I like a crisp vinegary pickle, finger-squeegeed dry, or better, patted down with a clean paper towel. This prevents excessive pickle juice from soggying my bread.
To her credit, Mrs. G and T has learned the maneuver, and dries my pickles before putting them on my sandwich.
Everyone has their own thing, though. Some people's thing is that their sandwich must NOT have any pickles at all...
Inog's gin must taste like flowers. Oosje's dinner must not have animal parts. Mitch's bacon must be kosher. Diva's underwear must have Hello Kitty on them.
Some folks insist on matching their boots to their underwear, or somesuch.
Everyone. Even you. I'm sure you have a preference, a hang up, a rule.
Well, I can accross a new one the other day. One that I hadn't heard of before. One that impressed me, and may swing me to abide by it as well.
A close relative of ours, some one who I enjoy sharing a drink with when he visits, has a particular preference. He doesn't like to use homemade tap water ice cubes. He is particularly picky about the ice that goes into his cocktails, and he has a fully-developed theory, with supporting research, behind it.
He is an ice cube connoisseur. He selects only the best ice made from impurity-free professionally packaged filtered-water manufacturers.
Not crushed, but not block either. No little white bubbles. No haziness. No frozen fizz. There is also something about little square cubes versus hollow cylinders, but I forget at this moment what that is.
And really, after living with left over quality ice for several weeks now, I can definitely taste the difference in the tap water cubes. And we even have good water!
I do wonder whether it would make a difference if I made ice with bottled water. Or, whether the quality is affected by metal ice trays versus plastic.
I may have to experiment.
Then, I can have my friends and my family over for lunch. I can serve them dry-pickle sandwiches with Boodles-and-Tonic poured over perfect ice...
You know, the rumor is that you are far less particular with things that go into your mouth.
ReplyDeletejust sayin...
To have crystal clear cubes, put the trays in the fridge before the freezer. This drops the temperature of the water and, when finally put in the freezer, makes the ice form faster which helps clarity. Letting the water stand for a while (in the fridge) also helps eliminate air from the water (tap shake loose any bubbles that are clinging to the sides before freezing). Better yet, boil the water first, then fridge, then freeze. Any impurities will give cloudiness and possibly off tastes so really distilled water is better than bottled. Having a clean and odor free freezer probably helps more with taste than filtered water. Covering your ice to prevent infiltration of odors and air will help clarity and taste (an airtight container is especially recommended if you go through the boiling step). Gently stirring the ice during the freezing process (because you have that kind of time) helps prevent bubbles as well.
ReplyDeleteDon't waste your time on plastic v. metal trays.
Never knew ice cubes could become that technical. I bet you get all the ladies Ice Man!!
ReplyDeleteThat is some attention to detail.
ReplyDeleteThough, I confess - after a trip to Vegas I spent several weeks trying to find a specific set of ice trays.
CraftSteak in the MGM (owned by a celebrity chef) has a multi-page scotch and cigar menu - which I strongly approve of.
They also serve Scotch on "the rock." A single cube of crystal clear ice, approximately the size of a small memo-cube, about 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches. A single cube, they argue remains cold, but has minimal melting. Thus providing you with the optimal blend of cold, with just a touch of water to bring out the "nose" of the Uisge Beatha!
Truly a sight to behold!
Unfortunately, I think these cubes are produced from a custom-made machine, of which, there are only a handful in the US.
You complete me Iceman
ReplyDeleteHey..I know that guy, not the "ice man", but the guy that's picky about the ice cubes in his drink. Since he rarely drinks at home and seems to save his drinking with relatives, we do not have an overabundance of Picky Ice in our freezer. If that's the only quirky thing about him..I'll keep him just like he is.
ReplyDeleteI've put ice cubes in my mouth while giving someone a BJ before! ;P
ReplyDeleteIce waters down my drink.
ReplyDeleteReally? Ice cubes? I've tried hot tea, but never ice cubes...huummmm
ReplyDeleteEEEEEK!
ReplyDeleteNo hot. No cold. No teeth. Those are pretty simple rules.
I love the Lounge.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin...
I'm really really drunk after my christmas works party but just want to say, sod the ice, matching undies is so more important....
ReplyDeleteI'm with Lisa. I've never put so much thought into ice. Who care's. My vodka/cranberry is cold and does the trick and so do my matching bra and panties. Red for the holidays. Panties, g-string that tie on the sides for easy access. Just sayin....
ReplyDelete