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The difference between a perfectly balanced cocktail and something vaguely resembling one often comes down to ice. After all, ice affects not only the temperature. There is also the inevitable dilution effect. And, since almost half of the volume of the cocktail is sometimes filled with ice, perhaps it is worth paying a little more attention to these transparent cubes?
If you spend time in an unusual cocktail bar, it is quite possible to hear some misconceptions about ice and its properties. The author of this article has tried to debunk the myths behind the cold substance.
Myth #1: Untreated water causes cloudy ice.
Not true.
Impurities contained in water, such as dissolved minerals or gases, are the basis of what makes ice cloudy, but if ice is frozen without the use of boiled or distilled water, transparency will remain.
There are at least 4 factors that influence the level of ice turbidity. At the same time, any technique for preparing the latter must strictly take them into account so as not to lose its transparency. The causes are ranked in order of importance, starting with the most influential:
- Crystal structure of ice.
An ice cube is made up of crystallized water molecules. With the rapid freezing of ice, crystals begin to form synchronously, but in a chaotic manner. When water molecules connect with these crystals, they automatically align into a formation. The problem is that the crystals are formed separately and, when approached, do not have the opportunity to dock exactly. Because of what, cracks, kinks and other defects are formed, looking like clouding. You can imagine this as the process of building a brick wall. When two workers start laying at the same time from different positions. One, for example, from the right corner, and the second to the left of the middle. And now, there is a considerable probability that when their rows approach, gaps will appear between the bricks. But, if their process was initially structured and carried out progressively in a certain vector, the end result would look flawless. It is the same with ice, when the process of freezing occurs slowly and gradually, then the turbidity of the water disappears. - Refreezing.
Not only the rate of freezing affects the degree of transparency of ice, but also the temperature at which it forms. It affects the size of the crystals formed. Chocolatiers know that the best chocolate is a product that has been "released" at a temperature of about 32°C. It is only when this temperature is taken into account that suitable crystals are formed in the chocolate product. By a similar method, large and transparent crystals are created in the structure of ice, only the temperature should be around 0°C. In the case when the temperature drops below an acceptable level, crystals are formed in small sizes, due to which their reduction becomes more complicated and imperfections appear. Of course, only specialized equipment performs such freezing; ordinary home refrigerators are not designed for this. - Extension. Ice has a lower density than water, which will increase its volume when frozen. If the water cools too quickly, then the tiny crystals that form do not occupy the desired positions, which leaves gaps. Do not add ice to a warm cocktail, otherwise it will crack. To keep the visual appearance of the drink presentable, the liquid should be cooled and then mixed with ice.
- impurities. Yes, impurities can cause cloudiness, if the water is highly mineralized, then this can cause a problem. As a last resort, to see the effect of impurities in the water, you can freeze a cube of salt water. The freezing process will leave salt on the outside, and in the very center of the cube, it will not be, but the ice between them will be extremely "crispy". Ice is crisp because air occupies the space that has been emptied of salt. As you imagined, the ice will be far from transparent. But since well-filtered water must be below 30/1,000,000 parts of total dissolved solids, the effect of these impurities is minimal. It's all about dissolving oxygen. When ice freezes quickly, air bubbles get trapped and cloudy ice results. Slow freezing displaces these bubbles.
And if distilled water doesn't work, what then? Of all the reasons listed above, the purest ice is ice that freezes slowly and without supercooling, that is, ice that forms at 0 degrees Celsius. How to do it?
Method 1:
Use a cooler. The most famous freezing method is Camper English's directional freezing method. The Camper freezer freezes ice layer by layer, starting from top to bottom. Top part ice is clean, while only at the bottom it remains a little cloudy.
Method 2:
Use a temperature controller. I wrote about my personal method. I
I connect the regulator to the mini fridge so I can be sure that the ice is freezing at a temperature just below 0 degrees Celsius.
