5 Best Ice Makers for Cutting-Edge Cubes at Home
From clever trays to full-on LG fridges, we found the best new machines for every type of frozen-water lover
By Matthew Kronsberg
Jan. 13, 2021 3:17 pm ET
AMERICANS ARE fanatical about ice. A survey released last month by the appliance company Bosch found that more than half of us consider ourselves “obsessed” with the stuff, consuming more than 400 pounds, on average, in drinks a year.
Camper English, a self-proclaimed “ice guru,” certainly qualifies as obsessed. The San Francisco cocktail writer and author of the popular “Alcademics” cocktail blog has helped fuel a movement with a single-minded, glistening agenda: ensuring that anyone can make cocktail-bar-quality ice at home.
As Mr. English discovered in over 15 elaborate tests over the span of 18 years, making big ice is easy. Making clear ice isn’t. He has tried—and debunked—popular internet ice-making theories on achieving the much-coveted clarity. He froze distilled water. He boiled and then reboiled water from the tap before pouring it into moulds. “I tried ridiculous experiments, like using carbonated water,” said Mr. English. “Which didn’t have a good chance of being the solution.” (It wasn’t.)
Eventually, he read Mariana Gosnell’s 2007 book, “Ice: The Nature, the History, and the Uses of an Astonishing Substance,” and in 2009, realized he could replicate the way a pond froze from the top down using a small Igloo cooler stashed in his freezer. It worked, ultimately inspiring a variety of products that apply the top-down freezing principle, but on a smaller scale. While Mr. English himself never managed to commoditize his breakthrough, he continues to consult and speak on the topic.
Here, five ways to keep your cool—for those who love munching on ice and others like Mr. English who seek true translucency.
Filling most trays is a sloppy proposition. Created by a Danish engineer, the Icebreaker Pop tidies up the process. Just fill the top hole of the canteen-like device with water, seal the rubber stopper and freeze for 7-8 hours. To loosen the ice cubes from the container, and separate them from each other, lay it on a counter and press down like you’re performing CPR (you’ll hear a sternum-snapping sound of crunching ice). Then pull the rubber handles on either side apart: Out pour 18 one-inch cubes (or, technically, decahedrons). ($25, store.moma.org)