Post #687116 by AceExplorer on Tue, Jul 23, 2013 9:31 PM

Following up to my earlier post -- I did buy and test the Tovolo ice ball molds. My results:

1. BEST molds I have tried to date - no leaks were possible due to the ice ball being formed within what I can only describe as a "full-height bottom mold" where the top half of the silicone mold is inserted into the lower half. Brilliant and functional.

2. Makes nice large round ice, 2.5", same as the largest competitive products.

Right out of the box, without any fussing, this is the most trouble-free, reliable and best design of any ice molds I've bought and used. I did experience a problem with the ice balls cracking during the freezing process which caused the ice balls to become a bit elongated in the middle. But once you drop these into a drink this did not appear to be much of a visual distraction to worry about. My guess is that my freezer is either a bit too warm or a bit too cold for the ice balls to form as nice spheres.

Thanks to those who suggested that I try the Tovolo molds. I'm very pleased with these. For anyone who is interested in buying, I found (after I bought) that the Nordstrom's web site sells these in sets of two for $12 with free shipping. I bought two sets for a total of four molds. Depending on the number of ice balls you expect you will need, you may only need two molds if you freeze and store ice balls in your freezer in a zip-lock bag ahead of any cocktail party. I've seen TikiHardBop do this at The Storm Shelter. Kudos to him for originally introducing me to round ice! I was intrigued and started experimenting shortly thereafter.

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Fact: Adding blue food coloring to the water when making spherical ice will yield - you guessed it - blue balls.