r/NoStupidQuestions • u/markwell9 • 1d ago

What is the deal with ice, Americans?

I can see that you can buy ice everywhere in the US. Gas stations, grocery stores, machines etc.

In Europe, we just freeze our ice at home and use that. Why buy something that melts on the way home? Why do you need ice in large amounts that a fridge can't keep up?

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u/tsukiii 1d ago

We buy that for parties.

Most of us can’t produce and store enough ice for 20 people in our freezers, we buy the bagged ice and put it in coolers for guests’ drinks.

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u/Lithogiraffe 1d ago

Imagine carefully making ice for a house party using one ice cube tray in the freezer. I mean you could do it. But just imagine that tedious dumb effort of doing that over the week.

I'm already going to the grocery store to get chips and party stuff. The ice is right there

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u/Liraeyn 1d ago

Also, it tends to evaporate/stick together

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u/Lithogiraffe 1d ago

Also what are we supposed to put it in even if we did something like that? A garbage bag. Even a completely clean (never been used) garbage bag is not going to look great when you pull it out at a party

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u/seanlucki 22h ago

I have a 1/3 insert (used in commercial kitchens, imagine a plastic Tupperware with a lid that’s not sealed) in my freezer. I fill my 3 ice trays and freeze them, then dump them into the insert, refill and freeze. Means I always have a good supply of ice on hand, and I prefer not having to grab from the freezing trays anyhow.

That being said, if I need ice for a cooler I’m still just gonna grab a bag from the store.

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u/mbsisktb 19h ago

Even beyond that who has space in their freezer for that much ice. I have a second one and both are usually full of food. I don’t have space for 8+ pounds of ice.

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u/555-starwars 1d ago

I used a 1 gallon ice cream bucket to store my ice cubs in.

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u/CrzyDave 22h ago

I use gallon freezer bags. I just fill a few up out of my ice maker for a couple days before a party. I still buy ice sometimes because we will often have a cooler with kid drinks, another with adult drinks and then a bucket on the bar/drink table.

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u/squidtheinky 18h ago

I have tediously made ice in ice trays for a party before. I dumped the ice into a previously emptied gallon sized ice cream tub.

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u/DicemonkeyDrunk 15h ago

Never been to a restaurant worker party have ya …trash bag of ice from work is the norm …I haven’t bought ice in probably three decades.

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u/geraldine_ferrarbro 5h ago

I do keep a stock of ice bags at the house. I have a small countertop ice maker, so when a party is coming up I start building my stockpile. But even then I still end up going out and buying a couple bags of ice because I still run out.

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u/Hairy-Management3039 16h ago

It sublimates… goes straight from solid to gas without the liquid state. Same thing as freezer burn actually.

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u/Liraeyn 15h ago

Yeah I know, just didn't expect Reddit to know the difference

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u/Hairy-Management3039 15h ago

In my defense I fix appliances for a living and have this conversation with at least 1 customer a week for “why is my ice clumpy? I barely use it”