8 Baht for Ice at Seven is TOO Dear, Dear! Do It Another Way!

[CaptainTyphoon]

Has anyone been, like me, outraged that simple ice, just a small bag, costs 8 Baht at Seven?

So, in Thailand, who does not enjoy taking in a bag of ice a day in the summer season?

That adds up to 240 Baht per month, or USD100 per year, JUST FOR ICE! (Per Person!!)

Really, there is no excuse for taking this option, IF we use our Noggins.

If we have a US style refrigerator and freezer with a water line attached from the Thai city water supply, then we can have ice all day long for almost free, and that little machine inside will dump the ice into a large tray, where we can keep a scoop to transfer the half moon slices of ice to our condensing misty glasses.

However, I do not have one, because I have one of those tiny refrigerators that come up to my chest and are not even frost free, with a tiny shoe box of a freezer. I just keep bottles of Coke Zero filled with water in there to wait until the water freezes.

So here is what I was wondering:

Has anyone tried using small balloons filled with water to be no larger than the mouth of the glass in which you intend to use them?

Because, I think that you could wait until these tiny water balloons were frozen, and then rip off the latex of the balloon, and then plop the ball of ice in your glass. This would be great! And I will try it if you do not suggest anything better.

Then, of course, I know I could be using condoms, but I guess they are too expensive, although I have never used one in my life, except maybe once when it broke, and then I said forget it!

And, if they are lubricated, then there might be an off flavor transferred to your drink.

Anyway:

I AM JUST WONDERING WHAT I CAN USE IN PLACE OF BALLOONS OR CONDOMS that would be REUSABLE.

I can fill them with water, and I do not care if, like these damned ice trays, they tip over because the balloons will be sealed with a knot.

But, i do not like the idea of wasting so many balloons, although how much can a tiny balloon cost?

I WANT SOMETHING MORE REUSABLE.

I need help, with this.

Because I am every day paying good money to SEVEN for basically a tiny bag of ice that comes back to my house just about frozen into one solid tiny block of ice, and you then need to smash the bag against the bathroom wall, or against the concrete outside just to get one cube.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Edited September 27, 2014 by CaptainTyphoon

[arthurwait]

I'll have what you're drinking.

[Expattaff1308]

Make your own!!

[Gsxrnz]

There is a fairly recent invention called an "ice cube tray" Possibly not available in America. What you do is:

1. Buy a tray or trays at a supermarket.

2. Fill them with water (otherwise known as H₂O).

3. Place said trays in the tiny shoebox of a freezer compartment in your refrigerator.

4. Wait approximately 12 hours (don't keep opening the refrigerator door to see it they're done, as this will delay the process).

5. Remove trays from the refrigerator.

6. Extract frozen particles of water from the trays. Don't place in extreme sunlight to aid removal of the ice as this will be counter productive.

7. Repeat the process as required.

[CaptainTyphoon]

There is a fairly recent invention called an "ice cube tray" Possibly not available in America. What you do is:

1. Buy a tray or trays at a supermarket.

2. Fill them with water (otherwise known as H₂O).

3. Place said trays in the tiny shoebox of a freezer compartment in your refrigerator.

4. Wait approximately 12 hours (don't keep opening the refrigerator door to see it they're done, as this will delay the process).

5. Remove trays from the refrigerator.

6. Extract frozen particles of water from the trays. Don't place in extreme sunlight to aid removal of the ice as this will be counter productive.

7. Repeat the process as required.

icecubetra.jpg

Thank you for this, and please take note that I abovely mentioned the overturning problem one always experiences with these idiotic tiny plastic trays.

When I was young, we had a refrigerator with metal trays that had a tray rack, and then you had a handle on the ice trays so that you could snap out big cubes of ice.

Unfortunately, these have gradually evolved into useless tiny plastic thimble size rows in a lightweight plastic tray, which cannot be popped out most of the time.

So, I throw these over the fence to let my neighbors play with them as soon as I move to a new place and see them in my new chest high continually frosted refrigerator, that hums all the time, loudly.

