Testing Out the Rabbit Clear Ice Tray
September 08, 2016
I received a sample of the forthcoming Rabbit Clear Ice Cube Tray, which will be "only available at Bed Bath & Beyond starting in the fall," though I don't see it on the site yet. I'll link to it when it goes live.
Now it's available here.
The predicted retail price is $19.99, far less expensive than any other clear ice tray on the market.
As you can probably tell from the images, this ice cube tray takes advantage of Directional Freezing, the technique I pioneered here on Alcademics.
What is not visible is that each of the four blue ice cube holders has a hole in the bottom, so you fill the tray with more water than fits in the cube part alone. Directional freezing (from the top to the bottom since the sides are all insulated) will cause trapped air and impurities to push down into the bottom of the chamber, leaving the top (the entire ice cube) very clear.
To remove the ice cubes, you pull the plastic part out of the base cooler, and pop the cubes out of the tray. My first trial with this was quick and painless. Below are pictures from my first trial.
Pros: The price point is great; and it's a good proof-of-concept of a directional freezing tray. It's easy to use, and it will probably be a big gift this holiday season. If you take photos of cocktails at home, you can finally not have the ugly white bits in your cubes.
Cons: It's large; taking up a good chunk of freezer space, and you only get one highball glass worth of ice cubes out of it. The cubes aren't super big, so while you may impress yourself/your guests with your clear ice cubes, you're not going to blow their minds as you might with a 2-inch cube.
I know what you're saying with "ugly white bits in your cubes". Yes, that's sort of annoying, right? If the price point is great, then this is a must-have!
Posted by: Monitronics | September 09, 2016 at 03:22 PM
Try the Wintersmith's Ice Baller. Crystal clear ice from tap water (filtered of course). Hands down the best out there. At $120 you get a no-nonsense ice maker that works every-time. I've been using it for about two years now and it never disappoints! Yeah it's expensive, but cloudy ice make your drink look and smell bad. You love your juice, then put some love in your ice! From a very satisfied consumer. If it works - I'll say it. It works. ;-)
Posted by: RWK | September 09, 2016 at 05:07 PM
For 1/10 the cost, this is a bargain. Make a 2" sphere version and you will own the market.
Posted by: Jay Hutchinson | December 01, 2016 at 07:26 AM
The Wintersmiths tray is nice, but crazy expensive and takes up the whole freezer. Check out the "True Cubes" tray, it works well and is cheaper.
Posted by: Fred Jones | January 01, 2017 at 04:22 PM
Tried this product and the ice wasn't clear. Many experiments later I found that only boiled distilled water would produce perfectly clear ice with this tray. Otherwise I was looking at small striations of bubbles. I still love the product.
Posted by: SP | April 17, 2017 at 12:55 AM
Once frozen, can you store the cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer without them losing their clarity?
Posted by: Tom | May 26, 2017 at 06:27 PM
Yes, clear ice never loses clarity. And yes storing in plastic is the way to go, to prevent smells/loss through sublimation.
Posted by: Camper English | May 26, 2017 at 06:29 PM
Hi! How many hours did you freeze for?
Posted by: Steven | July 11, 2017 at 08:08 PM
I don't recall, but overnight anyway so that it was fully frozen.
Posted by: Camper English | July 13, 2017 at 11:36 AM
Hi Camper:
An interesting storage alternative is a brown paper bag. or maybe a brown paper bag inside a plastic bag. The paper absorbs moisture, which helps keep the cubes from sticking to each other.
Jim
Posted by: Jim Blakey | March 14, 2018 at 10:30 AM