Clear ice is the key to a premium beverage experience. Whether you’re sipping a classic Old Fashioned or a refreshing iced tea, clear ice takes your experience to a higher level by offering a pristine, professional look and a slower melting rate. But how do you actually achieve crystal-clear ice at home without such a complicated process?
The Science Behind Clear Ice
Directional freezing is the basic process that helps create clear ice free of dissolved gases and impurities.
This is done by allowing water to freeze into ice from only one direction (one side of a container) and the ice will be clear until the very last part to freeze. The last part to freeze will be cloudy, so the ice should be removed from the freezer before it's completely frozen.
Traditional Ways to Make Clear Ice
Making clear ice at home has traditionally involved time-consuming techniques.
- By boiling and cooling the water to reduce air bubbles, this reduces air bubbles but without other steps, it might not always work.
- Using a huge insulated container for directional freezing, which takes up plenty of freezer space.
- Freezing a huge block of ice and manually cutting it into smaller pieces is labor-intensive and can get messy.
While these methods can work, they're far from convenient. That's where modern solutions come into play.
The Easy Way: Using a Clear Ice Maker
For those who want results with minimal effort, a compact clear ice maker is the way to go. The NAISU N1 is a compact and efficient solution designed to create the kind of clear ice that’s typically only seen in high-end bars.
With the NAISU N1, you can produce 65mm clear ice balls, the largest in its class, that are ideal for whiskey, cocktails, and more. Its stainless steel vacuum tumbler ensures superior insulation, eliminating the need for bulky plastic or foam components. Simply fill it with water, place it in your freezer, and let it do the rest.
After making sure the mold and tumbler are well-cleaned using warm water, fill the tumbler with water till it reaches the shoulder line.
Insert the mold slowly to allow the water to fill the mold cavity completely.
Strike the tumbler several times to dislodge the air bubbles that would form imperfections in the clear ice.
Press the mold downward firmly with your palm to expel more water from the mold, then keep it in your freezer for 16-20 hours!
Remove the tumbler from the freezer when the mold is slightly out of the cup as a result of our Self Ejection Technology. Then twist the handle to release the mold and remove the ice sphere.
To prevent the ice from cracking, allow the ice to temper by resting it in a glass for at least 2 minutes before pouring any liquid onto it, to normalize the ice's temperature.
And there you have it - clear ice for your drink with minimal effort!
Shop NAISU's N1 Clear Ice Makers now!