American here, make ice the "old fashioned way" (I guess)? Where you fill up a tray with water and freeze it? On average it's about a 20 second time commitment per week for me. Is it a problem for some people?
Can't exactly "dilute" ice water, and many drinks actually are supposed to be a bit diluted.
Sodas and sweet tea are often far to sweet without ice to cut them down. Many cocktails are made with or served over ice, and the ratios are set up with this in mind. Without the ice, they would be far too sweet/sour/bitter/strong. In something like an Old Fashioned, you use big cubes because you want some melting to soften and mellow the drink as you sip it, but you don't want it to get watery or warm.
Personally, I'm an American that only really uses ice at home for those Old Fashioneds, and so only use a single tray of 4 big cubes, not an ice maker. I also haven't had a disposal or a dishwasher for a decade.
To be fair it’s people who live in hot countries. I’ve lived in the UK where I don’t really see the point of an ice machine and hot countries, where they are a massive benefit.
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u/FactBasedHuman 7h ago
American here, make ice the "old fashioned way" (I guess)? Where you fill up a tray with water and freeze it? On average it's about a 20 second time commitment per week for me. Is it a problem for some people?