Today brings the final giveaway of four from Culinary Corner. For this one, I had the opportunity to review the Culinary Corner Ice Ball/Sphere Mold Set. This, of course, means that you now have the chance to win it!
I'd like to thank Culinary Corner for sponsoring these reviews and giveaways over the past few weeks, and to thank you, my wonderful readers, for your participation!
I was first introduced to ice spheres in an upscale bar/restaurant. We ordered a fine scotch. The bartender then hauled out a large copper contraption, into which she placed a very large, square cube of ice. With a towel underneath this fancy unit, and the copper lid on top, the magic began.
As she pressed down on the lid, the ice slowly melted and shaped into a sphere. This she placed into our glasses, and then she poured the scotch over it. I, of course, immediately wanted one of these large copper contraptions. I had to have one.
The main point of using ice spheres being, the sphere will melt much slower than cubes, and hence will not dilute your drink. It also offers a touch of beauty, and adds a bit of class. Not to mention that it's just plain fun to do something a little different!
Well, I later found out that I didn't need to spend hundreds of dollars on, nor struggle to find storage space for, an ice sphere maker. All I needed was a good mold! Lo and behold, Culinary Corner has a good set of two, without the hefty price tag!
These molds are made of silicone. They are heavy duty enough to take whatever you might dole out in all your ice sphere adventures, yet they are still light and easy to handle. The silicone is slightly flexible, but strong enough to hold its shape.
These are so simple to fill. Start with the mold assembled. Each has two halves that simply slip together. The bottom is flat, to provide stability. Each has a hole in the top, to run a stream of water into.
Once the molds are filled, be sure to hold the bottom half, and not just grab onto the top! Then, you just pop them in the freezer, and wait for the magic to do its work.
As you will quite likely know, water expands as it freezes. One thing I liked about these molds is that they allow for this expansion. Sometimes the top half would lift just a bit, and sometimes the water would expand out the hole in the top. Whatever way it expanded, it did not leave a mess in my freezer. It always froze on the mold, before it hit the shelf. Regardless of what expansion took place, the sphere always turned out perfectly!
If you find that the mold does get a little stubborn when you try to open it, just run a little warm water over it, and it will pop right open after that. There is really nothing too difficult about these molds, yet they do their job beautifully!
Once the sphere is made, use it to your liking. It, of course, fits perfectly into a rocks glass.
I also found that two will fit nicely into a wide mouth mason jar. Perfect for use with iced tea! Refill your glass again, still tasting the flavor of the tea, without it being watered down!
Of course, these are molds, so ice isn't the only thing they can be used for. You can also use them to make things like cake pops! I also have a vision in my head of using these to make perfectly formed cheese balls for two, for use as an hors d'ouvre. I haven't had the chance to try it, yet, but eventually, I will. I'm sure there are dozens of other uses for these, too!
Now, it's time for your chance to win! What? Can't wait to get yours? You can order these on Amazon, and save 10 percent using the code JENNYT10 at checkout!
You can also enter to win the Culinary Corner Collapsible Silicone Funnel, through February 28, and read the review, HERE.
Disclosure: I received this product for free, to facilitate this review and giveaway. All opinions are my own.
Good Luck!
