Editing Ice cube

{{Short description|Frozen water in a cubic shape}}
{{about|cubed ice|the American rapper and actor|Ice Cube|cubic crystalline ice|Cubic ice|other uses|Ice cube (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
[[File:Ice cubes openphoto.jpg|thumb|Ice cubes stacked]]

An '''ice cube''' is a small piece of [[ice]], which is typically [[Rectangle|rectangular]] as viewed from above and [[trapezoid]]al as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical [[refrigeration]] and are usually produced to cool [[beverages]]. They may be made at home in a [[freezer]] with an ice tray or in an automated ice-making accessory. They may also be produced industrially and sold commercially.

== Origin of production ==
[[File:Gorrie Ice Machine.png|thumb|Gorrie's ice machine]]

American physician and inventor [[John Gorrie]] built a refrigerator in 1844 to produce ice in cool air. His refrigerator produced ice which hung from the ceiling in a basin to lower the ambient room temperature. During his time, [[Miasma theory of disease|bad air quality was thought to cause disease]]. Therefore, in order to help prevent and treat sickness, he pushed for the [[Swamp#Draining|draining of swamps]] and the cooling of sickrooms.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XuMuCgAAQBAJ&q=John+Gorrie+built+a+refrigerator|title=How the Refrigerator Changed History|last=Bjornlund|first=Lydia|date=2015|publisher=ABDO|isbn=9781629697710|pages=14–18|language=en|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=April 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425113130/https://books.google.com/books?id=XuMuCgAAQBAJ&q=John+Gorrie+built+a+refrigerator|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Production ==

=== Trays and bags ===
{{redirect|Ice tray|the 2017 song by Quavo & Lil Yachty|Ice Tray (song)}}
[[File:Ice cube tray.jpg|thumb|Ice cubes in a [[tray]]]]

Ice cube trays are designed to be filled with [[water]], then placed in a [[freezer]] until the water freezes into [[ice]], producing ice cubes.<ref name=":0" /> Ice trays are often flexible, so the frozen cubes can be easily removed by flexing the tray. "Twist ice trays" have a simple spring-loaded mechanism with a lever that is used to turn the tray upside down and flex at the same time, such that the cubes that drop are collected in a removable tray below. The spring returns the ice cube tray to its upright position without having to remove it from the freezer, which can save time and reduce accidental mess—though the tray has to be removed to be collected, the ice cube tray still has to be removed to be refilled. An alternative system is an [[aluminium]] tray with a lever that raises the ice cubes, freeing them from the tray.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zDZRDwAAQBAJ&q=cube&pg=PA94|title=Before the Refrigerator: How We Used to Get Ice|last=Rees|first=Jonathan|date=2018-02-09|publisher=JHU Press|isbn=9781421424590|language=en|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=April 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425113144/https://books.google.com/books?id=zDZRDwAAQBAJ&q=cube&pg=PA94|url-status=live}}</ref> A motorized version of this is found in most automatic ice-making freezers.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sgAAAAAAMBAJ&q=ice+maker+refrigerator&pg=PA87|title=How ice makers work...What to do when they don't|journal=Popular Science|last=Powell|first=Evan|date=June 1971|publisher=Bonnier Corporation|pages=87–9|language=en|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=April 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425113131/https://books.google.com/books?id=sgAAAAAAMBAJ&q=ice+maker+refrigerator&pg=PA87|url-status=live}}</ref>

While the usual shape of the ice cube is roughly [[cube|cubical]], some ice trays form hemispherical or cylindrical shapes; others produce blocks of ice in seasonal, festive, or other shapes.  Occasionally, [[Eating|edible]] items are frozen inside ice cubes at home and in commercial production.<ref name=":0" />

[[Lloyd Groff Copeman]] invented a rubber ice tray after noticing that slush and ice flaked off his rubber boots rather than adhering to them while walking through some woods collecting sap for maple syrup. Recalling this 1928 incident over lunch with his patent attorney, he conducted experiments using rubber cups, which led to practical designs and patents for different types of tray; these included a metal tray with rubber separators, a metal tray with individual rubber cups which was invented in 1933, and a tray made completely of rubber.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lloydcopeman.com/biography/CopemanStory.pdf|title=DAC member remains forgotten Michigan inventor|last=Cabadas|first=Joseph|date=July 2006|publisher=DAC NEWS|pages=26–33|access-date=October 4, 2010|archive-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517051109/http://www.lloydcopeman.com/biography/CopemanStory.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Guy L. Tinkham, a household product executive, invented the first flexible, stainless steel, all-metal ice cube tray in 1933. The tray bent sideways to remove the ice cubes.<ref name=":1" /> Commercial pre-filled disposable ice trays for home [[freezing]] are designed to provide better taste and reduce the risk of [[contamination]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115378477152415917|title=After Bottled Water? Purified Ice Cubes|last=Bounds|first=Gwendolyn|date=July 25, 2006|work=WSJ|access-date=2018-10-17|language=en-US|archive-date=February 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225134803/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115378477152415917|url-status=live}}</ref>

