Clear Ice Cubes

Red Marley said:
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Wow...I wish digital cameras or the smartphones of today were as common in 2000 as they are today. I'd have some awesome polar icecap pics from IceEx 2000.

I've got some pics somewhere, but darned if I know where.

This is a great shot.
 
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So aside from carving ice from large, naturally occurring ice blocks, does anyone have a clear solution to the problem?

I had a fancy dinner earlier this week and had a drink served in a low, small glass with a giant ice cube, but the ice was maybe 80% clear. I'm sure they were going for clear ice.
 
Sure.

The clear ice cube tray I described seems to work fantastic.

The only real drawback with it is getting the cubes out of the bottom half of the silicone ice mold. Since the warm water in the insulated bix under the tray does eventually freeze as well, it makes it difficult to pull the bottom half of the mold free to pop the ice spheres out.

Other than that, it makes fantastic clear spherical ice.
 
Well hot water set outside when it’s 19 degrees worked fantastic.

Most of the cubes are completely clear.

A couple have just a bit of cloud to them. I’d say 95% clear.

Will post a couple pics when I make a drink tonight.
 
Chdamn said:
Well hot water set outside when it’s 19 degrees worked fantastic.

Most of the cubes are completely clear.

A couple have just a bit of cloud to them. I’d say 95% clear.

Will post a couple pics when I make a drink tonight.
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Do you think a freezer might be too cold? Ice continues to expand as the temp drops, at least to a point. Can you pop a clear one into your freezer and see if it goes cloudy as it approaches 0F?
 
GymB said:
Do you think a freezer might be too cold? Ice continues to expand as the temp drops, at least to a point. Can you pop a clear one into your freezer and see if it goes cloudy as it approaches 0F?
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I moved them all to the freezer this morning.

I’ve never had them turn cloudy after freezing.

But yeah. I think the freezer freezes it too fast.
 
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Chdamn said:
Outside on the front door steps.
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I wonder if it's the slight agitation provided by the wind that makes the difference.

It would also make sense that the pics up-thread of clear ice in bodies of water could be from agitation due to wind or current.

Maybe a small, slow moving PC fan blowing across the freezing tray in the freezer would be the easiest way to test this out.
 
Shady Grady said:
I wonder if it's the slight agitation provided by the wind that makes the difference.

It would also make sense that the pics up-thread of clear ice in bodies of water could be from agitation due to wind or current.

Maybe a small, slow moving PC fan blowing across the freezing tray in the freezer would be the easiest way to test this out.
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Maybe. I was thinking a slower freeze since it was 19 and not 0 like the freezer.

When I put them in the fridge for a few days first I get clearer cubes too. They start to freeze a little but slowly.
 
Chdamn said:
Maybe. I was thinking a slower freeze since it was 19 and not 0 like the freezer.

When I put them in the fridge for a few days first I get clearer cubes too. They start to freeze a little but slowly.
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My theory is that the added stimulation from moving air would cause the molecules to more likely come in contact with the cold atmosphere.

I think that without agitation the water inside the cube is insulated by the surface causing the difference in freezing times. Specifically, the outside non-insulated freezing before the inside forming pockets due to the difference in expansion.

Of course, it's just a theory.
 
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This thread prompted me to pull out our Wintersmiths clear ball mold to make some ice since we have a new (small, cheap) garage fridge with some room in the freezer. Instructions say 24 -30 hours in the freezer after initially filling with hot water.

Apparently the new fridge doesn’t get that cold that fast…. Pulled them out this morning after 1.5 days and ended up with either Death Star or eyeball ice balls. Next set won’t get pulled out quite so soon lol.

IMG_3620.jpeg
 
We have (or had, as it started leaking) a countertop nugget ice maker. I looked at replacements online and saw that several of them advertise making clear cubes / nuggets. The price point of these machines wasn't half bad either. Anyone have experience with these machines? Do they work and are they worth it?

I am considering getting one of them for the billiard room where we plan to put a hutch we have and set it up as a (mostly) dry bar.
 
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