Clear Ice Cube Maker Mold - 2 2.1in Whiskey Squares, Non-Electric

Excelente producto. Funciona muy bien y la calidad es de primera.

The process is a little clunky, and it can sometimes be frustrating but with a little practice and patience, you get beautiful, crystal-clear ice cubes every time. I gave this ice cube maker 5 stars because it is relatively inexpensive for what you get, the materials are high quality with good fit and finish. The drawbacks (such as taking 30 hours to make only 2 ice cubes) are really a function of thermodynamics rather than the product itself. (See the end of this review for the TLDR "how it works".) I have been using this ice maker for around 18 months now and here is the process I use to get crystal-clear cubes every time: 1) Start by cleaning and drying all the parts. If any of the parts are wet when they go into the freezer, the unit can be extremely difficult to open up and can result in the corners of the ice cubes being chipped. Also, if you're refilling the ice maker after using it, make sure there is no residual ice chips or drops left in the mold. 2) Assemble the components. First, make sure the foam insulator is pushed all the way down into the plastic shell and then the plastic reservoir is pushed all the way down into the foam insulator. These parts all fit very nicely together and it will be apparent from the way the lips of each piece connect when they are properly assembled. Leaving a gap between any two of these pieces will result in substandard ice. 3) Fill the reservoir to the indicator mark. I use reverse-osmosis (RO) filtered water but I've also used tap water successfully. Use lukewarm water for best results. 4) Assemble the silicone ice mold and then slowly let it settle into the reservoir. Don't push the mold into the reservoir or you'll end up with incomplete or malformed ice cubes. A small amount of water should bubble up out of the 2 vent holes in the mold. Make sure the mold is completely settled into the reservoir before proceeding - again, the parts fit together nicely so it will be obvious when settling is complete. Use a towel to dry any standing water on top of the ice mold. 5) Use two hands to lift the entire assembly and place it upright in the freezer. Lift it by the side handles. Do not squeeze the assembly (by lifting it with one hand) or you'll end up with incomplete or malformed cubes. The goal here is to have no additional water bubble out of the vent holes as you put the assembly into the freezer. Leave the mould in the freezer for 30 hours. 6) Pull the silicone mold out of the reservoir, pull the two halves apart and gently remove the ice cubes. Cubes can be stored in the included silicone zip-lock bag (the bag holds 6 cubes) for several weeks. Cubes can be stored in regular freezer Ziploc bags for a couple of weeks but longer than that and they start to degrade. Use warm water to remove the ice in the bottom of the reservoir. Dry all the parts and you're ready to start again. How it works: the key to the process is the insulating layer on 4 sides plus the bottom of the mold. The mold orients the cubes with one corner up (the non-insulated side) which is exposed to the ambient air in the freezer. This orientation along with the insulation forces the water in the mould to freeze from the top down. As the water freezes, it pushes the entrained air (and any impurities) down into the reservoir, leaving crystal clear ice behind in each cube. (The reservoir holds about 3x as much water as needed to make the cubes. This extra space give the water with entrained air a place to go as the cubes freeze.) The insulating layer is a bit thin but using warm water in the mould ensures that the process proceeds properly. The whole assembly is kinda bulky and it would be quite a bit bulkier if the insulation was thicker so I think this is a good design trade-off.

Why so many negative reviews?! All the talks about removing the ice from mold being difficult is totally not true. Easiest thing to do in the world.

For sure, there will be a bit of a learning curve to get them to be perfect, but rest assured, the ice balls can turn out beautifully. My first attempt resulted in 2/3's of the ball, i.e. not a complete ball, as I did not fill enough - I did use cooled-down boiled water. The second attempt with tap water - beautiful round balls - but not perfectly clear. 3rd attempt resulted in perfection with boiled water. It does take 24 hours to make the ice and does take 10-15 to melt enough to pull the contraption apart. 5 starts for value to money at this point, assuming the contraption does not crack. The picture does not do the ice justice for clarity - but when in a drink the ice loses that frosting you see.

tl;dr: This unit makes excellent clear ice with low effort. It helps to know the science behind it to avoid pitfalls. It's worth the slightly higher price for the build quality. I couldn't be happier with the huge clear ice cubes it makes for my whiskey drinks. Basic science behind clear ice: As ice crystals form, contaminates are pushed away. Normal ice trays freeze from all directions so contaminates end up in the middle of the cube, making them cloudy. By surrounding the mold on 5 sides with insulation, the water directionally freezes (top-down in this case) leaving a cube of ice that has pushed all contaminates into the water below the mold. Stopping the freezing process before the reservoir of water freezes aids in mold removal. Fit and finish: I chose this model because it has a hard outer shell with dense insulation molded to an exact fit. Other models use that cheap layered white foam with no shell. Inside of the molded insulation is fitted the reservoir, which again is a high quality plastic and fits perfectly inside the insulation shell. Finally, the molds are a thick silicone that has a high-quality feel. 10 out of 10 for fit and finish. Functionality: Each cube has FOUR holes to push contaminates through verses only 1 in other models I looked at. It is easy to fill, easy to insert the molds, and just a pleasure to use. You will need freezer space for it, making clear ice takes space. Removing the molds can be frustrating. Be patient, follow instructions and let the thing sit for 10-15 minutes prior to attempting removal. Alternate sides, go slow and they eventually break free. It is easier if the freezing process is halted before the reservoir has frozen, but this takes trial and error to dial in. My freezer's optimum time ended up being 27 hours. After use, I found that I was able to simply pour the reservoir water out, then pull the thin bit of ice that did form straight out and restart the process immediately. Leave it too long in the freezer and you'll have blocks of ice to deal with. Tips: Fill the reservoir with WARM water up to the point the bottom of the molds will sit. Then insert the molds and fill with COLD water. After filling, tip slightly from side to side to allow any trapped air to escape. This will aid in the preventing reservoir from freezing too easily. Ice heaves happen. Sometimes as ice forms/expands, it pushes up. So some cubes may be larger than others. It's still clear and cool.