Highest Rated (4.6 Star) Highest Capacity (Ten 2" Cubes) Clear Ice Tray - What Beats Best AND Most?

I love cocktails, Old Fashioneds, Boulevardiers, and Negronis in particular. In my opinion, those and other cocktails are best with the right kind of ice--a single, large, crystal clear ice cube or ball. These kinds of ice cubes have become popular because the ice has no air in it, so it will melt slower, keeping a drink properly chilled, but without quickly melting and diluting a fine sipping cocktail.I wanted to have this kind of ice for cocktails at home. I did a lot of reading about how to make it, and what kind of molds work best. Most of the reviews I read pointed to the Clearly Frozen ice cube maker. I purchased one here on Amazon, and have made four batches of ice with it. Each and every time, the result has been perfectly clear cubes!!!The set consists of a silicone tray that the ice is formed in, along with a larger translucent plastic tray that the silicone tray rests in. In turn, the large plastic tray rests in an open-cell foam box. DO NOT throw the foam box away! It is an integral part of the ice making process, it is not packing material! You set the plastic tray in the foam box, fill it about halfway to the top with water, then set the silicone tray on top. Then, top up the silicone tray with water. There are two fill line markings in the silicone tray. I find that for best results and cube shape, fill the silicone tray to within about 3/16" to 1/4" below the top line. If you fill it all the way to the top fill line, you get a cube that's more rectangular than square. There are holes in the bottom of each of the compartments of the silicone tray to equalize the level of water in the tray. Once filled with water, set it in your freezer. I find I need to keep the tray in the freezer for at least twenty hours in order for the freezing process to fully complete. Twenty-two to Twenty-four hours is about optimum.The holes in the bottom of the silicone tray also facilitates the clarifying process that causes the ice to freeze clear. As the water freezes, air in the water is forced downward, out the holes, into the larger plastic tray. You do NOT have to use distilled water to get clear ice. Plain tap water works perfectly fine. Once the ice is frozen, run warm water over the outside of the plastic box. This will help to loosen it from the silicone ice tray. When the tray comes out, it will also be attached to a large block of ice that was in the plastic box. I knock around the block with the handle of a butter knife to loosen it from the silicone tray. After you've played with it a few times, you'll figure out what works best for getting it loose. It really is easy to do! When you get the silicone tray loose, just bend and twist on it a bit to loosen the ice from the molds. I find that a plain set of metal salad tongs, used carefully, works great for extracting the cubes from the mold. I put them in a large ziploc bag and store them in the freezer for my favorite libations.This ice maker is a bit large, 12"L x 6"W x 6"H, so you may need to clear some space in your freezer to accommodate it. But, it makes ten large cubes at a time, as opposed to a lot of other units that make only one, two, or four cubes. One or two batches, and you'll have enough ice for just about any gathering you might have. It comes with instructions on how to make the ice, which I've pretty much described here.At the time I purchased this on Amazon, the price was $39.99. Definitely not cheap, but it works EXACTLY like it should, and after a few times making ice, I think most folks will feel that it's money well spent. ***THIS IS THE ONE TO GET!!!!!***

The media could not be loaded. These molds are fantastic for a wide variety of uses. These cubes are great for rocks drinks. They make a good drink look great, not to mention it melts significantly slower than an equally large but less clear cube. The clarity makes layers of difference.They’re also great to get creative with. With them being clear, the ability to freeze things in them presents itself and that opens up a world of possibilities. They also make spear molds that are awesome and I’ve experimented with both. Just freeze 1/4-1/2 the mold, put whatever you want to freeze on top and then top with more water. Voilà, you’ve got awesome ice for cocktails (perfect for milk punches or other clear drinks).The customer support is also amazing as many others have noted. Quick to respond and replace any damaged/missing items. I lost two sets of the styrofoam and plastic containers and they replaced both without a question, free of charge. Great support and a great company to support.With all that being said, there are a couple minor flaws I’d like to note that should not deter you at all from buying this product.1. In my experience, if you fill the molds too close to the top, they tend to spill a lil over the sides. This can make more for a minor, icy mess in your freezer. I’ve tried filling it a lil less but that can result in less than ideally-perfect shaped squares, somewhat short, but still useable and serviceable. Ultimately not a huge deal and I’ve discovered a method to work around it. If you let the top freeze just enough to create a thin layer, you can then top that right up to the lip and it won’t spill over. Only issue then is there’s a thin, cloudy layer where that initial top froze. It gets more noticeable the longer you initially freeze so try to top it off as soon as possible, around 2 hours or so after putting it in the freezer.2. On the contrary to all that, there seems to often be 1-2 cubes out of the 10 that freeze too high and make excessively tall cubes. I know water/ice expands as it freezes so that explains it but it’s one little caveat that can be tricky. If nothing else, it allows one the opportunity to practice ice carving if they have the interest. With just a couple tools, you could trim it down to the perfect size. I’ve practiced that a bit with those overgrown cubes along with the large cloudy block on bottom, so that’s another benefit really of this mold. Although it’s made so you don’t have to cut any ice, you still can with that “throwaway” piece if you want to! I’ve tried to make extra cubes, or even diamonds, with that big block so it’s a nice piece to utilize.All things considered, quality, price, customer support, this has got to be one of, if not THE best product in it’s category for a still pretty new market. There’s still not a ton of (affordable, convenient) clear ice options, especially not at the output that these allow. I’m making all this ice for 3 busy bars and four of these sets allows me to keep them stocked from week to week. Not only great for the home enthusiast, this should be a consideration for professional bars as well.

This product looks too simple to be true, but it works perfectly. Perfectly clear ice from the first try, and I’ve been trying different techniques for clear ice for some time. I use filtered water, even though the directions say you can use any water including tap, but for me the pure look goes with a pure taste as the ice melts, and it provides for a first-class experience. I like the product so much I ordered another tray for different-sized cubes from the manufacturer and will order another setup for my vacation home. Good stuff

It works! You have to follow the instructions carefully. What they don't mention though is that the ice underneath might not be fully frozen which can cause water spillage when taking the cubes out. I suggest using a cutting board over a sink to put the mold on upside down while extracting from the base and separating the cubes from the ice block. The instructions warn against using "highly filtered" water which could degrade performance. I used the "regular filtered" water from my refrigerator dispenser as opposed to tap water that they recommend because I don't want chlorine in my drinks and they came out nice. I may try with spring water to see if that works. Obviously a bit of work compared to an automatic ice maker but it is a cool effect. I wouldn't bother for water or soda but in a cocktail it is pretty cool. The pictures above use whiskey as an example. Ice is nearly invisible.

Great product, works exactly as advertised with clear instructions and excellent customer service. Ice cubes are the perfect size and came out perfectly clear. The tray is very easy to use.