The temperature control turns the freezer on and off based on
an algorithm that takes into account factors such as insulation and air flow to maintain a constant temperature. I have found that by adjusting the settings I want, I can keep the temperature within + or - 1 degree Celsius. This technology works best if you don't open the freezer door frequently during the day.
Method 3:
Start with hot water. While I was working on my scientific
book about cocktails, I spoke with former NASA cryogenic engineer, Doug Shantich, who noted that when hot water freezes, it moves more by convection, which can really help prevent hypothermia and allow water to freeze at temperatures close to 0 degrees Celsius.
Any technology you can use to freeze water at 0 degrees Celsius will work. For example, since impurities in ice actually help prevent hypothermia, due to the so-called nucleation process, it is possible that impurities such as mint leaves can actually make your ice cleaner, causing it to begin to form crystals in localized place; the area around the leaf will be uneven, but the rest of the cube should be well defined.
Myth #2: Never add ice to scotch.
Bigger lie than I thought. The main argument for not adding ice to scotch is that the ice dilutes the whiskey and makes it
less felt. When you chill the scotch, you feel less
aromatic compounds, which means you don't feel
usefulness of the tape. All this is true.
Well, if you still add whiskey ice, will it turn out all that bad?
First, even the most prestigious scotch makers recognize that some of the benefit is in a little water. Water changes solubility
some aromatic molecules, this means that a few drops
can highlight certain flavors or hide others.
Scotch is a strong drink (in the scientific literature, Scotch in experiments with
alcohol was quite an intense drink.) Chilling and thinning the whiskey can reduce the burn that is often
super connoisseurs. And that might make scotch more palatable to them. If anything, the popularity of whiskey proves that there is a market for chilled scotch as well.
What can be said about the loss of aroma due to cooling?
Anxiety due to lost scent, primarily smelling or sensing aromatic compounds that enter the nose. But the flavors we get from food (or whiskey) also depend on the flavors that enter the nose through the back of the mouth. See image below.
And so the bottom line is that while chilled whiskey won't take away all the flavors while it's in the glass, once it's warmer in the mouth, those molecules become unstable on their way from the back of the mouth to the nose, through the sense of smell.
Myth #3: Big chunks of ice melt more slowly.
What is it connected with? You've probably heard that big ice cubes are better for drinks because big ice melts more slowly. The argument is "more space = faster melt = more dilute." It turns out that the reason is in a large space, but perhaps this is not quite the way you imagine. But let's get back to our topic.
About the most important thing.
Whenever we talk about ice, you must remember that there is no refrigeration without dilution. The power of ice is in its melting, that is, ice turns into water from the heat of the environment. Any significant change in the temperature of the drink is related to the amount of ice melted.
What happens when you add equal amounts of small rectangular and large ball-shaped ice to a room temperature glass of whiskey?
In a glass with a small ice will happen rapid cooling and dilution. The drink will quickly drop to a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius or slightly below and will remain at the same temperature until you finish it.
In a glass with big ice, cooling and dilution will be slower. The whiskey will eventually cool down to 0 degrees Celsius, but the ice will still melt a bit and there will still be pieces of ice floating around, meaning the bottom of the drink will be closer to 4 degrees Celsius because water is densest at that temperature. . So by stirring the drink a little, you can cool it more.
Now that we know the conditions under which ice melts more slowly, let's look at the situation in reverse.
What happens when you add equal masses of small rectangular and large ball-shaped ice to OldFashion that has been chilled to 0 degrees Celsius?
In both cases, when you add ice to a pre-chilled cocktail to zero, the initial melt is important. If you drink two cocktails, the ice will melt in each of them, due to the ambient heat. Whether large ice will melt depends on the insulation, the air temperature and the volume of the cocktail, but in most cases, the heat loss will be the same, so two cocktails are cooled and diluted at the same rate.
Why can small ice be better in some cases?
