- cross-posted to:
- aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- aboringdystopia@lemmy.world
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My store also have Unfrozen Ice Cubes
Americans buy water in plastic jugs??
Not always. Sometimes we buy them in little plastic bottles in packs of 24-48!
Some towns still get water to their houses through leaded pipes. This is the most economical way for those people to get water. Others don’t trust their water even if it technically meets EPA standards. And some places just have water that tastes really bad.
Most of America gets water from a tap and maybe filters it.
Others don’t trust their water even if it technically meets EPA standards.
Less “don’t trust the water”, more “don’t trust the EPA”. And under this administration, who can blame them.
It’s a shame that our options are “Lead and PFAS” or “Microplastics and probably PFAS” (not to mention the plastic waste itself and the wild inefficiencies of transporting water by fucking truck of all things)
Only artisanal wooden buckets for you then?
You must get your water out the toilet
Mine comes from 347 feet below my yard.
Have you never heard of such a concept? Some people do it because they are going camping or in case the water goes out in a storm or rarely if the water from the tap is of dubious quality.
I mean, yeah of course, but preparing camping supplies and going for groceries seems not quite the same thing.
As a European, being longer than maybe a weekend cut off from external help (or the general concept of a natural disaster as a possible occurence) is not really a thing. Worst that happens is some flooding near rivers and the coast on rare occasions.
Dubious water quality is also not a problem people have to deal with on a frequent basis, at least in germany. You can give your landlord major shit if you don’t have access to proper, clean water. (If you own your place it is your problem of course)
What I’m getting at is these large plastic jugs of water are not just purchased routinely by the majority of the population when grocery shopping.
I grew up in a farmhouse that had contaminated well water. We got all of our drinking and cooking water from jugs. It fucking sucked because it was inconvenient as hell
I keep a couple jugs around for in case we lose power. We’re on well water and without power we don’t have tap water.
I happen to live where the tap water is excellent. It’s from ancient, underground aquifers. The only issue is a little bit high arsenic, which I filter out, but that’s not really necessary, I’ve been told.
It’s not sustainable, eventually the water will run out, but for now, it’s pretty good.
So, no, this American doesn’t buy water in plastic jugs.
Wait, there’s arsenic and the customer has to filter it out? What do the water company do then?
Mine expects me to filter literal shit out. More months than not we get boil orders for “high fecal coloform bacteria”. And the notices come weeks after the testing; so that always makes you feel good.
They probably have a well, this no water company. My water is crazy high in iron and manganese, our softener needs to be replaced and a new filter needs to be installed before we can drink from our well. Pain in the ass but at least all our grey water is cost of pumping electricity only.
Did you miss the part where the mention it was a safe level?
we also import the ones that sells it in fancy glass bottles that are usually more elaborate.
Sometimes it’s safer that way https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis
Drinkable tapwater must be socialism
I need to get a bunch of “fresh, never frozen” stickers to put on bagged ice.
“Vegan” stickers on a bag of ice would be silly
Certified gluten free!
which is basically tapwater that is either reverse osmosis, or distilled.
Putting aside for now, the fact that making crystal clear ice requires specially filtered water that is very carefully and slowly frozen with fancy equipment.
The real question is why does anyone think this is what they need in life. They only people I have seen that insist on such things are whisk(e)y snobs that drink their whisk(e)y on the rocks. They claim that cloudy ice has impurities in it that affects the flavor of the drink.
While technically they are maybe correct, my reply is-- “Shut up and drink your whisk(e)y neat like God and the Irish meant it to be consumed. The water is already in it.”
Noe that the water can just be tap, and the equipment isn’t super fancy. If the water looks clear, you can make clear ice from it.
It’s called directional freezing, you stick water in freezer insulated on all sides so that it freezes from the top down instead of outside in.
If you have larger ice, you’ll see the white stuff is in the middle, the last area to freeze. Directional freezing causes that to be at an end instead of in the center, and you either pull out the ice before the end freezes, ideally, or cut off the end.
I have an ice mold that doess this and it provides break off points to break the clear ice off the unclear ice.
It does take a while though and the bulky insulation takes a lot of room in the freezer.
You need proper water to start. The high iron and calcium laden water that comes out of my well won’t ever make clear ice without some serious filtration. And the proper freezing it is a slow process that takes extra time and effort.
Personally, I can’t be bothered. My cloudy ice cools my iced tea just fine without any extra effort.
I love this comment. On one hand I don’t hate the idea that this exists and it’s an obscure aesthetic thing. If someone wants to make super fancy cocktails then fine, whatever. On the other hand,
“Shut up and drink your whisk(e)y neat like God and the Irish meant it to be consumed. The water is already in it.”
Love it
I was being a bit tongue in cheek there. After all, it’s your whisk(e)y and not mine. So have it as you want it. But just don’t be a snob about it. It’s just the Water of Life.
