clearly frozen faq

+ Why is my ClearlyFrozen ice cloudy at the bottom of the cubes?

You let the ice freeze too long - you get the best results when you remove the cubes before the assembly freezes solid and "the cloud" pushed down under the blue mold gets pushed back up.

+ Why is there so much ice stuck to the bottom of the blue mold?

Again - you let the ice freeze too long - you get the best results - and don't have a lot of ice frozen to the bottom of the blue mold - when you empty it before the assembly freezes.

+ What makes ice cloudy?

In a regular ice cube tray, the ice freezes from all sides, trapping a cloud of dissolved air and impurities in the center.

+ Why is the ice in a bar or restaurant clear?

Commercial establishments have dedicated commercial ice makers, like what you see when you fill an ice bucket while staying in a hotel. Those machines employ pumps, motors and specialized refrigeration surfaces to produce clear ice. They are expensive, take up a lot of room, use a lot of electricity and require water pre-treatment and frequent maintenance. And they only make small pieces of ice, not large "rocks."

+ How do you make clear ice at home - what makes ClearlyFrozen ice clear?

By contrast, the ClearlyFrozen tray is designed to work passively in an ordinary freezer. Because it is insulated on the sides and bottom, the ClearlyFrozen tray freezes directionally, from the top down, pushing "the cloud" of dissolved air toward the bottom of the blue mold, and through the holes into the space underneath, leaving crystal clear ice above in the mold.

+ Does boiling water first make clear ice? Does using distilled water make clear ice?

They each help a little, but only directional freezing produces really clear ice.

+ Is clear ice better than cloudy ice?

Totally!!! Directional freezing pushes out not only the visible cloud of dissolved air in the water, but virtually all other impurities. it can actually even reduce the ambient bacteria count in the water from which it is made by 99%. And, unlike cloudy ice, it is completely non-porous and won't absorb odors while stored in a freezer.

+ What else is good about clear ice?

Besides being very pure and looking very beautiful, clear ice is harder and melts more slowly than cloudy ice - lasting longer while diluting your drink less - and "clinks," rather than "clunks."

+ Why is it important to pull ClearlyFrozen ice from the tray before it freezes solid?

If you freeze a tray solid, "the cloud" that has been forced beneath the tray will begin to be forced back up into your clear cubes. The process is no different than baking a cake, which doesn't come out well if left in the oven indefinitely.

+ What is the best way to store ClearlyFrozen ice?

You can store your cubes in an ice bin or a zip lock bag, but, if you put them in a regular brown paper bag, that will absorb surface moisture and help keep them from sticking to each other.

+ Are there other home clear ice trays on the market?

There are several, but, compared to the high capacity 10 2" cube ClearlyFrozen tray, they all cost much more and take up proportionately much more room to make only a few 2" clear cubes.