Summer entertaining calls for cold, refreshing drinks chilled on ice. This also means there will be inevitable trips to the store to grab a few ice bags. Before you plop those bags straight into your freezer, though, there’s an easy ice trick every home bartender needs to prevent your ice from turning into a giant block. You need to make sure to get the extra water out of the bag.
Ice cubes getting stuck together happens because of a couple of reasons. Ice has a thin coating of water that can melt and refreeze. When you transfer your ice from store to car to freezer, it’s nearly impossible for there not to be a change of temperature, which causes this layer to become glue-like, making everything stick together. You may also notice that the ice on the bottom of the bag is often mashed together in clumps. That’s because the ice sitting on top of the bag can easily squash the ice on the bottom, and any change in temperature can contribute to the issue. Because it can be frustrating to end up with a large block of ice, you should never just toss the bags directly into the freezer. Instead, try shaking out the bag and even tapping it on the counter to break up any clumps that formed in transit. Then open the bag and gently pour out any pooling liquid into the sink.
Other ways to keep ice from sticking together
You can also try using the paper bag trick to prevent ice cubes from sticking together. To keep the ice from consolidating, dump it from its plastic grocery store bag into a paper bag, fold the top, and pop into the freezer. When you’re ready to use the ice, you’ll be amazed to find that the ice has remained separated. Why does it work? The paper bag absorbs extra moisture, which can keep the ice cubes from sticking together. This trick will work on both bags and trays of ice in your freezer.
If you need your ice to look fancy and completely clump free (think for a formal event, or if you’re planning to add flavor to your ice cubes), there’s a high effort way to ensure the ice remains perfect. Use plastic wrap on each individual ice cube, then store batches in plastic bags in the freezer. Admittedly, this very detailed process isn’t the best for a giant bag of ice, but may work pretty well for a small tray. However you decide to separate your ice, try to keep the ice at the same temperature during transportation to avoid any melting and clumping.