I don’t know, I’ve also heard that a few drops of water “opens up” the whiskey. My dad was an alcoholic who loved whiskey. He would order it with a few drops of water. Ice would do the same thing.
I was recently in a pub which had water bottles from the different regions of Scotland, so you could add drops of the same water it was made from.
Also, a pipette to exactly measure the amount of water added. It was excellent.
That would be completely wasted on me, but very cool.
Yes, a few drops, and I mean drops, of water can change the flavors of the whisk(e)y. It really doesn’t matter to me. Depending on the water you might use can matter also. “Branch water” is historically the water used by bourbon drinkers. Branch water refers to using the same water that was used to make the bourbon to add to your glass. I have no idea if it matters or not. But that’s folktale.
Adding ice can do the same thing along with dulling flavors due to the chilling of the bourbon, except melting ice is not under control. It goes from perfect to just a bad glass of water as it melts over time.
Not such fancy equipment. I used to make it in a lunchbox cooler with our very hard tap water; that eventually cracked but I have been rocking one of these for a decade now.
https://www.clearlyfrozen.com/
All you need is directional freezing. My ice comes out crystal clear in big ol’ blocks like that.
To be fair - I would charge $5 a tray too. It takes a day & a half and space in my freezer. But it is an easy, cheap, and fun hobby
They only people I have seen that insist on such things are whisk(e)y snobs that drink their whisk(e)y on the rocks.
But then these cooled-down granite cubes are better because they don’t dilute the liquor.
BTW why drink Americans their Whisky with ice? I’ve never seen that in Scotland.
I would agree about those cubes. The problem with them is you often only get 2 in a set. Making it hard to share with friends.
Bourbon is a different drinking experience than Scotch. Bourbon is generally bottled between 2 and 6 years giving it more ‘bite’. This is due to the new oak barrels that must be used and the warmer climate. Scotch is barely getting started by that point. Since they mostly use used bourbon barrels that coupled with a cooler overall climate, imparts a ‘smoother’ flavor.
Using ice dulls some of the flavors and as it melts dilutes the whisk(e)y to take the edges off the bourbon. A decent scotch or Irish doesn’t need ice.
I drink literally everything on ice right now because
But also do like whiskey better diluted, I can taste it better when it’s not so strong. Stretched out I can enjoy it.
You don’t need specialized equipment. It’s easy enough to be done at home.
definitely just for astethic reasons
Well it looks nice too so if you host a party I get it
You just need tap water, a plastic insulated lunchbox and a timer.
Now do it at a commercial scale.
Why? I only want 4 cubes.
Because doing things a scale every day makes it way harder than your 4 cubes. I while I would never buy their ice cubes, I can see why they charge the ridiculous price they do.
The real question is why does anyone think this is what they need in life.
Sometimes you want to entertain and square ice cubes are a nice touch
I got square ice cubes if I want them. They might not be as pretty as these clear cubes, but they do the same thing, cool and dilute whatever you are drinking.
The argument can be made, (and I wouldn’t fight you too hard on it), that I’m an uncouth barbarian, and I will never understand. But I just don’t think it’s something people really need, and they can easily live without.
That’s interesting. I popped into this thread to help figure out why some of my ice was extra clear.
I think this batch froze slowly. Thanks
Right‽
Why would I buy frozen ice cubes? I have no time to microwave, I’d rather buy fresh ones
You need to try the grass fed free range ice cubes.
I have fresh ice cubes every day, so I literally had a tap of the stuff installed in my kitchen.
I get mine freeze dried, it’s so convenient.
So you basically just have to add water and it’s done? Nice!
“Enlarged to show detail”?? Wow
Title of your sex tape
Is this a freezing kit or actual ice? Because freezing your own ice that looks like that can be difficult.
It appears to be in the freezer so I’d say it’s 100% actual ice.
Ew. I like my ice fresh.
I like my ice millions of years old so I have it flown in from a glacier I’d never touch cheap shit from aldi that’s for the low class folk.
The longer it’s been frozen, the fewer times it’s been pee.
Side note: That would make an excellent exposition for an apocalyptic horror, like a zombie film. Some industry billionaire infects themselves with a parasite or virus that’s been dorment for millions of years…
“This summer, the rich fuck over humanity one last time…”
That’s absolutely why it’s being sold. I bet some high end bars just purchase ice like this in bulk. Not surprising they thought there would be a consumer market for fancy ice as well.
Here’s a video showing how it’s made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET8mqVGDQ1s
Sweet, thanks for this, I was curious but had never researched.
Why don’t they just put these things into the ocean and solve global warming?
ONCE AND FOR ALL!!
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I remember when buying bottled water seemed ridiculous.
It still does to me
When it’s 2 for $1 or something it’s fine if you’re out. This crap where they filter it pure then add back in the same shit shit took out and charge you $25 is insane.
