It is customary to think of ice in the kitchen as an accessory, an element that in the best case can serve to cool water or other drinks on hot days. But actually, solidified water is a real ingredient for various preparations, sweet and savory, both cold and surprisingly hot. The ice can be used to prepare:
- Cocktails
- Smoothies
- Liquefied
- Soups
- Sauces
- Creams
- Crispy Vegetables
- Fish stews
Why does having an ice maker support food? As is easy to guess, ice in the kitchen has a basic practical function: besides being essential for mojito-type cocktails or for making smoothies and smoothies, it is used to cool certain preparations such as soups, sauces or creams, or to crunch vegetables that are going to be consumed cooked or raw, or finally to make fish stews worthy of a star chef.
For this reason, an ice maker allows you to constantly have the necessary amount of this ingredient for all preparations: just go and look for the ice in the tank, since the equipment is programmed to produce ice as it is consumed. Taking into account all the reasons previously stated, all large kitchens have an ice maker as part of their equipment.
How is ice used in the preparation of vegetables?
Ice is not only used in the preparation of simple things, in fact, ice is used by great chefs in very complex preparations. And the case of vegetables deserves a separate mention. Vegetables, according to their composition, can be cooked or raw, but they are always intended to be preserved:
- Its coloration
- Its texture
- Its aromas and flavors
For this reason, ice is practical for some food preparations, especially for crispy vegetables that do not lose their bright and vivid color, even after cooking. Just have at hand a container full of ice cubes, in which we put the ingredients of the recipe you want to prepare.
In the case of cooked vegetables, the ice serves to keep the colors alive: just stop cooking them al dente, drain them well and immerse them in the bowl full of ice. In the case of raw vegetables, however, heat shock helps to prevent the surface from oxidizing: once the washing is complete, the vegetables can be chopped and the pieces immediately put in an ice container, to prevent them from darkening and preserve the freshness and a crisper texture.
How does the use of ice benefit in the preparation of soups and shakes?
Ice is often an essential element in the preparation of fresh and healthy shakes. But cubes can also be added to salty, non-vegetable and vegetable ingredients, from peppers and tomatoes to dry bread. Here too, the effect of the cold allows the ingredients to retain their vivid color and presents a product on the table at the ideal temperature to respond to the effect of summer heat.
Ice is also useful for making cakes, cooking juices, sauces and fish stews and even as a trick to a perfect broth. In the extraction of juices, that is, the creation of a base of vegetables and remains (of fish or meat, according to taste and needs) that are browned on a live fire. Add a few ice cubes to this to create a sudden temperature change. The extracted and filtered sauce can be used to flavor:
- Risottos
- Creams
- Fish
In addition, ice can become an ally to perform the water bath technique more quickly and simplify the management of the compounds that we want to cool without using a beater and without letting a film form on the surface. This procedure is suitable for handling creams and sauces prepared in the stove but which must be cooled before use.
Why choose an ice maker from the manufacturer Kalstein?
The ice maker designed by the manufacturer Kalstein is designed to meet the requirements of a sector as demanding as the gastronomic. This equipment, which can be detailed in the following link HERE, produce different types of ice (flakes, hailstones), are easy to install and maintain, generate very little noise and the whole ice production process is computer directed. These features and others that can be reviewed on the HERE homepage, make these teams one of the most competitive in the industry. In the aforementioned pages, you can consult the price, manage the purchase and know the whole range of products that the company has.
