The Blog that Noone Reads

I recently found some cube shaped ice cube trays at the supermarket. They’re made of silicone so as to be flexible enough to get the cubes out. Even though I have an automated ice machine in my freezer, I was rather excited to snatch these trays up and take them for a spin. Being a non-straw user, I think the shape of the ice has a huge impact on the enjoyment of the beverage. There are a multitude of reasons for this.

Melt speed. These 1 inch cubes have a very low surface to mass ratio. That means they cool the drink more slowly, but also take much less time to melt, thus diluting the drink less and keeping the drink pleasant for longer. Since I am a modern american, I have a refrigerator, which pre-cools my beverages for me. With rare exception, I want the ice to keep my drink cool rather than actually cool it. This lowers the impact of the afore mentioned downside.

Drinkability. Since I don’t use a straw, this is a big one for me. Small ice cube or, worse, crushed ice make it harder to consume the drink. When sipping a beverage containing small fragments of ice, you have to be careful not to let any of the small pieces in your mouth. If you do, and you will, let some through, you have to either spit the damn thing back into the glass, or chew it up. That’s not really the purpose of the ice. I don’t want to chew on it. I want it to keep my drink cool and stay the heck out of my way.

Aesthetics. I think the large, symmetrical cubes are far nicer to look at in the glass. As is true for any food product, people consume it first with their eyes. When I serve a beverage on the rocks, I want it to be as visually appealing as possible. There’s not a whole lot you can do to spruce up the appearance of, say, bourbon and ginger, without tainting the flavor. There are only three ingredients: bourbon, ginger ale (or ginger beer), and ice. You could serve it in a fancy glass, but I think simpler is better for a drink like that.

The two trays I bought can produce 30 one inch cubes in about two hours. When they’re done, I move them into freezer bags so they don’t take on freezer funk. These cubes are reserved specifically for presentation. The machine made stuff is still more than suitable for the blender or shaker.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 at 3:58 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.