Perfectly clear ice is within reach. Shutterstock
There’s never been more options for making fancy ice at home
In combing through the Amazon Prime Day specials to find the kitchen items actually worth buying, we came across a pretty cool trend (pun intended): It is now possible to make an extraordinary range of ice styles at home.
No longer are large cubes of cloudy ice popped out of silicone molds the biggest thing in home ice — you can get a countertop ice maker that makes nugget ice, aka the best ice (according to most of us); or clear ice; or bullet ice (though why anyone would choose bullet over clear or nugget ice is beyond me). And if you don’t want to invest the space or money in a countertop machine, there are now molds that make big clear cubes and spheres. And all of these options are on sale now.
The best ice makers to buy now
The GE Opal Nugget Ice Maker makes fluffy, flaky nugget or pellet ice, perfect for rapidly cooling down our summery tropical cocktails, lemonades, and ice tea. It does, however, come at a cost, both in price and counter space — at almost 40 pounds, it’s not exactly a portable party machine.
The heavily discounted NewAir makes clear ice, which in addition to making drinks prettier, keeps fizzy drinks bubbly longer and melts slower. It’s great for cocktails like highballs and will also dilute your soda less. It makes ice almost as fast as some countertop bullet (cloudy) ice machines, and with the sale, is almost the same price. So, clear ice or cloudy? The choice is clear.
If the countertop machines are out of the question, you can buy insulated molds that make big, beautiful clear ice. They work by what’s called directional freezing, which slows down the freezing process and pushes down the air bubbles (which cause cloudiness in ice). The spheres or cubes are perfect for your whisky, Negronis, or any other drink where you want a nice, slow melt.
