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Ice
Also called shaved ice, crushed ice
Frozen water, used as a cooking tool as much as a drink. Shaved or crushed ice is the body of halo-halo and patbingsu; cubes chill drinks and shock vegetables.
Origin
Anywhere with a freezer or, historically, a winter store. Shaved-ice desserts are East and Southeast Asian; the ice bath is a European pastry and vegetable habit.
Flavour
None, which is the point — it dilutes as it melts. Off-tasting ice is off-tasting water: tap chlorine, old freezer odours, or a tray that sat beside fish.
How it is made
Water is frozen in trays, machines or blocks, then cracked, crushed or shaved. Clear ice is frozen slowly from degassed water; cloudy cubes are trapped air.
How to use it
For halo-halo or patbingsu, shave or crush so the ice eats like snow, not like two lonely cubes in syrup. Drain blender ice if it is wet. For an ice bath, lots of ice and a little water, then drop in blanched greens so they stay green. Chill a stock pot in ice before it goes in the fridge. Large cubes melt slower in a shaken drink.
Storage
Freezer, in a closed bag or box so it does not pick up smells. Make a fresh batch for desserts you care about.
Recipes using it
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