As Richard Nixon almost said, I am not a COOK! Still, I know how to make the most of a frying skillet.
A few weeks ago after finishing my most recently savored gallon bucket of Neapoitain ice cream, a minor revelation appeared before my eyes like a burning 43rd president. The plastic container fit easily into the freezer half of my refrigerator and I realized it might be a useful ice mold. I filled it about two inches deep, returned it to the freezer and a few hours later it had frozen solid. Since it was plastic, it was easy to simply let the warm kitchen warm the outside edge so I could flip the container and deposit a disk of ice on dinner plate.
I call it faux glacier ice, or XRE for short.
Then I hacked at it with a utility knife until the pieces were small enough to fit into an iced tea glass and thermos. One problem: as I chipped away: the ice went in all directions, most on the counter; some onto the floor to be deposited in the sink. Then another revelation:
My My large skillet hasn’t seen the light of day since 2006 , but it’s remained secure and clean in the cupboard. As you can tell, the ice, fresh from the mold, was a perfect fit. The sides are high enough that I can chip away and the XRE pieces stay where they belong until I return them to the freezer.
Why go to the bother? I like the looks of random chips. Most are larger than cubes from my ice trays and they remain longer in the glass. I also enjoy the almost-visceral experience of chipping my own ice, contrived and faux-hip as the XRE process may be. It’s tap water for goodness’ sake!
That said, I’m using XRE exclusively now. I may store the cube trays where I used to keep the skillet.
Try this at home, but let the chipping be done by mom, dad or a responsible adult. By reading the words shared here, visitors to Honey & Quinine implicitly assent to holding harmless, the writer of this blog. Be cool with faux glacier ice. Impress your friends, bore your enemas — make that enemies and look both ways before crossing the street.
Live long . . . . . and proper.
