+1, but I’ve gotten a fair amount of nicks on the hand over the last year with that bread knife… be safe out there!
I think it’s time to clean your machine and accessories because I tried hot distilled water in a silicon tray and I got clear ice. I found a helpful article for you, check this- https://icemakinghub.com/make-clear-ice-in-refrigerator/ because I followed the same method which is mentioned in this guide.
Otherwise, buy a Frigidaire clear ice maker which costs you under $300.
unfortunately, that article is wrong and contains a few glaring spelling and other errors.
there is no secret to clear ice. in fact if you look at a typical ice cube, you’ll likely see that the outermost area is clear. the reason is that it freezes from the outside in. the outside freezes first and the inside is still liquid, so the the crystal structures that cause cloudiness (just blocking light - it’s not “impurities” or whatever) form last. the reason directional freezing works is instead of all the freezing happening equally across the outer surface inward, it does it, for example from top to bottom. an open cooler will do this for example because the top is exposed to the coldest air while the bottom is insulated by the cooler. same thing happens with those silicon inserts into small styrofoam containers. the liquid inside the insert at the top of the styrofoam case freezes first and is therefore clear.
boiling, distilled water, etc., etc., will not give you clear ice absent some other aspect that causes the single cube or whatever to freeze directionally (though it may improve taste depending on how good your water is). if you have the space, just fill a large tupperware container that is roughly cube shaped, freeze the entire thing, take out the contents and cut them up (you’ll get a bunch of large clear chunks) and repeat the process.
Any great solutions out there for storing cubes in a regular self-defrosting freezer? I am getting great results with an ClearlyFrozen directional freezing tray. However, I find that after making a batch and storing in the freezer the cubes freeze together. The only solution that I’ve come up with is pulling the silicone insert and storing in the insert to keep them separated. The only problem with this solution is that I can’t then have another batch going. What is everyone else doing?
i just store them in the normal ice tray with the other ice. haven’t had an issue with them sticking together, but you can wipe them down with a dry kitchen towel before storing.
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I actually had not thought of that. I’ve always stored them separately in something like a ziplock bag. I’ll give it a try.
I have a friend who occasionally uses the cut up method with small cooler like a insulated beer cooler. You can also suspend your round cube device in the water bath if you wanted perfectly round shapes. He uses a ziplock to store them. Seems to work.
I experimented with the small Coleman cooler technique with carving them into blocks, and it worked but was a pain.
I have been using the True Cube device ever since and it is easy, convenient, and works well making four 2-inch clear cubes in about 18 hours and doesn’t take up that much room in the freezer. It seems to me that hot tap water works a little better than cold. I make a few batches, store them in a large zip lock, and put it to rest until needed. I bought a second one for our vacation home.
Why clear ice? For some reason, a clear ice cube makes me happier when I look at it in my cocktail.
I have used the small cooler technique for a long time. I don’t find cutting the block into cubes to be that much work. Once you get the top block off and the edges smoothed with a large serrated knife you just score the block with the knife, then I use a wooden mallet and hit the back edge of the knife and it breaks right off. Then repeat the method until you get the sizes you want. Takes me about five minutes. We use the large cubes for every cold drink. And it is cool seeing a completely clear ice cube in your drink. It does make you happier.
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As others have said, Camper English figured it out… Clear Ice Blocks at Home in an Igloo Cooler - Alcademics
Definitely works - it can be hard to control where the ice breaks. I haven’t done it enough to master it, but the results are stunning none the less…
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Julian, You need a bigger knife which will help you make cleaner breaks. Or a small saw. The lines you score for the breaks need to be straight and go all the way across the block. And don’t be shy with the hammer. A bigger knife or saw will help even out the force when you strike it with the hammer. Nice job.
Also, what is the pry bar used for?
haha - it actually worked pretty well to split. I think I tried several different knives and this was the hardest part of the whole thing was getting a nice clean split. Might need to order something just for this. I think thicker/heftier than a regular knife would be a good thing - maybe even like a machete.
I use a serrated bread knife and it works great. But it looks like you are using a slightly larger cooler than I am. Mine is an Igloo that holds six cans of beer. My knife is long enough that it reaches all the way across the block. Sometimes the ice will break a little uneven but most of the time it is good clean break. Also, I don’t know if you have noticed this, but when you use the ice for a drink it will not crack when you pour the liquid in if you let it rest for about five or ten minutes by itself in your glass or just on the counter. Not sure why.
yes, I’ve noticed that about the ice… sometimes when I’m impatient I’ll try to lower it in slowly, or sprinkle a few drops of water.
Slight twist - my wife wants to make a large ‘ice dish’ (for a sea food platter). She has a shallow (metal) dish she wants to use. Tao water and freezing on shelf in our freezer gave very cloudy result. Any siggestions?
We can obviously try distilled water though opinions seem decided on that.
Might be able to find a way to put it in some box (pizza anyone?) or whatever to slow freezing, would that help? Carving out of larger block isn’t going to work. Would using a plastic or China dish help (especially if we can’t box or insulate the dish).
Distilled water is not going to make any difference whatsoever. Depending on how large you want it I would fill a cooler with water and put in something to give it a concave type shape, like a large bowl just sitting on top of the water and then freeze like you would to make a block of ice. When you take it out and cut away the bottom you should have a nice block with the shape of the bowl on top.
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