Danish inventor [[Erling Vangedal-Nielsen]] patented the single-use ice cube bag in 1978.<ref name="ice cube bag patent">{{ cite patent | country = US | number = 4181285 | title = Freezing mould bag | status = patent | gdate = 01/01/1980 | pubdate = 01/24/1978 | inventor = Erling Vangedal-Nielsen}}</ref> He was inspired to do so after spending a night with friends where their need for ice was in excess of that which ice cube trays could provide; he, therefore, filled standard plastic bags with water and froze them, the ice to subsequently be retrieved with a hammer.<ref name="ice cube bag idea">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theseasidegazette.com/2012/04/10228/danish-inventions/|title=Danish Inventions &#124; Costa Tropical Gazette News|date=April 5, 2012 |access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-date=February 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225134756/https://www.theseasidegazette.com/2012/04/10228/danish-inventions/|url-status=live}}</ref> The design was subsequently revised to feature individual compartments for each ice cube, with a seal at the bag's entry point. The ice cube bag has subsequently been marketed and adopted worldwide.<ref name="ice cube bag marketing">{{Cite web|url=http://www.buddeschou.dk/Frontpage/IPINPRACTICE/Cases1/The-Icecube-Bag|title=The Icecube Bag|website=www.buddeschou.dk|access-date=July 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728105121/http://www.buddeschou.dk/Frontpage/IPINPRACTICE/Cases1/The-Icecube-Bag|archive-date=July 28, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Mechanical ===
[[File:Ice cubes for beverages - hollow cylinders.JPG|thumb|Hollow cylindrical ice "cubes" for cooling beverages]]

Dedicated ice-maker machines can be used to produce ice cubes for laboratories, home, and academic use. Ice cubes are also produced commercially and sold in bulk.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Oakley|first=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cOKttAEACAAJ|title=Commercial Ice Machines Only: Commercial Ice Products and Systems Explained for Any Level|date=2018-01-12|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|isbn=978-1-9757-4603-2|language=en|access-date=September 17, 2021|archive-date=April 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425113130/https://books.google.com/books?id=cOKttAEACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Range of characteristics ==

=== Clear and cloudy ===
[[File:Cloudy ice cubes.jpg|thumb|Cloudy ice cubes]]
Commercially made ice cubes may be clear, compared to domestically made ice cubes. Cloudy ice cubes occur when water is frozen quickly, or when the water is high in dissolved solids. When water is cooled to its [[freezing point]], and ice starts to form, dissolved gases can no longer stay in solution and come out as microscopic bubbles. However, as ice floats in water, once there is enough ice to form a layer on the surface, the ice layer traps all bubbles within the ice cube. Commercial ice-makers use a flowing source of purified water to make ice with cooling elements at the bottom, allowing the bubbles to be washed away from the top as the cube grows.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ULbODQAAQBAJ&q=commercial+ice+cube&pg=PA341|title=Commercial Refrigeration for Air Conditioning Technicians|last=Wirz|first=Dick|date=2017-01-27|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=9781337514699|pages=341–2|language=en|access-date=November 1, 2020|archive-date=April 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425113139/https://books.google.com/books?id=ULbODQAAQBAJ&q=commercial+ice+cube&pg=PA341|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Crushed ice ===
Crushed ice is the term for ice cubes that are crushed or sheared into irregularly shaped flakes to provide an aesthetic effect to some [[cocktail]]s. Crushed ice is also used when faster cooling is desired since the number and average radius of the ice particles govern the cooling rate. Ice is often also crushed to form [[slushy|slushies]], which can be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Crushed ice melts faster than solid ice: it has a greater surface area, so heat transfer is faster than solid ice.<ref>{{Cite book | last1=Rauch | first1=Jeffrey | title=Partial differential equations and related topics (Program, Tulane Univ., New Orleans, La., 1974) | publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]] | location=Berlin, New York (the state) |mr=0427863 | year=1975 | chapter=The mathematical theory of crushed ice | pages=370–379 }}</ref>

'''Ice chips''' are small pieces of [[ice]], which can be obtained by crushing cubes. They are often recommended before [[surgery]] or an invasive medical procedure. They may help to prevent [[oral mucositis]] or [[mouth sores]] associated with high-dose [[chemotherapy]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.cancerconnect.com/treatment-care/side-effects-of-cancer-treatment-mouth-sores-or-mucositis-kSsFwOa60U2CBUTYEct4lw/|title=Side Effects of Cancer Treatment: Mouth Sores or Mucositis|newspaper=Cancerconnect|language=en|access-date=2019-11-25|archive-date=2020-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929094023/https://news.cancerconnect.com/treatment-care/side-effects-of-cancer-treatment-mouth-sores-or-mucositis-kSsFwOa60U2CBUTYEct4lw|url-status=live}}</ref>

== {{anchor|Whiskey rock}}Alternatives ==
An alternative to ice cubes for ''[[whiskey]] [[on the rocks]]'' are so-called whiskey rocks or stones. These are used to chill a drink without diluting it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-15 |title=Whiskey Stones (All Styles and Materials) |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316155614/https://7gents.com/best-whiskey-stones/|archive-date=Mar 16, 2023|url=https://7gents.com/best-whiskey-stones/ |access-date=2024-01-08 |website= |language=en-US}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Ice chips]]
* [[Ice pack]]
* [[Mpemba effect]]
* [[Pagophagia]]
* [[On the rocks]]
* [[Whiskey stone]]

== References ==

{{Spoken Wikipedia|ice cube.ogg|date=2006-05-10}}
{{Commons category|Ice cubes}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Water ice|Cube]]
[[Category:Bartending equipment]]