- For the American rapper and actor, see Ice Cube.
- For other uses see Ice cube (disambiguation).
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Ice cubes are a small, roughly cube-shaped piece of ice, conventionally used to cool beverages. Ice cubes are often preferred over crushed ice because they melt more slowly; they are standard in mixed drinks that call for ice, in which case the drink is said to be "on the rocks." Ice cubes are produced domestically by filling an ice cube tray with water and placing it in a freezer. Many freezers also come equipped with an icemaker, which produces ice cubes automatically and stores them in a bin from which they can be dispensed directly into a glass. Ice cubes made by automatic icemakers are generally longer and thinner, requiring less force to remove them from the tray and thereby reducing the likelihood of the cube becoming stuck in the dispenser.
There are also dedicated ice-maker machines, for use in producing ice cubes in laboratory and academic settings.
Ice cubes are also produced commercially and sold in bulk; these ice cubes, despite their name, are often cylindrical, and may have holes through the center. An interesting characteristic of commercially made ice cubes is that they are completely clear, lacking the clouding found in the center of domestically made ice cubes. This is due to the machine forming the cubes in thin layers, instead of all the water that the ice cube consists of being frozen at once.
Cloudy ice cubes result when water is frozen quickly. When water is cooled slowly (or very close to its freezing point), dissolved gases and microscopic bubbles have a chance to exit the water. However, when water is cooled quickly (further below its freezing point, a situation found in most home freezers), those small bubbles are simply frozen in place.
Melting ice cubes sometimes precipitate white flakes. This is calcium carbonate which is present in many water supplies and is completely harmless.
Traditionally, drinks in the United States are served with ice; in Europe they are served with or without ice. In India and other parts of the world, it has traditionally been viewed as unhealthy to drink something with ice in it; today, many older Indians still refuse to use it.
Ice cube tray
Ice cubes take shape in a tray
An ice cube tray is a plastic or metal tray divided into cubes. It is designed to be filled with water, then placed in a freezer until the water freezes to ice. Plastic trays are flexible, so that the frozen cubes can be easily removed by flexing the tray.
An alternative system is an aluminum tray with a lever that raises the ice cubes, freeing them from the tray. A motorized version of this is found in most automatic ice-making freezers.
While the usual shape is roughly cubical, there are trays that dispense hemispherical or cylindrical blocks as well. Some novelty trays produce blocks of ice in the shape of logos (such as some trays sold by Disney).
Hartz Ice disposable ice tray
Recent demand for premium, safe drink ice has created a new niche market for disposable ice trays which can be cost- effectively transported or stored at room temperature, whilst protecting the consumer from contaminants such as fecal matter, E. Coli or fertilizer residue commonly found in mis- handled ice cube trays and un- safe water supplies. Some disposable ice cube trays, such as Hartz Ice are filled with spring or mineral water, and have diamond- shaped blocks. One known way for melting ice is to add salt. Reasons are unstable.
