For many of my favourite cold drinks I need crushed ice. That is, thousands of small pieces of ice, not 3 big ice cubes. Is there an easy way to make crushed ice without expensive equipment?
7 Answers
I have not tried this method myself, but it sounds reasonable.
It involves filling a clean milk carton or juice container with water, freezing it and then bashing it against a wall to crush the ice. I guess the container has to be quite sturdy to take the beating without breaking. Could be worth a try.
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4How often do you get to bash something against concrete while you're preparing food or drink? Awesome.– Cascabel ♦Feb 14, 2011 at 15:50
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So true. This will rock regardless of whether it works or not. :) EDIT: The "rock" pun is unintentional. Feb 14, 2011 at 16:00
Put ice cubes in a clean tea towel and bash them with a rolling pin works for me.
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1Seems to me like this good for the rolling pin, especially not the bearings.– zanlokFeb 14, 2011 at 19:33
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3@Zanlok -- not all rolling pins have bearings. But if you're worried, you can substitute with a hammer or meat tenderizer. Feb 14, 2011 at 20:51
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even just bashing against the work surface works. @Zanlok I'd forgotten some rolling pins are more complex than others you're right that some could get damaged. Mine are heavy wooden or plastic tubes with or without fixed handles.– vwigginsFeb 15, 2011 at 11:24
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I have done this in high school - we needed a boatload of crushed ice for thermodynamics experiments. It works, but notice that the tea towel will never be the same. If you apply enough enthusiasm to the job, you can actually get holes. Jun 27, 2011 at 12:37
i picked up an old-style ice crusher at a thrift store, and it works like a charm.
I think that you can use that mixer/slicer combo for it. Such device is often used to slice fruits, or even meat in tiny pieces, you just do short bursts of knives, like 2 seconds and then see if its tiny enough.
Search for "Snow Cone Machine" at Amazon.com. The one I linked to is $20.00 (US), does that qualify as "expensive"? Granted, shipping to Cape Town may be a bit higher, but you should be able to find something closer to you than Cleveland, USA. However, at the current exchange rate something in The US might be cheaper for you...
Put the ice cubes in your hand or towel (whichever you prefer) and bash it with the back of a big or medium spoon.
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1You might share what sort of ice cubes you have. Cubes from automatic ice makers may break more easily than cubes from an ice tray.– CatijaMay 17, 2015 at 2:46