For photos at least - Clear ice please

Cloudy ice looks awful in photos. It's not too hard to spend two bucks at the supermarket for a bag of clear ice, is it? It makes a big difference in presentation.

If you don't want to buy ice, you can boil the water first before you freeze it.
This should give you some nice clear cubes!

That's funny, I was looking at the Moai Ice Cube Tray the other day and wondering how to do the opposite- make opaque ice. If you go to all the trouble of molding ice cubes, you want them to show up in the drink :)

Anal retentive much?

On 2009-08-01 13:45, MrBaliHai wrote:
Anal retentive much?

Butt of course! :D

Like palapala said, for those that don't want to buy clear ice, you can boil your own:

http://internetsiao.com/how-to-make-crystal-clear-ice-cubes/

On 2009-08-01 11:04, MadDogMike wrote:
That's funny, I was looking at the Moai Ice Cube Tray the other day and wondering how to do the opposite- make opaque ice. If you go to all the trouble of molding ice cubes, you want them to show up in the drink :)

Hmmm, that's a good question. I knew how to make clear ice, but to make it the opposite, really opaque? How about trying whipping up the water real violently in a top mixer or blender, to make sure the water is really aerated right before pouring it into the ice cube trays and freezing it? That might be an option?

Hey I actually resemble that!

Nevertheless, given the choice, people prefer clear ice over cloudy ice (unless you're making moai ice cubes). It just looks more appealing. Nothing really anal about it.

If you want to make your Ice cubes more visible, and If it doesn't clash with your drink, how about a little grenadine in the water before you freeze it?
You have to be carefull with straight fruit juices, because they don't set up the same way as plain water, but play with it a while...

[ Edited by: BlackFish 2009-09-08 04:48 ]

Blender, good idea! I was thinking aqarium pump but I think a blender will do much better :lol:

I'm not sure I really understand the anal retentive comments (although funny) concerning clear ice. All of the top bartenders/mixologists/bar chefs understand the importance that ice plays in a cocktail in both taste and appearance. The best bars install Kold-Draft ice machines that make perfect clear, square cubes. What I do to make semi-clear ice is use distilled water in silicone ice trays that make 1 inch square cubes.

By the way, unless you're having a party when you needs lots of ice, bagged supermarket ice might not be the best choice because it can get stale sitting around.

When it comes to good ice, THIS is what I'm talkin' about.

Please follow these six steps carefully.

How to Make Ice Cubes with an Ice Tray

On 2009-08-02 14:23, GatorRob wrote:
When it comes to good ice, THIS is what I'm talkin' about.

Now, I have never experimented with molded ice.
Might be worth a try, might be a gimmick.
Maybe the next fad/trend in your neighborhood yuppie bar.

Many moons ago I worked for several ad agencies as a feelance designer/illustrator and what they used in photo shoots for iced drinks wasn't ice at all - it was clear acrylic! When shooting under hot lights the ice would melt too quickly and dilute the drink color. Here's a link of what I'm talking about:

http://www.eplastics.com/Plastic/Fake_Plastic_Ice?gclid=CKTk0cauj5wCFSIuagodfmuJYg

As a weird side note regarding advertising and photography illusions, a friend of mine said they used clear marbles at the bottom of a bowl of soup to bring the chunky bits up to surface and still make it appear to have a lot of liquid. Also, she said they used chilled motor oil to similate maple syrup on pancakes. Don't know if these claims are entirely true, but considering the advertising industry's artificial perception of reality, not outside the realm of possibility.