Until you need like 1000L at once or 10kg of ice.
Go find place in your freezer to cool down 10L of clear ice.
Spoiler: This won’t be only 10L of space you will need.But they don’t stock 10l of them. 10l of ice has always been available in like the freezer in the front of a store. For parties and shit.
Idk what you are trying to tell me in response to my parent comment.
My point was that bulk amounts of ice or water in bulk has it’s needs even if you could run the tap for 1000L into a water dispenser. Having it quick and accessible vs having it cheap(er) and labor/resource intensive (after all, 1000L of water doesn’t freeze for free)
Ultra pure slow melting… ok… it melts just like regular water
Extra micro plastics infused for the smooth slower melt
Though if you’re using a plastic ice cube tray to make ice cubes, there’s a good chance you’re bringing your own microplastics.
Source: got a metal ice cube tray and noticed that weird “old ice” flavour and subtle sheen on the drink surface as it melted is no longer there.
The old ice flavor is bacterial biofilm on the plastic tray, metal is easier to clean
Any nutritional value to that biofilm?
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It comes in two pieces, a bottom tray, and a grid that is hinged and has a handle. Then, to break the ice, you just torque the handle, which shifts the grid angle, forcing each cube to move and come free. Works best if you move the ice to a different container at this point but you don’t have to.
If you do a search for “metal ice tray”, it should come up in the images (to avoid linking an amazon image).
I like it better than the plastic trays for this. Both can be a pain in the ass but in different ways. Plastic trays can snap when you bend them (haven’t had one snap in half but I have had one snap some of the structural supports) and often the ice just settles back in its place after you loosen it and you need to “bounce” it a bit until the ice turns in the cavity so you can grab it. With the metal tray, it doesn’t just free the ice easily when you break it (though still easier than the bouncing game) and if you lift the grid part out, you’ll probably need to use a different container or just leave the grid off until you make new ice.
Probably a true claim, because surface area
It’s to minimize surface area, making water dilution in cocktails a slower process. An ice sphere would be ideal for this but it’s better than ice from your freezer in that specific task.
if i saw these i’d leave them in the bread section
Ha. It says “keep frozen.”
He shops at Aldi
He buys $5 ice.
Who is this person? Is he the same guy spending thousands on a free game?
Here in Europe you’d see expensive SUVs, like Porsches and Range Rovers, parked outside the Aldi all the time. Lot’s of rich people are penny pinchers especially old money who inherited their money. They would probably buy these ice cubes if they have to impress their friends with their Japanese whiskey that they only drink when guests are at their home.
This is an impulse buy
Block ice can cost that. But it also lasts 10 days in the right cooler.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this made a real debut
Frozen water… 🤔
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This is the name of a place in the Netherlands, I tried to Google these cubes but no luck, I’m very curious.
Ecosia seems to have done better: this appears to be a bit from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”, a Netflix show.
Duckduckgo also managed to find it quick
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It is also the place Brooklyn is named after
Lol I saw these at my Aldi too. It’s pretty dumb at first but I have seen ice cubes for sale at liquor stores for making mixed drinks.
Regular tap water usually doesn’t make perfectly clear ice and most trays are a lot smaller than 1.8" cubes. I wonder if the tray is reusable? If you were planning on a cocktail night and knew what you were looking for, this might not be as dumb of a buy as you think, especially if it was a one-time need.
It just looks especially silly at Aldi, a grocery store that prides itself on affordable products and doesn’t sell liquor lol
Tap water can make clear ice. It’s a matter of how it’s chilled.
Yeah, you want it to freeze on one end first to push out the bubbles. And even then it just pushes the bubbles to one end so you’d have to chip/cut away at them if you want perfectly clear ice.
I have molds for that style ice cube and I can’t be arsed to use them, let alone care about the bubbles.
or you can keep water moving and cool from one side only, then remove water from above when you’re done, no need to chip away bubbly ice
I think before babying my ice cube tray for a day I’d just buy 4 for $5 when I want clear ice.
I wonder if the tray is reusable?
The trays to make clear ice usually have a compartment that’s sacrificial (where the non-clear part of the ice goes and is cut off) from what I’ve seen.
Yeah, there’s no better way than directional freezing. Either you freeze big old slabs in a way that pushes the dissolved gases (and many dissolved solids) away from the crystal structure of slowly freezing ice and then cut it after the fact, or you directionally freeze something that has an outlet to push the gases down so that you pull the frozen ice from the top compartment before the bottom compartment freezes.
one big cube won’t melt nearly as fast as several smaller ones, so your ‘beverage’ won’t get watered-down as much.
and yea. it is a silly item for aldi. might just be one of those “we’ll see if it sells or not” things. they often have odd things there that never come back.
Ah, yes frozen ice
You people are idiots
