Metro/Manatee Ice Co

During the 1800s, everyone became more accustomed to fresh meats, milk, and fruit, and the ice industry expanded into one of the most powerful industries in the nation. At the turn of the 20th century, nearly every family, grocer, and barkeep in America had an icebox.

You may take ice cubes for granted, but during the 19th century, adding a little ice to tea or lemonade on a hot day was considered a luxury reserved for the very rich.

Ice sculptures of swans are a popular choice of decoration for a wedding reception. The swan is a largely monogamous bird, a symbol of marital fidelity. Hearts and doves are also commonly carved into ice for such occasions.

While there are a variety of uses for dry ice around the home, it’s important to remember how dangerous it can be. Since it’s solid at extremely cold temperatures, it can cause burns to the skin.

Since 1991, ice sculptors have made the trip to Fairbanks, Alaska to compete in the World Art Ice Championships. The largest competition of its kind, the event features crystal-clear blocks of ice known as “arctic diamonds” uprooted from a local 80 ft deep pond.

The FDA uses testing and approval standards set forth by the Environmental Protective Agency when analyzing the water used to make ice at ice distribution companies.

While shaved, flaked, or crushed ice is great for keeping things cool, the smaller pieces also mean that they’ll melt a lot faster than larger cubes. Fortunately, an ice distributor will be able to give you plenty of extra ice so you can replace it when it melts.

Are you hosting an event and looking for ice that is crushed and in cubes? If you can’t supply the amount of ice you need, an ice distributor can bring in all the crushed and cubed ice you could want, as well as blocks of ice, if that is also needed.

Have you ever heard of an ice ball? Ice balls are circular pieces of ice that, because of their perfect roundness, make for an excellent drink ice, as they are far slower to melt. This keeps drinks and cocktails from being watered down.

When you need a significant quantity of ice for your next event, you may discover that the bags can be unwieldy to store. Conversely, blocks of ice can easily stack and increase your freezer’s storage capacity.

Do you know what “summer complaint” is? In Colonial America it was uncommon for someone to die after eating food that had spoiled in hot weather. The sickness that resulted from eating spoiled food was called “summer complaint.”

You may think of ice as a convenience, but at one time, large blocks of ice were used to extend the life of common dietary staples like milk and fresh meat. Ice helped make fresh foods more abundant and safer to consume before the development of electric refrigeration.