Ever feel like you don’t get the most out of your ice? You undoubtedly wonder…
…what is the best way to keep an ice cube from melting? The key to making ice last longer is support. Examples would be keeping coolers in the shade, serving from insulated vessels, not skimping on ice quantity, and chilling you food and drinks thoroughly before adding ice.
Since my household has three birthdays in July, as well as our wedding anniversary, I know a lot about ice – Where to get enough, how to make it last, and how to keep everything as cold as you want it. After reading this article, you will be confident and prepared to meet all of your ice needs; whether it’s for The Big Day, or simply every day.
Obtaining All Ice You Want
Buying Ice (yes – Really!)
If you’re as thrifty as I, the idea of paying for frozen water may seem like a line you can’t cross…and for every day and most occasions, I would agree with you. If, however, you are having a lot of people over for several hours on a hot day, you may need to send for reinforcements!
As part of your planning, check ice prices at your local supermarkets, liquor stores, and gas stations. Remember to note the weight of the ice being offered, not just the price. Then, search online for ice companies in your area. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that our local ice company had 50 lb. bags at a fraction of the cost of the competition.
Turn up your Freezer’s Thermostat …Cautiously!
Some freezers take longer than others to produce ice. You can speed things up a bit by turning up your freezer. I know it seems counterintuitive that “up” means colder, but it does.
Before you run to your refrigerator to turn your freezer setting all the way up, heed caution – Turning up your freezer may cause items in your refrigerator to freeze, so adjust it up one notch at a time, give it a few days, and see how it goes.
Make Ice Well Ahead of Time
Ice will not be rushed. Always be sure to leave plenty of time for it to set. If you use it before it’s ready, you will find that it’s only an icy, water-filled shell.
Go Big, or Go Home
When I was a little kid, camping with my family, I was fascinated by the huge block of ice my father would buy for our little camper fridge. The block was so big, I couldn’t lift it; and it lasted for days, even though we had no air conditioning in the camper.
As an adult, I put this memory to good use, by making my own big ice. Simply fill clean, 1 gallon jugs with cold water. Leave a couple of inches of head space, because the water will expand, as it freezes.
Another wonderful quality of making your own big ice is that you can customize the shape and size to your needs, simply by choosing a different vessel. For example, freezing water in 13” x 9” baking pans will produce big, flat slabs of ice. These “patio pavers” are perfect for lining the bottom of a cooler.
When using a shallow vessel to make big ice, you may find it less awkward to set the empty pan flat in your freezer and fill carefully, using a pitcher.
Storing Ice to Get the Most Out of It
Coolers: choose carefully
The biggest error people make when getting a cooler is choosing the size by how much food it will hold. Ironically, it’s not unusual to forget that quite a bit of extra capacity is needed for the ice.
A cooler doesn’t need to be expensive. A feature of the cheaper coolers is that the handles are molded into the cooler.
Don’t underestimate the lowly styrofoam cooler – The are very effective. In fact, expensive coolers are often just a styrofoam cooler in a fancy suit.
If you use your cooler a lot, a quality, American made cooler, such as a Grizzly, is a worthy investment (view it here). One staffer at Grizzly successfully counters my point about the insulation:
Coolers primarily use different types of foam insulation. Cheaper hard coolers use styrofoam (extruded polystyrene) while premium hard coolers like Grizzly or Kenai use heavier but more effective polyurethane. It’s interesting to note that cheaper coolers usually don’t have insulation in the lids of the cooler at all, but rather just have an air cavity. This is a weak spot in the insulation and makes the coolers less effective overall.”
Grizzly Manufacturing
Ye Olde Ice Bucket: clean and classy
The ice bucket adds a touch of class to every gathering, even if you’re just having a little cocktail hour with the neighbors. A lot of people don’t bother to drag out the ice bucket, if they already have the cooler full of drinks and ice; figuring that people can just grab some ice when they grab their beverage.
This is exactly the time to have an ice bucket! Think of where all those hands have been, before they started groping around the cooler, trying to catch an ice cube in the melt – Hands that have been slapping the volleyball (which keeps hitting the ground), petting the dog, and who knows where else?
Be sure the tongs are on clear display, along with the ice bucket. If you have time, you can even offer to get ice for your guest. Oh, and don’t put the ice bucket in the drinks cooler – Nobody will use it.
Carafes: even classier than the ice bucket
My husband gave me the most curious Christmas gift – A huge, heavy, ornate, antique vessel that looks like a giant coffee pot. It weighs a ton, even when empty. Later, I learned that it’s a Civil War era water pitcher.
It occurred to me that maybe the reason it’s so heavy is that it’s insulated, sort of an early Thermos. One hot summer day, I brought it out, filled it with ice, and poured a quart of iced tea into it. It was magic! My tea still had ice in it 12 hours later, and the pitcher never broke a sweat.
Today’s best carafes use the same principle:
A Dewar flask is commonly called a Thermos. This device was invented by a Scottish physicist and chemist Sir James Dewar in 1892. It consists of two bottles, one inside the other, with a vacuum between them. The vacuum prevents heat conduction through air. In addition the sides of the bottles are silvered to reduce heat loss due to radiation.”
Dept. of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The simple elegance of the carafe still exists today, such as this German-made beauty (view it here), and is good for cold beverages, as well. This luxury carafe has the glass lining, so be sure to preheat or prechill with hot or cold water, before adding your beverage.
Chill cups: iced drinks, without the ice
A chill cup works on a similar principle to the thermal carafe. It is double-walled; but instead of containing a vacuum, it contains liquid. Freeze the chill cup in the freezer, and you have a cup that will keep your drink super-cold, with or without ice. This is an especially good thing for beer drinkers.
Serving Ice that Lasts and Lasts
Keep Coolers Out of the Sun
The expression “fun in the sun” does not apply to coolers. Even though they are insulated, the ice in your cooler will survive a lot longer, if you place it out of the sun.
Be sure to pick a spot that stays shady all day.
Cover Cooler for Even Longer Lasting Ice
Placing a blanket, or even a beach towel, over your cooler will provide an extra measure of insulation.
Start with Cold Foods and Drinks
Whether you’re adding ice to your drink, or drinks to your ice, that ice will last a lot longer if the liquid you’re adding is already cold.
If you’re preparing a bowl of food that you are planning to place in the cooler, chill the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the food.
Don’t Let your Ice Get Lonely
Aside from a cooler, the best support you can give your ice, to help it do its job, is more ice! If you don’t believe me, try this experiment: draw two glasses of water from the tap. Put one ice cube in the first glass, and six ice cubes in the second glass. You’ll find the first glass becomes iceless before the second one does. Hey, just because it’s cold, doesn’t mean it doesn’t want friends!
Resources for Further Exploration
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