Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/05/30/how-to-make-clear-ice.html
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possibly a simpler idea is to use hot or boiling water when making ice cubes. the heat removes most of the gases that make ice cloudy.
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I spent 6 months on the Equator, I’ll never be picky about ice, ever…
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Yield to the master’s voice
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Start with cold water from the tap and then heat if you are really trying to avoid impurities.
I vote for “alcohol delivery system”.
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My biggest complaint about cloudy ice is that it melts too fast.
Also, using the cooler technique means you have to chip it up. I really don’t want to deal with that. I want clear cubes or cylinders (I’ll also accept trapezoidal prisms, toroids, and spheres).
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You’re missing the point. The cooler is special, and it’s available for a limited time on Amazon for $39.99.
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If the technique relies on freezing out impurities, why not start with demineralized or distilled water? Compared to tap water, they have miniscule impurities.
A silicone freezing tray is best since it allows for expansion in the liquid --> solid phase change that can cause fractures in the ice.
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I use this technique, it’s simple and results in beautiful, crystal clear ice. The Old Fashioneds I make at home look almost as good as the ones I get at fancy bars.
It’s super easy, just keep an old fashioned glass handy when cutting your ice (I use a bread knife to score the ice, then a cleaver and a mallet to cut it) to measure the chunks before popping them back in the freezer. Seriously, I know other people in the thread are advocating boiling/filtering/whatever water, but directional freezing WILL work better and isn’t very hard at all.
Important note when cutting the ice: Let it warm up before you carve it. The colder the ice is, the more brittle it’ll be, and the harder it’ll be to cut cleanly without it shattering.
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I have an silicone ice tray that shapes ice into stormtrooper helmets (a birthday present from my brother).
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This would also be acceptable
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I prefer Ice-Nine myself.
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Interesting show, but holy shit is that host obnoxious!
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I’ve been doing this regularly for a long while now, after many home experiments with boiling, filtering, freezing from hot, freezing slow, using purifies water, and even freezing while agitating…
The main factor at play is not the impurities, or even air bubbles.
It’s about the expansion, and the fractures that ice causes to itself as it builds its own walls around itself.
A conventionally shaped silicone freezing tray will not greatly alleviate this, as ice freezes from the outside in, creating a frozen box with a liquid centre. The cloudiness we see is fractures as the ice responds to the expansion pressure of the remaining internal freezing process.
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I’m a cocktail guy, and I have a bin full of this in the freezer at all times. It’s incredibly satisfying to carve out a nice big chunk of pretty stuff as part of the drink-making process.
I also use a bread-knife for carving - but usually just bop it in the back with whatever is handy to finish the split.
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I would still turn it down if the ice is yellow. 
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Where else would it come from?
