I want to see some of the shapes!

We haven’t had an ice maker here since 2018 when we moved in. Technically it works but the ice tasted awful. not sure if it’s the copper supply or deeper in the freezer, but the freezer is wonky anyway so I need to replace it one of these days. Esp since it doesn’t match the fridge which I replaced. But I digress - show us some more ice! And congrats on the new ice box!

I added some hexagons for you, Food. Underneath are two sizes of ice balls (1" size visible in previous photo, the other slightly smaller) and the larger, more traditional half-moon shape.

Of course, not everyone finds ice making fun. My daughter has a fancy countertop ice maker. She's quite fond of it.

You can see the hexagonal shape clearly in the form that made these. Actually, the one I bought is out of stock, but the one I linked is similar.

Silicone hexagonal ice mold

I think making ice in different shapes would be fun. I don't use ice much at all. I don't even have the plastic ice tray any more. This last time I bought a small bag of ice and I am still using that after about 2 months. But I think yours are fun!!

I have a question. So the "ice box" you bought is made just for holding ice in a normal freezer? What is it made of?

A couple we know has one of the countertop icemakers, refilled manually. It's a bit sizable, they keep it on a counter in their laundry room. It makes slushy ice that makes drinks super-cold. I wouldn't use it with anything but water (because of dilution of the flavor) but it does produce refreshing drinks.

Life is too short to make ice cubes with trays. Various filters are available to add to the water path to an ice maker. I understand if the freezer itself is wonky in other ways too, that could be the problem.

Just as other things left uncovered in a fridge or freezer, ice can take on off-flavor notes if left sitting too long.

An easily resolved problem - I dump the ice every few days, so that what I use is fresh and tastes fine. I think the constant automatic refilling of the ice tubs also keeps the water used to make the ice fresher too - it hasn't been sitting for days in the pipes.

My two units do not have through-door features, maybe that limits the outside air influences.

My 25-year-old Jenn Aire refrigerator lost its icemaking abilities recently, which we used heavily in those years. The refrigerator still works great, so my husband buys bulk ice and keeps it in the bin. But our DIL gave him an icemaker, which he has yet to use. Sounds like ones you describe.

I don't have the counter space for an ice maker, but I don't use enough ice to justify one anyway. My daughter's kitchen is probably three times the size of mine. She and my son-in-law entertain a lot, especially in summer. Back when I did a lot of freezing of my garden produce, I used a lot of ice too, but no more.

When I had refrigerators with ice makers, I threw a lot of the ice out, for the above reasons. I have a thing for water conservation, so this bothered me as it seemed wasteful. These days my DIY ice making is largely seasonal. I like to have some ice available all year, but not in large quantity.

I recently read Wirecutter's coverage of ice making, and was inspired to buy Rubbermaid's Quick Release plastic ice tray. Wirecutter was impressed at how quickly the ice cubes release, and I agree. I paid $2.87 at Walmart.

Murraysmom, the box is made of plastic. It was part of a set that included trays for the ice balls as well as a scoop. They call it a bin. When I was in the hospital last year my original one must have been stored somewhere no one remembers. I found the ice trays and the lid, but no box. I missed it, and ordered a new one. When the old one turns up, I can always find a use for it--maybe a bit of organization in the fridge.

Ice balls tray with bin

Alisande, your shapes do look nice! Our new fridge dispenses ice and water on the inside. Our previous fridge had them on the exterior that was a pain. The new one’s much better. In our case, an ice maker‘s a must-have since the ice goes so quickly.

Fun!

My daughter is a whiskey drinker. She has a giant mold that makes one cube at a time. It's a multi-sided (I would say dodecahedron, but that's too many sides, maybe???) that must be 2 1/2 - 3 inches in diameter. I should get her a mold that looks like a D&D die. She also loves D&D.

All this talk of ice and the fact that my neighbor just gave me a large bottle of Kirkland lemonade, and it feels like 90º at 8:30pm, encourages me to get the hammer out and chip off some ice and have a nice cold drink!! Cheers!!

I wanted a bottom mount frig a few years ago so I bought one, even though the frig that was supplied in my apartment works fine. I made sure I stayed away from the ice maker feature. Not always easy to find. I too, taste the freezer in drinks at my friends using the ice maker.

I don't use ice often, I'll put a cube in Elliott's water and mine sometimes, but I do use the plastic trays then pop them out and put in a baggie. No off-flavour.

At first, I thought Alisande was making the post about a tub of ice to put in front of a fan for cooling, as is often recommended. :-)

I use ice at every meal, all day, all seasons. THose big balls would be fun. I hear my icemaker every nite, dumping in new ice. I have gotten used to it, but sometimes it dumps just one cube, and then I am laying there awake, wondering if someone is trying to break in.

Ladypat, if your ice maker has a level or other switch to turn it off, you could do that before you go to bed. Although you might eventually get used to the single-cube drops as well. Refrigerators can be noisy!