Author: Camper English
-
Ice Jenga
I bought some collins-sized ice cube trays (these ones) and decided to make an ice spear version of Jenga. I mean, why not? I didn't expect it would actually work. I mean, it didn't work all that well but I was able to get three out! Probably the second two on the bottom only came…
-
Striped Ice
I made striped ice cubes. The first time I made striped ice was just before I figured out directional freezing to make clear ice. Having realized that the cloudiness in ice was caused by trapped air and not minerals, I tried to pour very thin layers of water in a tray so that the air…
-
A Clear Ice Story at VinePair
VinePair writer Tim McKirdy wrote a story on How to Create Perfectly Clear Ice, so naturally he included Directional Freezing, and the method I created way back in 2009 using a picnic cooler. This is just a quick post to link to it so that I don't forget. Check it out here.
-
Clear Ice with Quotes from Me in Men’s Journal
Men's Journal did a story on directional freezing highlighting my cooler method of 11 years ago. Spoiler: It still works. Check it out here.
-
Ice in the Wall Street Journal
I was interviewed for a story on ice that appeared in the Wall Street Journal this week. Here's the story link if you have subscriber access. The intro part that mentions me is below.
-
Double Layered Clear Ice Cube Trays In A Cooler
A few years back. a couple different ice adventurers figured out that you can use a silicone ice cube tray to make clear cubes in a directional freezing system (an insulated cooler in a freezer) simply by poking holes in the bottom of the tray, setting the tray on a small riser (to give a…
-
Fruit Bowl and Other Ice Projects Made in a Punch Cooler
Josh Colquitt [facebook page] contacted me on Facebook to share some clear ice work he's been doing. He has been filling a punch cooler (aka "beverage dispenser") with water and freezing with the top off inside a big top-loading freezer. The cooler freezes from top to bottom via directional freezing, leaving him with a big…
-
The Pre-eminent Cocktail Ice Scholar
In this story in The Guardian, I'm mentioned as "perhaps the pre-eminent cocktail ice scholar," in the section about ice snobs. I'll take it. The story isn't about me at all, but it's a long read (no really, it's a very long read) about the packaged ice industry through the lens of one major…
-
A Failed Attempt at a Quick-Remove Method for Ice Blocks
For over ten years now I've been making clear ice in an Igloo cooler in my freezer, a method I first developed in 2009. You fill a hard-sided cooler with water, stick in the freezer with the top off, and the ice freezes perfectly clear from the top-down, leaving only the bottom part cloudy if…
-
All the Cocktail and Drink Books from 2020 for Reading or Gifting
It's time for the annual Alcademics drink book round-up! Below are all the books that have come to my attention in 2020. I don't follow wine/beer closely so there are only a few in that section. The links below are to Amazon and to Bookshop.org. If you buy stuff after clicking on a link, I…