When you drink a cocktail, the big ice is exposed to the air. What happens next? Big ice cools the atmosphere, instead of your drink, and then you get just a dilution, without cooling. And things can be easier with little ice. In the case of the refrigerated OldFashion, all that really matters is the ice that stays under the water for as long as you drink your cocktail.
Does this mean we should only use crushed ice for drinks?
No, you also have to take into account the water that is on the surface of the ice before adding it to the drink. On the outside little ice liquid water accumulates due to melting and condensation. And when you add a little ice to a drink, it's the surface water that immediately dilutes the drink without any added coolers.
Of course, this is a problem if you work at a bar where the ice is kept at room temperature. If you are using small ice taken from the freezer, then the liquid should be negligible.
So what kind of ice do I use? When I drink cocktails at home, I enjoy using lots of small ice cubes straight from the freezer. But that doesn't mean I don't like big cubes. They don't make much of a difference in cooling, but they're pretty cool too.
- Although water is dense at 4 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which the mixture of alcohol and water will vary depending on the ABV.
- A mixture of water and ethanol has a lower freezing point than water on its own, so the incredible cooling power of melting ice can take a drink below 0 degrees Celsius. But, in case big ice and room temperature whiskey, large ice probably won't have much of an effect. See Myth #5 below.
Myth #4: Egg drinks always dominate dry shake drinks.
Lie. It turns out that drinks that only contain egg whites benefit from the dry mix (i.e., shaking without ice), but the opposite is true for drinks that contain whole eggs.
What does the “myth” have to do with ice?
Dry shaking isn't really dry or wet, it's all about temperature. Any baker knows that it is easier to foam an egg yolk at room temperature than when it is chilled, so dry shaking will create a frothy drink based on egg whites.
Whole egg froth is different because it contains the fat of the egg yolk and the temperature of the egg is no longer so important.
But that doesn't change the fact that these two separate shaking processes are a huge pain in the ass for the bartender, so here are some tips for making amazing egg drinks without much concern for dry shaking.
Only for drinks on egg white.
Guess with acid. The acid helps stabilize the foam of the egg whites. Bartender Andrew Cameron says that for a large Pisco Sours mix, you can pre-shake the egg whites with cream of tartare/cream of tartar and then add that froth in place of the freshly beaten egg yolk while shaking the cocktail.
Use a whipped cream siphon. Egg foam is an emulsion. But it contains more than just water and oil. Air also plays an important role in texture. To guarantee an amazingly smooth crema, use an ISI N2O-charged froth to create the perfect crema for Ramos Gin Fizz.
For whole egg drinks.
Very greasy. Dry shaking the whole egg won't help the foam form, but it will allow you to get the egg emulsified with less ice melt. If your drink is a little watery, then feel free to add a bar or two of vegetable oil. Egg drinks are emulsions and it's the right balance between fat and water that creates the perfect texture.
Magic powders. Turn your attention to vegetable syrup if you have one, or add a tiny bit of hydrocolloid xanthine gum, a thickener-derived bacterium often used in gluten-free baked goods, and whipped cream is the secret to coffee drinks.
Myth #5: Shaking a Bruises gin martini.
The fact is that shaking the drink quickly reaches an equilibrium temperature and it is well below the freezing point of water. For a shaken drink to reach the same temperature, the bartender has to shake it for almost 2 minutes.
Due to physics and mass, a colder drink turns into a more dilute one, as the ice doesn't cool, it just melts. In the test developed by Gizmodo, the stirred cocktail was 48 times ready, and its shaken twin was 65 times ready.
Will you get a cold and well-shaken drink if you shake it for a long time?
The two drinks will probably taste different because the strong shaking will make the drink carbonated. Even though the tiny bubbles that affect the texture will dissipate relatively quickly, at the molecular level, atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide will remain dissolved. It remains a question whether this has such a noticeable effect on the taste, but of course it is quite possible.
Brief announcement.
Those little tidbits of ice are really just the tip of the iceberg… well, you know. I think it's always important to know exactly how your drink is made. Keep in mind that real factors such as glassware, room temperature, even humidity can affect your result.
