Perfectly self-explanatory. I imagine the sugar should be in the form of fructose or sucrose, though honey and corn syrup might work as well.
Might be useful for slowly sipped iced tea or cooling down a hot coffee.-- phoenix, Oct 07 2003 Quiescent freezing http://www.howstuff...com/question499.htmHow you would make these things in mass production. (Ya know, if you were going to do that.) [waugsqueke, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] I like to vary sweetness level seperately from temperature. Plus, this would make your drink sweeter as the cube melts. Since this is generally at a point where you've drank part of your beverage the effect will be increased.-- Worldgineer, Oct 07 2003 The sugar will lower the freezing point of the water so it will be harder to get your "ice-sugar" cube to freeze.-- hazel, Oct 07 2003 thats not a problem. ice-lollies are sweet. so is his nibs but there you go..-- po, Oct 07 2003 I know maple syrup doesn't freeze because I store it in my freezer, and it's 66% sugar. I will now attempt to freeze liquid honey and get back to you in a coupla hours, but I predict a similar result.-- lintkeeper2, Oct 07 2003 Hmpf. I couldn't think of a good use for it, but it never occurred to me that it wasn't possible. Assuming the sugar component of maple syrup gives it antifreeze capability might be bad science, but it bears testing.
You try it, I'll try it and if it turns out to be impossible, I'll delete the idea.-- phoenix, Oct 07 2003 [Worldgineer] - you could always have a decreasing sugar gradient, with the sugariest bits on the outside, in order to create a biased sugar release (more ealier when you've got more drink).-- neilp, Oct 07 2003 This will only diminish the effect. You'll still have your drink getting sweeter as you drink it, unless all sugar release is achieved immediately. I guess ice cubes with a thin candy shell might work (melts in your drink, not in your hands). In fact... This might just be the useful aspect [px] is looking for! Ice that doesn't get your hands wet.-- Worldgineer, Oct 07 2003 Of course it's possible. It's just an unflavored popsicle. Simple.-- waugsqueke, Oct 07 2003 <<< 4hrs later >>>liquid honey is not really frozen, but has gone rubbery enough to keep the shape of my thumb print.
How about if you had a "cream and sugar" cube that would melt into your coffee, making it the perfect temperature and sweetness/creaminess at the same time?-- lintkeeper2, Oct 07 2003 I dunno. I'm reminded of (North American-style) Iced Tea mix. If not completely stirred, the sugar settles to the bottom, making the last sips sickly sweet and face-scrunching.-- Cedar Park, Oct 07 2003 Have to add... not bad science, but good science, to make that assumption then test. That's what science is.-- lintkeeper2, Oct 07 2003 [lintkeeper2] It should take a really long time to freeze, if your freezer gets cold enough.. I experimented with ice cream making a while back, and found that adding extra sugar *really* increased freezing times... 2-4 times as long as what my recipes called for.-- swamilad, Oct 08 2003 Make a square hole in an ice cube, the same width and length but twice the height of a sugar cube; insert sugar cube; insert small ice cube with exact dimensions of remaining hole into the hole; exert light pressure on hole side, melting plug to big cube. Dip in liquid nitrogen. Repeat by the thousands, and sell for 10 cents each, in boxes of 20, in the freezer section.-- galukalock, Oct 08 2003 Heh. Here I thought this was a useless idea and so many are having fun with it...-- phoenix, Oct 08 2003 No, phoenix, this is a good idea, don’t give up. This is what I do. Take powered ice—don’t have any? Use shaved ice. Then add cold granulated sugar. It’s best if the sugar has a cornstarch coating. You can get it manufactured if you don’t have it on the shelf. Then mash it all together under high pressure. See, now you have this white cube that doesn’t melt because the sugar is not dissolved.-- pluterday, Oct 08 2003 But will it deflect a bullet like pycrete? (insert groan here)-- Worldgineer, Oct 08 2003 Are we forgetting that sugar is frozen? I mean it is not cold, but it is a crystalized solid. That's all ice is, it just happens at lower temperature than sugar. Couldn't you just make large sugar crystals and put them in the freezer to make them colder?-- Mauve Herring, May 12 2005 random, halfbakery