Bagged ice issue

[italiansport]

We buy bagged ice at the store to use for making drinks due to the quality of our tap water. We have an ongoing problem with the cubes clumping together making it difficult to use them. Does anyone have a solution to prevent this from happening?
Jim

 

[Muley Gil]

I drop the bag on the floor before opening. That usually breaks the cubes up.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I use the " stomp & ice pick" method.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Assume you mean after you get it home and in the freezer. May have faulty defrost circuit timer as part of the frost-free system. Ours eventually melted a plastic panel in the freezer.

 

[URIT]

I totally agree with you shunning tap water for ice. I won't even use tap water for quenching my thirst.

When I lived in AZ, I'd buy cubes and they would start to melt on the drive home and again when the freezer defrosts so banging the bag on the counter helped to de-clump the little chillers.

I'm making my own using bottled water today.

 

[johngalt]

In Indiana tap water ice cubes look like chunks of chalk.

 

[kwselke]

Store the cube in a chest style manual defrost freezer set to 0 Degrees F. They clump because of thawing and refreezing. The thawing can occur during transportation or during your freezers defrost cycle.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I might do a double drop with bag reversal.
As tempting and as much fun as I know it is, I would resist stomping on it!
Shoe sole material does not enhance the flavor of margaritas !

 

[ralph7]

Gravity is your friend!

 

[Marshwheeling]

I usually start by dropping the bag on the counter when checking out. It’s best to announce what I am going to do beforehand. Otherwise, another clerk might come up and pretend he’s rearranging smokes or something, just in case there’s trouble. Dropping that bag makes a terrible noise.

 

[italiansport]

I do use the bag drop process as soon as I get them home and before I put them in the freezer. I believe the assessment that they are re-freezing and clumping is correct. However, even taking them out and using the re-drop procedure isn't very effective and I end up using a hand ice pick. I hoped there was another solution.
Jim

 

[soFlaNative]

Try a bigger cocktail glass.

 

[Ackley1952]

Where do you think the ice makers get their water to make your ice? The pond maybe ? I don’t know I’m just asking. Surely it’s not tap water .

 

[Rpg]

Ice pick!

You’d be surprised how many people don’t know what they are or what to do with them.

 

[S&W629]

you have defective ice....take it back for replacement....

 

[Rustyt1953]

You’d be surprised how many people don’t know what they are or what to do with them.

Tommy DeVito did.

 

[sunnyd]

CAREFUL WITH THE ICE PICK. I was working in our church kitchen the other day, helping feed flood refugees. A lady was using an ice pick to breakup a bag of ice in the freezer/fridge, when she pierced the freezer liner and the Freon line behind it. Had to get a new fridge.

 

[s&wchad]

Yup...

Slam it on the ground a few times, let it sit out for a while and slam it again! Pour the ice in a big cooler or bowl and put it out.

Anyone who complains doesn't get invited back for the next party!

 

[shouldazagged]

Fortunately our tap water is rated some of the best in the country, and I never use the bottled stuff or buy ice for home use. But when buying bagged ice to go in a cooler I would slam the bags on the store parking lot three or four times.

I tried the stomp once and pulled a muscle in the arch of my foot. Never did that again.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I tried the stomp once and pulled a muscle in the arch of my foot. Never did that again.

On this side of the river we wear shoes while doing it.

 

[shouldazagged]

I thought you guys only wore ice skates.

No, wait, that's Minnesota.

 

[Muley Gil]

In Indiana tap water ice cubes look like chunks of chalk.

I'm sorry. I have a real good well and the water tastes nice and clean.

 

[Rustyt1953]

The Greater Cincinnati Water Works treats 132 million gallons of water a day with most of it coming from the Ohio River.

I try not to think about it.

 

[BigBoy99]

Where do you think the ice makers get their water to make your ice?

Interesting aside. While visiting FL, my wife need some items at the local supermarket. While she ran her errands, I waited in the car and was watching a line of people go to a water dispensing machine located outside, at the front of the store and fill their gallon plastic jugs for two dollars each. I thought that two bucks a jug was a terrible price. Then I started looking for the source of the water the machine was dispensing. Sure enough there was a small copper water line coming out the back of the machine, attached to the wall. I followed it back to its source and it was attached to a garden hose outlet coming out of the wall of the building. The water source was city water! As they say, "A fool and his money are soon parted."

 

[Valmet]

I drop the bag on the floor before opening. That usually breaks the cubes up.

Same here. I usually just do a straight drop on our back patio, does the trick.

 

[Old Seabee]

Ice

When you get home with melted ice poke a couple holes in side of bag drain water place in freezer holes up that stops the big frozen clump.

 

[Muss Muggins]

When you get home with melted ice poke a couple holes in side of bag drain water place in freezer holes up that stops the big frozen clump.

This, but then you need to stick it in the freezer for a little bit, to solidify up the water left in the bag. Take it out after ten minutes or so and bang the bag on the floor to break it up, then stick it back in. We lived with a broken ice maker for a couple months, and this seemed to work pretty well.

 

[ExRanger714]

Since most bottled water is in reality some town's municipal tap water (certified within limits) it is not a stretch of the imagination to conclude that most ice is some town's tap water too.

 

[Robspeire]

I put the bag of ice on back porch rail & 1 shot with my 1911 loaded with
Barnes .45 ACP +P 185 Grain Copper TAC-XPD gets the job done.
My 9mm just would't do the job.

 

[NYlakesider]

While for reasons have used bagged ice. (mostly for coolers taken when we went tent camping)

Just the little needed around the house I let the frige make it.

We have a private well and its very soft water and makes very good ice.

That soft water is also much better-for cleaning, cooking and as a gear head great water for washing of cars!