Nugget ice is soft ice with a light and airy feel that easily absorbs liquid and helps it to float at the top of your drinks. Now, don’t get me wrong, regular ice cubes also float on the liquid surface but nugget ice float even better because they are lighter.
Nugget ice is chewable and mild on the tooth. Although nugget ice softens rapidly, it melts slowly than ice cubes.
Nugget ice also had a special advantage of slowly melting over time, helping it to last longer.
How to make nugget ice at home – Easy 9 Steps
You can make nugget ice using ice-making machines as they are equipped to help you crush ice without hassle.
However, if you don’t have an ice machine and you need to make nugget ice, there is still a way around it. Below is a highlight of some simple steps to make nugget ice in the comfort of your home.
- Get an ice cube tray: The first step is to get an ice cube tray with medium-sized molds. You can use either silicone ice trays or plastic ice trays, it would still give you about the same result.
- Fill up the molds: Depending on the size of ice cubes that you want, fill the ice molds with fresh club soda or carbonated water. If you want small ice cubes, fill the molds halfway. If you want larger ones, fill the molds to the brim.
- Freeze: Place the filled ice in the freezer, ensure to set it in an upright position. Leave it in the freezer for up to 6 hours.
- Offload Ice: The next step is to remove the ice tray from the freezer and carefully remove the ice from the tray into a bowl. If the iced cubes aren’t coming off, you can mildly hit the bottom of the tray against a hard surface to detach the cubes.
- Crush the Ice: You can easily crush the ice cubes at home in 3 ways.
- Using a blender: Pour the ice cubes in small bits into a blender and turn in the crush button. Blend till your desired consistency is acquired. However, you should ensure that the blender can crush ice. Blenders with glass bowl, hard stainless-steel blades, and power of at least 400 watts should do.
- Using a Muddler: Put a small quantity of ice cubes into a glass and using a muffler, firmly press the ice until it is crushed. You can rotate the action for a faster and smoother result. However, note that you can only crush a small amount of ice using a muffler. Instead of a muffler, you can also use the end of a wooden spoon.
- Using a Lewis bag: If you are crushing a large quantity of ice, you can use a lewis bag or a canvas bag. Put the ice cubes into the bag, fold the bag, and pound it with a hard object like a rolling pin. While crushing the ice, be sure not to crush the ice in the bag entirely. Ice drinks are extra soothing when it has small chunks of ice in it.
- Serve as you desire: The last and final step is to serve the crushed ice alongside your favorite drinks. Ensure to use the ice as soon as possible to enjoy it better.