This is PRECISELY why I am trying to think of a good alternative.

Edited September 27, 2014 by CaptainTyphoon

[Carib]

So, how much would the balloons cost on a yearly basis..

[Songhua]

I'll have what you're drinking.

Me too. With ice.

[CaptainTyphoon]

So, how much would the balloons cost on a yearly basis..

This is EXACTLY my point, that I do not want to pay for an endless amount of balloons and need a better solution.

I guess they would be a lot cheaper than 8Baht for 10 small balloons, though. (which is all it would require to replace the SEVEN's small bag of ice)

Edited September 27, 2014 by CaptainTyphoon

[CaptainTyphoon]

And, ANYWAY, you guys really have not considered that EVERY DAY we get the hot sauce from the street vendors with our food in tiny plastic bags with rubber bands.

Obviously you could probably get about 20 of those tiny plastic bags, for 1 Baht, or just go the pharmacy and get a supply of their pill bags.

Anyway, once you got used to it you could probably fill up about 30 bags and use rubber bands on top per 5 minutes.

Which is the time it takes to try to empty one of those useless plastic ice cube trays.

And, the beauty of using the hot sauce clear bags is that you could make your cubes quite a bit bigger and this would mean that one cube would be suitable for one good sized drink.

Actually, thank you, because now I think I am beginning to grasp a solution to this whole thing. And you are going to thank me too, I know.

Edited September 27, 2014 by CaptainTyphoon

[noahvail]

Try this. Silicone, so no bad food odors. Gives you a spherical ball of ice that really lasts a long time. The local adults and kids get the biggest kick out of it. And if you're handy, it looks easy enough to reverse-enginee it and make your own. The silicone seal is the key.

Zoku Ice Ball Ice Sphere Mold Set of 2

Item price$34.25

Quantity1

Item number331103006109

Shipping serviceInternational Priority Shipping

Leave feedback Contact seller Return item

Meh, the bloody picture didn't come out here's the link http://www.amazon.com/Zoku-Ice-Ball-Sphere-Mold/dp/B00FDS3YIY

Edited out of frustration

Edited September 27, 2014 by noahvail

[rgs2001uk]

I'll have what you're drinking.

Me too. With ice.

me too, make mine a double please.

[jeanpierre]

i use the tray from the egs they are just fit for it at no cost!!

[SoiBiker]

You want ice cube bags. They're quite popular in the UK - a plastic bag sectioned into cubes that you fill with water and chuck in the freezer, then pop the ice out of when it's done.

Never seen them on sale here. But then, I've never really looked for them. Because ice is only a few baht a bag and I'm not an enormous cheapskate.

[CaptainTyphoon]

You want ice cube bags. They're quite popular in the UK - a plastic bag sectioned into cubes that you fill with water and chuck in the freezer, then pop the ice out of when it's done.

Never seen them on sale here. But then, I've never really looked for them. Because ice is only a few baht a bag and I'm not an enormous cheapskate.

OK!

NOW, we are really getting somewhere....

I have NEVER seen these before in my LIFE!

When Can I buy them, because if I can just pop out the cubes after removing from the freezer, with no pre-warming, or pre-thawing, then this is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

I am very surprised, actually, that this thread was moved, because I KNEW that I would learn something USEFUL that would SOLVE my PROBLEM, and I was correct.

Thanks, and I bet there is an even better solution that might cost even less, and be even better, yet to be suggested this weekend, before winter sets in.

[CaptainTyphoon]

Try this. Silicone, so no bad food odors. Gives you a spherical ball of ice that really lasts a long time. The local adults and kids get the biggest kick out of it. And if you're handy, it looks easy enough to reverse-enginee it and make your own. The silicone seal is the key.

