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Making Ice Cubes

It's an unknown art

By Traci TuckerPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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The appropriate configuration of ice trays while freezing

Making ice cubes requires great skill.

For those who have an automatic ice maker in your refrigerator, lucky you! For everyone else, here is the “recipe” that we use at home.

According my father, a person can make many, many mistakes during the ice cube making process. These mistakes could lead to catastrophic situations such as spilling water on the counter, two trays sticking together or the cubes in the ice bucket all freezing together into one huge block of ice. A huge block of ice will NOT fit in a water bottle.

To avoid disaster, follow these step by step instructions. The ice cubes will be perfect – or at least done my dad’s way which is the same thing.

First, prepare the ice bucket for refill. Check it carefully to make sure there are no shards of ice. Pieces of ice get broken off here and there when people are digging their hands in to fill their glasses. These can be dangerous for some reason known only to my father. Focus on the corners of the bucket to ensure that no ice clumps have gathered. These can be overlooked quite easily and could turn into shards at a later date. Finally, if removing all shards or clumps by hand isn't possible, rinse out the bucket and towel it dry. Warm/hot water is best as the towel will dry the bucket more thoroughly if the water is warm.

Now that the ice bucket is clean and clear, begin to empty the trays. In order to do this properly, run the bottom of the tray under water which will release the ice from its mold. Listen for the crackling sound; this is a sure sign that the cube has released its hold on the tray. In addition, look for the cube to turn a bit white in color. This process should ensure that there are few if any shards falling into the ice bucket.

It's time to refill the trays. DO NOT use tap water. Our tap water comes from the lake and has a funny taste. It stinks up the freezer during the cubes’ cooling process and even as a finished ice cube will emit fishy odors while floating in a drink. You need to make the ice cubes from spring water, not the kind you buy in the store mind you, that would be a waste of money, but from the natural spring up the road.

Grab your reusable jug of local spring water. This is where a carefully assessed judgement call is needed. Is it possible to pick up the jug and fill the tray at the same time or is it too heavy causing splashing and spill over? If the jug lifts easily and can be directed appropriately up and down the tray, great. If not, transfer the water from the jug to a smaller vessel. I prefer a Pyrex measuring cup because it has a spout making it easier to keep the water contained when pouring. You could also try a smaller plastic cup like one for children, but since there is an absence of a spout, this choice can become messy. Do not try a sippy cup. It looks like it should work as there is a cover and a spout-like device, but it can be erratic in its pour and takes too long.

Why such particulars with the vessel used for pouring? Well, there is spillage, of course. Water on a kitchen counter can cause great damage. The water could run onto the floor where a person could step in it with their stocking feet. In addition, if the pour is not controlled, the mold could be filled too little which seems like a waste of good freezing time. On the other hand, filling the mold too much results in the trays getting frozen together when stacked in the freezer. There is nothing worse than having to pull two ice trays apart, as it could result in either the afore mentioned shards falling all over the place or worse, cubes flying out of the tray and onto the floor.

The number of trays in the freezer will vary, but for this “recipe” there are eight trays – four red, three turquoise and one white. These colors need to alternated when stacking into the refrigerator for freezing. For space reasons, there are two stacks of four trays. Keep the colors alternating both top to bottom and side by side that is the best formation.

Once in the freezer, allow for three to four hours to create a solid cube. Repeat as needed.

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About the Creator

Traci Tucker

My life revolves around family, friends and Tom Brady. Born and raised in New Hampshire, I caught the travel bug quite early taking my first overseas trip - to Germany - at age seven. No matter whrere I go, Squam Lake will always be home.

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