- #1
Bloodthunder
- 174
- 0
I just got to know about spherical ice recently, and chanced upon this website.
http://www.glace-ice.com/
And I can't help but wonder. Sure, it's pretty. Yes, it's very clear ice. But maximum cooling and minimum dilution? Ice cools the drink by conduction. So the rate of heat transfer is dependent on surface area. And after heat is absorbed from the drink to the ice, it's not like the specific heat capacity or the latent heat of fusion has changed any. So... either the drink takes a much longer time to chill, or it's just a piece of ice in a fancy shape that still dilutes the drink at roughly the same time as any kind of ice would. Or both. I don't know.
Also, it is said the ice may be "aged" for a period of 3 to 4 minutes, to allow the ice to acclimate to room temperature and cause a "frost" to form on the surface. What is the use of this? Only thing I can see is that the ice is now at approximate zero degrees. Why can't drinks be poured over the drink at a temperature below zero degrees?
Was just thinking...
http://www.glace-ice.com/
And I can't help but wonder. Sure, it's pretty. Yes, it's very clear ice. But maximum cooling and minimum dilution? Ice cools the drink by conduction. So the rate of heat transfer is dependent on surface area. And after heat is absorbed from the drink to the ice, it's not like the specific heat capacity or the latent heat of fusion has changed any. So... either the drink takes a much longer time to chill, or it's just a piece of ice in a fancy shape that still dilutes the drink at roughly the same time as any kind of ice would. Or both. I don't know.
Also, it is said the ice may be "aged" for a period of 3 to 4 minutes, to allow the ice to acclimate to room temperature and cause a "frost" to form on the surface. What is the use of this? Only thing I can see is that the ice is now at approximate zero degrees. Why can't drinks be poured over the drink at a temperature below zero degrees?
Was just thinking...