Zoku Ice Ball Ice Sphere Mold Set of 2

Item price$34.25

Quantity1

Item number331103006109

Shipping serviceInternational Priority Shipping

Leave feedback Contact seller Return item

Meh, the bloody picture didn't come out here's the link http://www.amazon.com/Zoku-Ice-Ball-Sphere-Mold/dp/B00FDS3YIY

Edited out of frustration

This IDEA is exactly why I mentioned the condoms or balloons, since I KNEW that the spherical shape would be best, however, it DOES NOT keep drinks colder longer, because, as we all know, the specific heat of water, frozen or otherwise, remains exactly the same whether it is in the shape of a sphere, or a Hawaiian bra-less hula dancer.

(so, it was obviously some fool who knew no physics who wrote the ad copy for Amazon!)(but, what else is new)

Edited September 27, 2014 by CaptainTyphoon

[CaptainTyphoon]

i use the tray from the egs they are just fit for it at no cost!!

THen you end up with half spheres which are also too small!

I think it might work for Goose Eggs, though!

[Nebula]

This is what solved the plastic tray issue. just twist it.

[CaptainTyphoon]

This is what solved the plastic tray issue. just twist it.

Of course, as I mentioned above, I have been using the GE and Westinghouse refrigerators with automatic ice dispensing, chilled water in the double doors, and probably ice cream maker, for years, since 1970 or before, I forget now.

[Nebula]

It s not automatic. I have to fill it.

[NeverSure]

With plastic ice cube tray, it should be stackable. When you want ice, just turn it upside down and hold it under running water for a few seconds and the ice will release easily. If needed you can also twist the tray a bit.

[CaptainTyphoon]

With plastic ice cube tray, it should be stackable. When you want ice, just turn it upside down and hold it under running water for a few seconds and the ice will release easily. If needed you can also twist the tray a bit.

Thanks, I know, but....

I DEFINITELY do NOT want to do that, because that causes the ice to get all slippery and then falls on the floor.

When I want ice from the freezer, i want COLD ice, which sticks to my fingers when I take it from the tray, or when I take it out of the bag at SEVEN (for 8 Baht), or 40 years ago when I used to take it from the automatic machine inside my Westinghouse or GE refrigerators.

When the ice is really cold, it will NOT be slippery.

And, this is the ONLY ice I like to use.

Of course, you can use your tiny thimble size square cubes from your plastic tray, all you need to do is smack it on the kitchen counter, and the ice will break and come out in shards, but then it also gets all over the place. There is no NEED for this kind of arrangement, because we had good ice over 40 years ago.\

Anyway, if we can just have something like little plastic bags, or balloons, or something to hold about a 4 cm sphere of ice, then problem solved. You just fill them and put them in the freezer, and then take them out and tear off the wrapper or container.

I also recall that I used to see these metal cubes, I think covered in aluminum, which you could freeze and then reuse, after soaking in and cooling your drink. But I never used them, and I think you would need to wash them, if you wanted to be hygienic.

[IMHO]

Or just buy one of these: http://www.fujiicegroup.com/product_detail.php?id=308〈=en

Not including electricity and water costs, you'll achieve payback in just 10-15 years over the 7-11 bought stuff

[ATF]

Why not put water in the bottom of glasses and then put them in the freezer. Remove from freezer once water has turned to ice and add drink of choice. This requires no additional expense just a steady supply of glasses.

[spidermike007]

There is a fairly recent invention called an "ice cube tray" Possibly not available in America. What you do is:

1. Buy a tray or trays at a supermarket.

2. Fill them with water (otherwise known as H₂O).

3. Place said trays in the tiny shoebox of a freezer compartment in your refrigerator.

4. Wait approximately 12 hours (don't keep opening the refrigerator door to see it they're done, as this will delay the process).

5. Remove trays from the refrigerator.

6. Extract frozen particles of water from the trays. Don't place in extreme sunlight to aid removal of the ice as this will be counter productive.

7. Repeat the process as required.

icecubetra.jpg

Thank you. Is it just me, or does this guy seem petty? I mean we are talking 25 cents for a bag of ice. What we we complaining about here? Does the term cheap Charlie come to mind?

[haybilly]

Don't know why I wasted my time opening this thread.

[metisdead]

Just a nonsense topic intended to troll and now closed.