Bartender shares 'genius' ice trick to level up homemade cocktails: 'I need to try this'
Cocktail ingredients can be expensive, but one TikToker has a clever way to save money and add a boost of flavor with a commonly tossed food byproduct.
The scoop
Kim (@menubyoven) shared on TikTok that she makes ice cubes using water from boiling pasta noodles.
@menubyoven R&D with me • Pasta Water Ice Cubes Notes Would saline solution be more practical, definitely! But these are silly and fun. How much salt to add to your water is always a controversy. I personally have a pretty high tolerance for salt, so "salty, like the sea" isn't too far off but don't take it literally (that would be crazy). Just salt it enough that salt is prominent on the palate. I always use cooking/kosher salt. I used 3 ice cubes in the video - don't do that it was very salty. Lately I've been mixing 1 pasta water ice cube along with regular ice cubes for better balance. Also, still on the hunt for my perfect martini combo curious to know what yours is! ♬ original sound - Kim
She does it for two reasons. First, she explains that the pasta water, which people usually add salt to, functions as seasoning — "and seasoning is everything." Second, she says that "all that starch in the pasta water adds body and a silky smooth mouthfeel" to her cocktails.
The ice cubes can be used in place of saline solution (aka salt water) in cocktails, and Kim recommends thoroughly seasoning the water you cook pasta in with salt so that it is "salty like the ocean" for maximum flavor.
"I love taking a waste product and putting it to good use," she adds.
How it's helping
The average American uses 82 gallons of water per day at home, and the average family can waste 180 gallons a week, per the EPA. Most pasta requires a gallon to a gallon and a half to cook, so reusing the leftover water helps reduce waste and resources when refilling ice cube trays.
Watch now: This 'win-win-win' app offers up to 50% savings on food
Pasta water is also versatile in other ways. As Kim mentioned, it contains starch and salt, meaning it can be used to add to sauces, broths, and stocks — or even dough, according to Food & Wine.
Getting the most out of your food budget and water usage saves money in the long run, too. Reducing your food waste by just 10% with better management of leftovers could save you $75 annually.
Companies are also helping in the fight to reduce food waste, like Too Good To Go, which partners with eateries and restaurants to offer customers discounted prices on surplus or unsold food items that would otherwise be "unsellable." Flashfood offers a similar service, connecting people with grocery stores that have food near its sell-by date.
If you compost your food scraps, what's your primary motivation?
Improving my garden's soil
Saving money on fertilizer
Helping the planet
I don't compost
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
What everyone's saying
People were on board in the comments with the unique hack.
"I need to try this," one person wrote.
Another called it "Genius!"
One person had apparently tried the idea before, saying, "I genuinely thought I was the only person who did this and told nobody thinking they'd think I was crazy."
Another person offered an alternative use, saying, "I'd use these to have pasta water in hand for making sauce."
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Bartender shares 'genius' ice trick to level up homemade cocktails: 'I need to try this' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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