Special thanks to Mike, Angus, Andrew, Doug and Jimmy for their help in creating this article.
Free translation of the article by Kevin Liu
especially for the readers of our blog.
In 1933, therefore, thirteen years after the failed attempt on the life of Pyotr Arianovich, an event of extreme importance occurred.
The geographer found "his soul" in the basin.
It happened like this.
In the cave of Nyrty, where Pyotr Arianovich often visited, there were many different hunting trophies. Deer antlers coexisted here with the lush tail of a polar fox, a necklace of bear claws stood out picturesquely on a bright rug sewn from the skins of ermines, pieds and squirrels.
Somehow, having nothing to do, rummaging through a pile of this stuff, Pyotr Arianovich saw a piece of a horn. He twirled it this way and that, wondering: to whom did the strange horn belong? Deer? The deer horn lay nearby. It was easy to compare them. Perhaps a fragment of a tusk? No, it was not a mammoth tusk. Then what?
And ... - Nyrta said in an artificially casual tone, noticing that his friend was holding a bone that interested him. - I got this from Salt Water. Such, you know, was a toothy beast. Nyrta grimaced, raising his upper lip. - Very lazy. I didn't want to go. Everything was crawling on its belly ...
The description was extremely accurate, like all descriptions of a hunter. Vetlugin recognized the walrus in the lazy, toothy beast. The hunting trophy was a fragment of a walrus tusk.
So, Nyrta left the mountains, got to the ocean ( Salty water) and hunted walruses? How dare he break the Mauk ban?
At that time, the geographer did not ask anything more, not wanting to show how interested he was. Only after two or three weeks Vetlugin resumed cautious, blunt questions. It turned out that from time to time Khytyndo sends especially trusted people outside Byrrangi. It's like sorties from a besieged fortress. Scouts leave in small groups, take dried reindeer meat with them, hunt on a hike, and fish. In the south they descend along the river to the lake, in the north they reach the very sea.
Nyrta, who was distinguished by curiosity, had already been on two such sorties.
During the last campaign, the hunters met unseen beast. He had such an intimidating appearance that some of the "children of the sun", timidly, took to their heels. However, the fearless Nyrta stepped forward and killed the beast.
The message about sorties to the sea was interesting in itself. In addition, it served as a bridge to an even more important message - about the "soul of Tynkaga". She, it turns out, was hidden in a piece sea ice, which was in the hands of Khytyndo! ..
Peter Arianovich knew that, according to the ideas of the "children of the sun", the soul can exist separately from the body. This is quite troublesome, because all the time you have to take precautions, fearing that the enemies would not steal his soul from a person.
Some consolation for the "children of the sun", however, was the fact that Khytyndo has recently taken upon herself the duty to protect the souls of her fellow tribesmen from plundering.
Having learned about his soul, which resides in a piece of ice, Pyotr Arianovich did not show any curiosity. This was the best way provoke Nyrta for further explanations.
Offended by the indifferent silence of his friend, the hunter added that there was even a special "pantry" of showers in the basin. The range there, apparently, is the most diverse. The souls of some hunters are sealed in the horns or hooves of the deer they have killed. The souls of others are preserved in stones.
And again Vetlugin said nothing, continuing to do his job.
The hunter could not endure this emphasized indifference. He pouted, then said angrily:
Your soul is there too...
He blurted out without thinking, but immediately caught himself and began to beat his lips with his palm. But it was already too late.
Be silent about this, be silent, - muttered Nyrta, looking around. - It's good there, your soul! She's in a block of ice. Such a round piece of ice that does not melt ... - He continued to mutter: - Don't tell anyone, okay? You can't talk about it, but I said. He didn't want to say, but he did. Why is it always like this with me?
He slapped his lips again.
Apparently, Khytyndo was preparing new intrigues.
By an enormous effort of will, Vetlugin refrained from questioning.
