Food Lens Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Food Lens · Recipe ingredients
Ice Cubes
Neutral and cold, carrying only whatever flavor or odor is already in the water or freezer around it.
Lens analyzedIce cubes are small blocks of frozen water made in a tray or dispenser, used to chill drinks fast and hold cold foods at temperature during service. Cooks also use them to shock blanched vegetables or stop a sauce from overcooking once it hits the right texture.
Where it comes from
Bar service relied on ice cut from frozen lakes and delivered by icemen until home refrigerators with built-in freezer trays became common in the mid-1900s. Once household freezers spread, making ice on demand turned a once-scarce commodity into an everyday convenience.
Buying it
A bag of store-bought ice should feel loose and separate, not fused into one solid clump from melting and refreezing. For home trays, use filtered water if your tap has a strong mineral taste, since ice concentrates whatever flavor the water started with.
Storing it
Keep bagged ice in the freezer in its sealed bag or a covered container; loose cubes left uncovered pick up odors from other freezer contents and can clump together. It won't spoil, but a stale smell means it's time to dump the tray and start fresh.
Keeps about 1 year in the pantry.
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