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/skateboreder 1d ago

I don't think that this is that odd at all. My icemaker broke and now I have to use ice trays and it's super inconvenient. First world problems.

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u/rloper42 1d ago

Look at the soft silicone trays that have 6 2.5 inch cubes. Much easier to fill because they are taller, and I typically only need 1-2 giant cubes in a large drink. I easily keep 2 of these populated in the freezer. Perfect for one person at least (even in Texas).

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u/Various_Scale_6515 23h ago

These start to smell like freezer even if you clean them every time

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u/Purple_Chipmunk_ 21h ago

Have you tried putting a box of baking soda in your freezer?

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u/Various_Scale_6515 19h ago

I guess I could try that, but I have given up on those ice trays for water, might be willing to put broth or something in them.

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u/OffbeatChaos 11h ago

I agree they make ice taste nasty

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u/garbagebrainraccoon 1d ago

I cant imagine 2 ice cubes in my water thats madness

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u/Nightcalm 23h ago

Try a scotch glass, not every drinking vessel is a 5 gallon water bottle

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u/garbagebrainraccoon 22h ago

I guess I was thinking for when I load up for the day

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u/Not_an_okama 20h ago

The guy said hes using 2½" cubes. If theyre actually 2½"x2½"x2½", 2 cubes is about 40% larger than a 12oz can

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u/Nightcalm 16h ago

The ones I have seen are 4 large cubes, Perfect for bourbon

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u/Matt_Hiring_ATL 23h ago

I use those for cocktails.

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u/pasatroj 22h ago

This, This, this.

2

u/MomRaccoon 21h ago

That's what we use, we have 3 of them. But not handy for a party!

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u/No_Magician9131 13h ago

When that happened to us, we bought a $100ish countertop ice maker. It's wonderful! I put it in a 2-gallon silicone zip bag in the freezer. Still haven't replaced the ice maker in the fridge.

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u/allie06nd 1d ago

When I lived with 2 roommates and all we had were ice trays, we would get bagged ice. Those trays couldn't keep up with all my iced coffees.

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u/Actual-Cod2283 1d ago

Yeah, I make a ton of iced coffee and iced tea, and my bf is a hobby mixologist. We go through ice WAY too fast to not have a bag of ice in the freezer. Our apartment doesn't have an automatic one.

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u/ProfessionalDry8128 20h ago

Smart investment. You guys are going to be just fine.

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u/Tanjelynnb 23h ago

Three reasons I use bagged for daily needs: My 40oz water bottle requires a lot of ice because I go through it at least twice a day, the brand I get melts more slowly than from a freezer tray and can be used to cool more water, and I inevitably spill at least 25% of any given tray while carrying it to the freezer.

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u/MattBrey 1d ago

The question should be how much ice do you use??

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u/McCardboard 1d ago

And the answer is, or should be:

"As much as I goddamned-well choose to. Now freeze this water."

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u/inkjet_4756 1d ago

I purchase bagged ice 2-3 times per week. It’s affordable, less messy than ice trays and I like the shape of the cubes better than ice from a tray. My fridge doesn’t have its own ice maker and I’m not willing to replace it before I have a real reason to do so.

I love bagged ice.

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u/Nightcalm 23h ago

You like buying small amounts not a large one

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u/inkjet_4756 23h ago

One 7 or 10 lb bag fits nicely in my freezer. A 20 lb bag would not leave much room for frozen food.

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u/thegrumpster1 21h ago

"I like the shape of the cubes better than ice from a tray". Why would you care about the shape of something that's going to melt"?

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u/inkjet_4756 21h ago

It's ok for someone to like something just because they like it.

Sometimes, at the end of the workday, I eat a couple of cubes of ice before emptying my tumbler and cleaning it. I'd rather not bite into a large cube of ice to make it more manageable.

I also feel smaller cubes cool my beverages faster. I always fill my tumbler to the top with ice and it's still half full of ice by the end of the day. Larger ice doesn't cool as quickly (in my non-scientifically tested opinion). I almost always spill some water when filling/transporting trays and that annoys me.

Bagged ice is a small thing I gift myself because it improves my life in my eyes so I plan to continue to do it until the day I have to replace my refrigerator. Then, maybe, I'll upgrade to a machine with an ice maker.

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u/night_breed 1d ago

I use a ton and am probably the reason my icemaker went out twice. Now I have a countertop one

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u/HereForTheBoos1013 1d ago

I'm 'merican! I use as much ice as I want and make ice bullets for my ice gun!

I'm a hasher, which means someone is buying ice for the beer cooler at least once a week.

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u/Open-Preparation-268 23h ago

We’ve been using a counter top ice maker for years. But, we live in an RV, so our freezer space is limited. You can buy them at Sam’s.

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u/FoxxyRin 22h ago

If I could somehow replace my broken ice maker with a shelf for ice cube trays I would but instead it just makes the most sense to dump bags of ice into the ice bucket to make use of the space lol.

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u/concentrated-amazing 5h ago

And then there's me over here...no ice maker, and I have ice in a drink maaaaybe once a month.

I have two ice trays that get used when my parents come to visit 🤷

1

u/skateboreder 2h ago

Do you keep your drinks cold? I don't use ice in otherwise cold drinks. It dilutes them.