Is There a Perfect Size of Ice Ball?
In many cases liquids taste better when they are very cold. This is why we often add ice to our beverages, to keep them cold while we drink them. Traditional ice cubes, which come from ice cube trays, tend to be small.
This means that many ice cubes are needed, to keep your drink cold, until you are finished drinking. Small ice cubes melt quickly, and water down your drink. Therefore, you have to drink quickly,as to not leave that watery taste to your drink.
If ice is round in shape, then it tends to melt slower. In the 1950’s, in particular, ice balls were all the rage.They became so popular that we developed equipment to carve ice into round balls. And certain restaurants, and bars, became well known for their pristine ice balls.
Recently ice balls have made a comeback, and we have developed plastic trays to accommodate the demand. However, plastic ice ball trays tend to produce small balls. Also, when they come from plastic molds, they often have sharp edges, where the water leaked through the cracks of the mold.Plastic mold ice balls also have the tendency to leave the distinct plastic aftertaste, in your drink.
So, we needed something different. We then discovered the uses of silicone, in the kitchen.Silicone is a non-toxic man made material that retains pliability in extreme temperatures. Silicone can be molded into just about any shape, and retains its elasticity in temperatures as low as -148oF.
Since food grade silicone has been proven by the FDA for use in the kitchen, there has been an explosion of silicone cookware and bake ware, available to the public. Food grade silicone has recently been used to make ice ball molds.
Silicone is used in non-kitchen applications, as a water tight seal. This means, silicone ice ball molds do not leak, if used properly. When snapped together, silicone ice ball molds creating a seal, which prevents the sharp edges, typical of plastic ice ball molds.
This means, the unique properties of silicone, allowed us to develop larger ice ball molds. There are some silicone molds that measure 2 ½ inches in diameter. These molds produce slow melting ice balls perfect for any drink,including lemonades, teas, and cocktails. But, large ice balls are especially nice for whiskey and scotch drinkers, as they melt slowly, and keep the drink cold for a long period of time.