Not always. Sometimes we buy them in little plastic bottles in packs of 24-48!

Some towns still get water to their houses through leaded pipes. This is the most economical way for those people to get water. Others don't trust their water even if it technically meets EPA standards. And some places just have water that tastes really bad.

Most of America gets water from a tap and maybe filters it.

What, you Europers just drink it from the ground? Where the dirt is? Like savages?

Only artisanal wooden buckets for you then?

You must get your water out the toilet

Mine comes from 347 feet below my yard.

we also import the ones that sells it in fancy glass bottles that are usually more elaborate.

Drinkable tapwater must be socialism

Sometimes it's safer that way https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flint_water_crisis

I happen to live where the tap water is excellent. It's from ancient, underground aquifers. The only issue is a little bit high arsenic, which I filter out, but that's not really necessary, I've been told.

It's not sustainable, eventually the water will run out, but for now, it's pretty good.

So, no, this American doesn't buy water in plastic jugs.

Have you never heard of such a concept? Some people do it because they are going camping or in case the water goes out in a storm or rarely if the water from the tap is of dubious quality.

I keep a couple jugs around for in case we lose power. We're on well water and without power we don't have tap water.

“Vegan” stickers on a bag of ice would be silly

So you basically just have to add water and it's done? Nice!

You can make these arguments about literally any prepackaged product. I’m not defending this ice, but come on. You can make anything yourself, so long as you have the equipment, time, and money. Paying for someone else to have done it for you is about convenience, and is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.

If you’re into making fancy ice, then you can get into making your own purified water using complete combustion. If you’re into making purified water with complete combustion then can get into making your own hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. If you’re into making your own hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen then you can get into making your own universe.

I have a very well stocked home bar and enjoy making fancy cocktails. My tiny ass freezer barely has room for the 5lb bag of ice I keep in there, let alone space for a fuckin mini cooler to make clear ice in. I also lack prep space to carve ice in my kitchen. You can make fancy drinks without fancy ice. It'll still taste the sam, it just won't look as pretty in the glass

One step at a time

you can also freeze the ice in an insulated container with no lid. that makes air bubbles and impurities collect at the bottom, after which you can cut that part off.

Isn't this the reason for using hot water to make ice?

Sounds like work. People buying this ice likely either don’t care or don’t want to spend the time.

I’d never buy this, because I don’t even use ice, and if I did, I wouldn’t care about its shape. Seems silly to me.

But I can’t disparage anyone who sees that market, and that means it’s worth doing as a business, to some degree, probably.

This is overly complicated.

The practical answer is directional freezing. Put the mold for the thing you want to be clear in a small cooler (or buy an insulated mold thing), be sure there is a hole in the bottom, fill it with water and put it in your deep freezer. Voilà clear ice for whatever purpose.

You don't need to agitate it or boil it or use special water, just use tap water and the right set up and it works fine.

No. You need to freeze in in an insulated container with only one side exposed so it all freezes in 1 direction. Impurities get pushed to the opposite side and you are left with clear ice.

It's not hard, it just isn't particularly efficient or convenient. The standard method is to use a bunch more water that you want to become actual ice, make it in large insulated blocks, then chop at the end. I have a little insulated tray that makes two at a time. They come out pretty clear, but at least half the water used is essentially waste to create a clear cube. The top half being still ice, but full of little bubbles, not clear. If I was throwing a party, as people are want to do on summer weekends, and I wanted many many big clear ice cubes then I'd seriously consider buying a box load.

Believe it or not some of us like pretty things to enjoy for ourselves, not to put on social media.

And big clear ice melts more consistently in a way that better maintains coldness longer while maintaining a slower pace of dilution. It does make a difference to flavor.

I'd view it as handy thermal mass, useful when shipping other frozen items.

That box is a bit easier to stack than a bag of ice like most other grocery stores have.

And much more expensive.

You obviously haven't actually tried it, else you wouldn't write this, so why talk?

When it's 2 for $1 or something it's fine if you're out. This crap where they filter it pure then add back in the same shit shit took out and charge you $25 is insane.

But they don't stock 10l of them. 10l of ice has always been available in like the freezer in the front of a store. For parties and shit.

Though if you're using a plastic ice cube tray to make ice cubes, there's a good chance you're bringing your own microplastics.

Source: got a metal ice cube tray and noticed that weird "old ice" flavour and subtle sheen on the drink surface as it melted is no longer there.