Polar Ice Tray
ICE ICE BABY
It is rather unnerving to be puzzled by an ice tray. But then, this is no ordinary ice tray – it is the Polar Ice Tray, a stylish device that takes ice cubes to a new level.
The concept statement of Polar Ice is intriguing: it mimics the natural ice formation patterns of lakes and rivers, freezing from the surface downwards while, layer by layer, air and impure substances are compressed at the bottom. Upon freezing, these impurities form a layer of white or opaque ice, which can be removed. What’s also really exciting about the bigger unit, the Pebble Polar Ice Tray, is that is has no cubicles. Instead, a big block of (crystal clear) ice is formed which, when held under a running tap, cracks into non-uniform shapes – of which you’ll really only need one in your whisky glass.
It sounds pretty straightforward until you try it. Firstly, the ice needs to be prepared in a special way: the ‘clear ice’ compartment (with small holes at the bottom) should be lowered into water in the ‘white ice’ compartment and then fixed into the Polar Ice Tray’s sturdy base. You wait eight to 12 hours for it to freeze, after which you remove the ice components (and this is where we struggled). Pry them loose from each other and hold the ‘clear ice’ compartment under a running tap until it cracks. Phew.
It is a truly nifty utensil, once you know how to operate it, and it also presents numerous serving options. Some suggestions include decorating the ice block by adding a decorative object to the water before solidification; for example a flower. The whole block of ice can be used as a serving tray, for sashimi, for instance.
But, if you want to be really cool, why not use the included nukshuk figurine (a sculptural form used by a Canadian tribe known as the Inuit) to create a little ice sculpture?
Also available from Polar Ice are funky smaller Bamboo units in bright colours. Similar to the bigger units, these form a solid block of ice but respective units are fashioned with different cube shapes. These little numbers will defi nitely make for a very original gift!
The 600ml Polar Ice Tray in the Pebble range retails for R499. The smaller units in the Bamboo range sell for R149. Visit www.polarice.co.za for stockists, or www.goldensturgeon.com.
