Ice Cube Tray

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Everyone likes ice in their drinks (ok, assume everyone likes ice cubes in their drinks). You have an ice cube tray in your freezer (see picture below) and you are actually one of the rare husbands that re-fills the tray (a very big assumption). The question is, how do you get the ice cubes out of the tray such that you get exactly the number of ice cubes required (assume the number required is greater than zero and less than the number in the tray) out of the tray (no more, no less) while making sure that you have no ice cube mess (ie no ice cubes over counter, in sink, etc)?

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Take tray out of freezer, take to hot tap in sink and drip hot water onto the required cube you wish to release and it will “pop”, turn over and pop in drink. The slight raise in temperature causes the ice to melt slightly for that particular cube but the plastic around the others insulates them

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I think that Jezza’s method will work. Anyone else got another solution without inverting the tray?

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Just as an aside, are we assuming this tray is bendy and flexible? If so, Jezzarette 2 is very adept at this method. She bends the tray until they “crack” away from the sides and then does a very quick jerk upwards and a few come out. Not very controllable I admit but it does work. She then picks out what she wants….never fills the tray up again and then puts it back in the freezer.

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> Are we assuming this tray is bendy and flexible?

We are!

> If so, Jezzarette 2 is very adept at this method. She bends the tray until they “crack” away from the sides and then does a very quick jerk upwards and a few come out.

Sorry, this method is not good enough. You need to get exactly the right number out, no more, no less and the right number is selected prior to the “quick jerk”. How about setting Jezzarette 2 the question of removing the ice cubes without the quick jerk. I will not even bother asking her to fill the thing!

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You could stick toothpicks in each of the cubes before they were frozen, then just pluck out the ones you want as needed. Just be careful when they melt that you don’t swallow any toothpicks

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True – that would work but it might be a bit cold having to stand in the freezer holding the toothpicks up until the water froze.

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Well, when we did this as kids we always put saran wrap over the top and stuck the toothpicks through that…

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well in that case – yes, that method would work. Does anyone have a solution that doesn’t involve ‘polluting’ the ice cubes? Can you guess that I have a solution that satisfies all of my silly little requirements?

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OK Tim I am looking at the idea of a sleeve that fits inside the tray, with a flange that you can pull.When the cube is pulled out you can take out the sleeve.

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OK, so no inverting of the tray and no foreign objects in the ice cubes…I have a couple more ideas then. One would be to twist the tray to loosen the ice and then use a suction cup to pull the ice cubes out. A second idea would be to spray the ice cube tray with non stick cooking spray before filling it. Another possibility would be to take a blow torch and apply it only to the cubes that you want to come out of the tray and then jerk the tray upward so as to pop the cubes out (no inverting) and into the glass. I suppose we could just frost a mug and avoid ice altogether. Yet another idea would be to lay a string across the tray and fill it and then pull the cubes out by the string, but I suppose that’s a foreign object that would also pollute the ice. My last idea would be to just ask my wife to bring me some ice, but that almost guarantees a mess.

If none of these are right (which I don’t suppose they are), then I

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Brett do not , do not bow to the Lounger formally known as Timbo (don’t ask me why ) Together we can crack it (not the ice that is)

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Jerry, it’s not that I want to , but he’s apparently got something so specific in mind that I don’t think anyone can ever guess the solution except for someone who knows Ruff Timbo personally (what is that big splotchy thing that he has for his user pic, anyway?)

However, in the spirit of the puzzle forum, I shall not surrender. I withdraw my white flag and shall fight on!

Hey, user formerly known as Timbo, any clues you can give to help a desperate guy out?

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Thata boy Grrrr

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(Edited by BAN on 06-Jul-05 14:36. Edited to fix URL (Thanks, Jerry))

I’ll bet you Biggles could crack this case! Maybe we buy those reusable ice cubes…do you suppose that’s it?

I’m not sure why he’s so picky about having the exact amount of ice cubes in his drink anyway

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You forgot the URL. I know he is fussy, he has a cupboard in his kitchen that he specifically stores Pepsi cans in BEFORE he puts them in the fridge…I think he is a bit posh myself and has a fridge fixation, watch him

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Hey Jezza – do you have any idea how hard it is to claim a cupboard in the kitchen?

ohh, note to self to stop sharing personal items in puzzle forum

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WHAT TEMPERATURE IS YOUR FREEZER MINUS 50 DEGREES OR SOMETHING

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Well, I was going to buckle and just give you my solution that I stumbled on the other day but … ok, fight on McDuff. Actually, I am trying to rival Rudi with silly puzzles that only have my solution. No, that isn’t true either. I am just trying to show you how smart I am – yes, that sounds right.

Hint: I was hot, sweaty, etc from mowing the lawn and got myself a drink. Natually, I washed my hands prior to putting the ice into my drink

And what is my user pic, see here. Finally, I talked HansV into changing my user id from Timbo to Ruff_Hi but I promised to put in a note – now deleted.

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OK so your finger stuck to the cube and you pulled them out 1 by 1….ggrr

I am going to try that now….back soon

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If that’s the solution….
note to self – never, ever accept a drink with ice in it when visiting Tim’s house.

Tim – if it was a Pepsi you were drinking, did it come out of the cupboard or the fridge?

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No surrender, no surrender. See I knew he would crack. I wonder when the next kitchen puzzle comes along, that was quite enjoyable.

Maybe I could do one now….

“There are a number of items in my fridge, how many are there….?”

Noooooooooooooo, only joking

Send a PM to Tim to apologise for teasing and tell him it was a good puzzle

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Spot on! And my freezer isn’t that cold. However the ice cube tray is right at the top of the freezer. I flexed the tray al la how you mentioned earlier to loosen the cubes and then I usually prize them out with a finger nail (or similar) but this time, I found that they re-froze the water on my fingers and I could just lift them out – easy peasy.

It was actually a mountaindew that I was making for my wife – I drink straight from the can and don’t need ice.

Jezza – I’m a little surprised that you didn’t go with this death ray version.

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Mountain Dew has been mentioned a couple of times recently…..apparently NYIntensity likes squirting it through his nose when he laughs (curse my photographic memory)

What is Mountain Dew?

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This might not answer your question … mountain dew … but it certainly has a lot of graphics. Try clicking on “about dew”. In short, it is another fizzy drink / pop / etc from pepsi with the claim to fame is that is it is the most caffine soft drink on the market.

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Thanks

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You’re *partially* correct. There are numerous “energy” drinks out there that are carbonated with caffeine levels that put Mountain Dew to shame…(my favorite is Red Bull)….

Red Bull gives you wings…and puts me in a good mood

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A few years ago I had to get to somewhere at 4.30am and had to get up at 3.30am to get there. I then collected something and had to get it to the other side of the country by 12 midday. At about 9.00am I bought my self a Red Bull, drank it and I absolutely flipped, and I mean gibbering. I hadn’t eaten anything and this was wicked (nasty). I reckon that I must have had a reaction to the stuff, never again

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I have an idea Why don’t we just take out all the cubes once they have been frozen(remember they expand durring first freeze) and then replace them back into the tray. Then when we need them we just get a tooth pick or your suggested suction cup and flick them out That was a serious suggestion by the way

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You simply squeeze the cube through the (bendy and flexible) tray, the resulting pressure causing the ice to melt and thus release itself from the tray. If the tray is flexible enough, it may even be possible to use the same action to guide the cube out of it’s compartment and into a handy glass.

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