Not really sure where this topic would go - but seems like a drink focused appliance.
I was just watching TV and saw a commercial for a fridge that not only makes traditional ice cubes, but also ice spheres. I have to say, pretty clever of LG and pretty quick to market all things considered.
From the first reviews, it seems they are able to make perfectly crystal clear ice balls, not the usual cloudy ice cubes. (Although, this picture shows otherwise.)
Twelve 2.5" ( $1,499 FirstBuild Clear Ice System) vs three 2" ice balls (LG) in every 24 hours.
I guess it all depends how fast and often you want your ice balls. A drink per night for 2 is fine. To prepare for a party with the LG fridge, you need to start making ice a week before.
I generally try to find appliances that do their job well but have the least amount of unnecessary bells and whistles to fail and have to pay to repair so no, I would not purchase it.
Boiling and cooling water makes clear cubes and sphere molds or ice cutters are a fraction of what they used to cost now that they aren’t trendy so I would go that route if I wanted them.
I’ve been eyeing at the sphere or larger ice cubes molds for a while, are they working well? I read that boiling water helps. There is also the top-down freezer method with cooler.
I’ve a fridge that makes small (cloudy) ice cubes. I found ice tastes different from tap water, changed the water filter, but the funny taste remains. I don’t particularly recommend an ice making fridge, took up too much of the valable space more useful for food.
Last Christmas someone gave me silicone ice cube makers - large square and round. The large square ones I use frequently but the round one doesn’t work well (the ice splits) and is a pain in the ass to fill so I tossed it. I tried boiling water for the clear effect once and it didn’t really work for me, but I haven’t tried again since.
If they cost the same as regular fridges that make ice, and the size isn’t an issue (read: the size of the ice would fit most normal cups or glasses -or gasp, even have size options!) then, yes. Wouldn’t be a bad novelty option. I would never pay extra for it though. I don’t even use that much ice.
It wouldn’t be for me, since we don’t make many cocktails at home and LG refrigerators have a bad reputation.
I would prefer to use a mold for special occasions, and I do love and appreciate craft ice.
Years ago, before craft ice was a “thing” and before the renewed cocktail craze, I chipped a bunch of ice from a famous glacier in Alaska and sent it to our home. It was amazing how long it lasted due to being so compacted by time, and absolutely no air in it.
As most of you can extrapolate, this is why that glacier has receded so much and has to be seen by boat now.
I prefer the large cubes to the spheres, though the spheres do look cool. (I have both types of trays.) I haven’t achieved clear ice yet, but the large size and slow melt is still great in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
LG doesn’t have the greatest durability history when it comes to bell and whistle options. Ice makers are notorious water line blockers even amongst power brands . We use ice molds. And if you pay attention to certain food packaging there are repurposing uses from containers that make excellent ice molds. . Recently I bought chai mochi and the packaging made perfect round ice.
I have never really been happy with refrigerator ice, any brand we have had. Refurbishing our kitchen brought us our second dishwasher, and a Scotsman home ice machine like we had in our last kitchen. I have the cube model, not the pellet, and no one has yet thrown a drink back in my face about the ice.
In my area there’s a small waist high freezer near checkout filled with spheres and large cubes. They are expensive for merely frozen water but I’m the only user so it works.
I bought a pair of oversized Evelots silicone ice cube trays and really like them. I only use two ice cubes in a 12 ounce drink and they last quite some time, usually considerably more than an hour. They aren’t the huge ones, they are around 1.75" by 1.375’ by 1.375". So middling bigger than normal, I guess. I have had them for 6 years and like them a lot. My tap water is super high in iron so I use distilled water in them and they work really well.
New Zealand has a fix for that.
Their Fisher Paykel Fidges just have an icebox to store ice in the bottom freezer. The ice cube maker is out of sight and doesn’t take up valuable freezer space.
You can even pause the ice making and remove the ice storage container, if you require more storage space.