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While figuring out how to create clear ice cubes at home, I found some instructions that require handling of the ice for several minutes outside of the freezer. They all claim it's okay to put it back there for later use, but I am a bit concerned about this.

I am aware that ice cubes aren't food like pizza (which shouldn't be refrozen once thawed), but what about ice cubes made from store bought or tap water (no chlorine or anything in my area)?

Sven
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  • It's water, the same water that's been on the planet for billions of years. You can safely keep water tepid for years on end. – Escoce Jan 18 '16 at 18:15
  • Water can be perfectly unsafe to drink in some places, and it rarely is just chemically pure water + minerals, strictly speaking. So the question isn't stupid in the first place. This is about *controlled* thawing+refreezing though, which should be even safe with the pizza (which might still suffer quality loss!). – rackandboneman Jan 18 '16 at 19:25
  • No you cant leave water for years tepid, unless you completely isolate it from the environment and start with absolutely clean water. Leave a glass of water for a week in the room, and notice the algae.. Now, this has nothing to do with leaving icecubes out of the freezer for a few minutes. There is no such thing as a silly question, but I agree, this comes very very close.. – Marc Luxen Jan 18 '16 at 19:25

1 Answers1

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Yes, it's completely safe.

The main reason you don't repeatedly freeze and thaw food are that it makes things less pleasant to eat by messing with the texture. (If you thaw by heating, and you heat all the way into the danger zone, I suppose there could be safety concerns too.)

None of that really applies to water. It's just water. You can keep a pitcher of water for quite a long time. You can keep ice cubes for a long time. You can keep water that's been in both forms for a long time too.

I don't know what kind of handling you're talking about doing, but the only possible issue I could see is if you manage to contaminate it while handling, but that's not an issue with the melting and freezing.

Cascabel
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