs $5
e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 3 weeks ago
If you are into fancy looking cocktails this product makes sense. Making clear ice cubes at home is not easy.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 weeks ago
lime@feddit.nu 3 weeks ago
you can also freeze the ice in an insulated container with no lid. that makes air bubbles and impurities collect at the bottom, after which you can cut that part off.
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
You are the only person in the thread to get this right. Nobody else actually has done it and it shows.
Fmstrat@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Or be lazy and put that side on the bottom of the glass.
lime@feddit.nu 2 weeks ago
yeah but then your drink will taste like silt
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
No this is bunk.
The answer is directional freezing. Put the mold for the thing you want to be clear in a small cooler (or buy an insulated mold thing), be sure there is a hole in the bottom, fill it with water and put it in your deep freezer. Voilà clear ice for whatever purpose.
You don’t need to agitate it or boil it or use special water, just use physics and you’re all set.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
You don’t need to agitate it or boil it or use special water, just use physics and you’re all set.
Each of those things uses physics.
Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Isn’t this the reason for using hot water to make ice?
mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
That may help slightly, as it lowers the water’s ability to hold dissolved gasses. So boiling it beforehand will force out a lot of the gas that would have become air bubbles. But it’s not perfect, and results vary a lot. There are two main ways to get clear ice:
- Keep it moving while it freezes, so the air bubbles can escape
- Insulate it so it only freezes from one direction.
Basically, the air bubbles cause foggy ice. And air bubbles tend to get trapped because water freezes from the outside (where the cold air is touching it) first. This forms a hard shell, which then traps the gas and causes foggy ice. By agitating the water, you ensure that it doesn’t start freezing until all of the water is ready to freeze. It prevents the shell from forming first, meaning gas can escape the center of the cubes as it freezes.
For the second method, by insulating it, you ensure that the water freezes from one direction. For instance, if you fill an ice chest/cooler with water (effectively insulating it from the sides and bottom) and throw it in the freezer without a lid, the top half of the cooler will be clear ice and the bottom will be foggy. Because as the top freezes, the gas is able to escape down towards the bottom of the cooler. So your ice doesn’t get murky until the gas runs out of room at the bottom of the cooler.
LillyPip@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Sounds like work. People buy this ice likely either don’t care or don’t want to spend the time.
I’d never buy this, because I don’t even use ice, and if I did, I wouldn’t care about its shape. Seems silly to me.
But I can’t disparage anyone who sees that market, and that means it’s worth doing as a business, to some degree, probably.
PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
A bartender I worked with made his in a little igloo cooler, of course then you one big block that you have to cut into functionally-sized cubes. But he would also do cool shit like suspend pine needles into it the block so each cube had a little sprig coming out of it after they were frozen and cut.
skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 3 weeks ago
Isn’t it as simple as just boiling the water and then freezing it?
blackbelt352@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
No. You need to freeze in in an insulated container with only one side exposed so it all freezes in 1 direction. Impurities get pushed to the opposite side and you are left with clear ice.
dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
There are so many dumb as shit comments in this thread about agitating and boiling and purifying water and you’ve got the actual answer, thank you.
wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
You’ve really got your knickers in a twist over this. Is this something deeply personal to you?
Calling people “dumb as shit” cause they have different methods than yours is wildly arrogant, and doing is so incessantly touches on mental illness.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
There are more ways than 1 to do it. Yours is not the only way of doing it. Though it is the most inexpensive.
heatermcteets@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
This is the answer. Directional freezing creates clear ice.
ddplf@szmer.info 3 weeks ago
You don’t need a separate production chain made specifically for your homemade drink to look fancy on your auntie’s photo!
exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 weeks ago
Believe it or not some of us like pretty things to enjoy for ourselves, not to put on social media.
And big clear ice melts more consistently in a way that better maintains coldness longer while maintaining a slower pace of dilution. It does make a difference to flavor.
chaogomu@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I’d view it as handy thermal mass, useful when shipping other frozen items.
That box is a bit easier to stack than a bag of ice like most other grocery stores have.
And much more expensive.
LillyPip@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Packaging makes sense, too. We’ve been buying bagged ice forever. In this case, your ice has stricter quality control.
I have no need for this, but there’s clearly a market for it. I can’t disparage anyone for finding a market.
Mwa@thelemmy.club 3 weeks ago
why is it hard to make?
dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
To get clear ice you have to freeze it slowly, basically just at the freezing mark (32°C/0°F) which is a warmer temperature than most people have their freezer set to. It’s not difficult in an objective sense, it just requires rubbing a couple of brain cells together and a tiny morsel of effort which is apparently more than a lot of people can muster.
Mwa@thelemmy.club 3 weeks ago
alr ty, i was too lazy to search the question and i was not bothered to use AI for this.
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
It emphatically is easy… But a clear ice mold for the less than 5 dollars and make unlimited cubes.
falcunculus@jlai.lu 2 weeks ago
You obviously haven’t actually tried it, else you wouldn’t write this, so why talk?
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 3 weeks ago
I’d drink pisswater ice before I’d pay 5$ for 4 fucking ice cubes.
terranoid@lemmy.cafe 3 weeks ago
If you are into making fancy cocktails then you can get into making fancy ice
chazwhiz@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
You can make these arguments about literally any prepackaged product. I’m not defending this ice, but come on. You can make anything yourself, so long as you have the equipment, time, and money. Paying for someone else to have done it for you is about convenience, and is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
Frozengyro@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Almost done making my ISS, shouldn’t be too many leaks when I’m done with it. I’m using the expensive duct tape after all.
Mentando@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
SMH my head, of course you should be making the duct tape yourself 🙂↔️
mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
If you’re into making fancy ice, then you can get into making your own purified water using complete combustion. If you’re into making purified water with complete combustion then can get into making your own hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. If you’re into making your own hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen then you can get into making your own universe.
atomicorange@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I think I did iy wrong, I ended up with an apple pie.
queerlilhayseed@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Mine turned into people. Oh, god :(
tehBishop@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Référence for those who dont know : www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s664NsLeFM
a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Shit, what do I do now? I think I’ve just become God of my own pocket universe.
BarrelAgedBoredom@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I have a very well stocked home bar and enjoy making fancy cocktails. My tiny ass freezer barely has room for the 5lb bag of ice I keep in there, let alone space for a fuckin mini cooler to make clear ice in. I also lack prep space to carve ice in my kitchen. You can make fancy drinks without fancy ice. It’ll still taste the sam, it just won’t look as pretty in the glass
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
One step at a time
terranoid@lemmy.cafe 3 weeks ago
Yes… First step buy fancy ice maker that freezes ice in one direction, second step make fancy ice, third step put it in the glass, fourth step pour whiskey on it
these arent occult secrets that take years of study and meditation
BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 weeks ago
There’s even a market for small scale, at home ice makers like this. They’re pricey certainly but not as stupid as paying $5 for ICE.
jj4211@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Worth noting that the fancy ice maker is just like a 30 dollar ice tray, with insulation and silicone mold.
It does take a long time to make a little ice compared to normal freezing.