Different Methods of Making Crushed Ice from Ice Cubes
Cold drinks are not only a special treat in summer, but useful when making cocktails. Many recipes use crushed ice as a crucial ingredient that gives the drinks the finishing touch both in terms of taste and appearance. Various supermarkets and petrol stations have crushed ice in their range, but if you want to save costs, you can also make the crushed ice yourself at home. We have compiled all the important information as well as tips and tricks for you below.
What can crushed ice be used for?
While crushed ice is usually made from ice cubes, there are some differences between the two types of ice. The largest crushed ice has a larger surface area than ice cubes, which allows for faster and more effective cooling and is ideal for alcoholic drinks, shakes, smoothies and desserts. When compared to traditional ice cubes, the surface area of the ice is much larger. This means that the heat exchange between the liquid to be cooled and the ice pieces can take place more quickly and cooling is much more effective. Crushed ice is suitable for cooling alcoholic drinks, fruity shakes and smoothies, iced desserts and much more. Cocktails with a high alcohol content can be somewhat toned down by the melting ice. In addition to cooling, the crushed ice also serves a decorative purpose.
What do you need for crushed ice?
To make crushed ice at home, you need ice cubes, which can either be bought in a supermarket or made at home using ice cube trays or ice cube freezer bags. Once the water is frozen, the finished ice cubes can be used to make crushed ice.
Three methods to make crushed ice yourself
There are several ways to make crushed ice from ice cubes. If you have a blender or even an ice crusher, you can use these tools to make crushed ice quickly and easily. Some juicers or slow juicers are also suitable for this. But don't worry, even if you don't have a food processor at hand, you don't have to do without crushed ice in your drinks. You can also use a towel or tea towel and a hammer or meat tenderizer to crush ice cubes. You will find out exactly how to use the three different production methods below.
With the blender
If you have a blender, you can use it to make crushed ice. This method is quick and easy and requires no effort. The following instructions explain step by step how to do it and what you should pay attention to.
Step 1: Make ice cubes
Make ice cubes with the help of an ice cube mold. Depending on the temperature of the freezer, you should plan at least two hours for this.
Step 2: Pour ice cubes into the blender
Pour five to ten ice cubes into the blender. In order for the blender to break up the hard crystal structure of the ice cubes, it should have an output of at least 1000 watts and a speed of at least 10,000 revolutions.
Step 3: Turn on the pulse function
Turn on the blender. Be sure to set the Pulse function (also known as the Crushed Ice function), which alternately increases and decreases the speed of the blade. This creates beautiful crushed ice and no fine ice snow. If necessary, you can add a small amount of water so that the ice cubes stick to each other less.
Step 4: Pour crushed ice into glasses
Pour the finished crushed ice into jars to use right away, or in a container where you can store the ice cream in the freezer for later.
With the ice crusher
An ice crusher – also known as an ice mill or ice crusher – is a kitchen appliance that is specifically used to produce crushed ice. Basically, a distinction can be made between manual and electric ice crushers. Manual models are operated with a crank, which usually sets a rotating roller in motion. This smashes the ice cubes into relatively coarse but even fragments that are better suited for cocktails than desserts. Manual ice crushers work well for smaller amounts of ice. However, if a lot of crushed ice is needed, using an electric ice crusher is preferable. In such models, a rotating disc equipped with knives scrapes thin splinters from the ice cubes. The crushed ice created in this way is very fine and therefore melts relatively quickly. It's especially good for iced desserts.
Crushed ice with towel and hammer
If you don't have a blender or ice crusher on hand, you can simply use a kitchen towel and a hammer to make crushed ice without any kitchen utensils. To do this, spread a kitchen towel on the work surface and press the ice cubes out of the mold onto the cloth. Now form a bag with the towel that closes the ice cubes. Grab the bag just above the ice cubes and place it on a firm and sturdy surface. To crush the ice cubes, gently hit the bag several times with a hammer. Instead of a hammer, you can use any other hard object, such as a shoe, a rolling pin, or a meat tenderizer.