But the more worried Pyotr Arianovich became, the less Nyrta showed it.
He knew who he was dealing with. "Children of the Sun" cannot stand noise, haste, nervousness, and for all their good nature, they are extremely suspicious. A carelessly spoken word is enough for them to immediately withdraw into themselves, like a snail into a shell.
Do not rush, do not rush, so as not to frighten.
Accompanying Nyrta on a hunt, Pyotr Arianovich more than once observed how patiently, sometimes for hours, that prey was waiting in ambush, somewhere in a crevice of a rock or behind stones. The geographer learned something during these expeditions and now used patience and endurance as the strongest weapon against Nyrta himself.
However, the hunter did not resume the exciting conversation about the Vetlugin soul. Only occasionally, in front of strangers, did he glance meaningfully at his friend and put his finger to his mouth. Vetlugin nodded reassuringly.
This went on for over a month. The geographer began to get nervous. Any dirty tricks could be expected from Khytyndo. What is the old witch up to against him?
A simple explanation suggested itself: Khytyndo stole some thing belonging to Pyotr Arianovich from Pyotr Arianovich and now she is doing magic over it to her heart's content. This, of course, would not be much of a problem. Conjure yourself to your health, conjure, even burst!
But he remembered the words: "a round piece of ice that does not melt," "your soul is in a piece of ice." What did Nyrta mean by this?
It is possible that Vetlugin, reluctantly, would nevertheless have spoken to Nyrta about the “disappeared” soul. However, this was not needed. The case helped.
Once, while walking through the forest with his friend, Pyotr Arianovich became interested in something in his story and wanted to write it down so as not to forget. He usually tried to record in such a way that none of the "children of the sun" would see it. Now, out of absent-mindedness, the geographer began to write at Nyrta.
Sitting down on a stone, he was completely immersed in his work, when he suddenly heard breathing behind him. turned around. Behind stood Nyrta, approaching, as always, silently. He stood on tiptoe and looked curiously over Vetlugin's shoulder.
Are you full of small traces of the bark? he asked in surprise.
And I saw this trail.
Looking around, Nyrta whispered:
On that piece of ice where your soul is hidden!..
Vetlugin jumped up from the stone on which he was sitting.
Letters! The words! On the "ice that does not melt"? ..
But Nyrta, realizing that his talkative tongue had let him down again, refused to answer his Friend's questions.
He sat down on the ground, cross-legged and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, and sat there, shaking his head.
Just show! Show me, and that's it, - said the geographer with the most convincing intonations in his voice. - Bring here a piece of ice that does not melt, I will take a look at it, and you will immediately take it back. Hytyndo does not know anything.
Nyrta made a movement with his head, as if waving away his interlocutor. He even closed his eyes so as not to see him.
But Pyotr Arianovich did not lag behind. He launched a variety of arguments one after another. He said that he would refuse friendship with Nyrta, - he only groaned sadly in response. He threatened that he would unleash his most terrible witchcraft on him - and after all, Nyrta saw at the "Feast of the Sun" that he knows how to conjure - the hunter trembled even more and tried to get up to run away, but Vetlugin held him back.
Do you want me to teach you how to make these badges? suggested the geographer. - Then we will be able to find each other on this trail, to talk at a distance. Everyone will be surprised. They will say: this is Nyrta!
The stubborn one opened one eye - the offer was tempting, then he caught himself and closed his eyes even tighter.
Well, ask what you want, - said Pyotr Arianovich with heart. - Listen! - He said separately and distinctly: - If you help me see my soul, I will give you everything you want!
Nyrta opened both eyes and looked attentively at Vetlugin: is he joking?
All-all? - asked the "son of the sun" incredulously. - Anything I want?
Of course! Just say what. Well, make up your mind! Have you figured out what to ask?
Nyrta hesitated. His lively black eyes flashed, but he immediately dimmed their brilliance. The hunter sighed. Apparently, a long-standing, unspoken desire tormented him.
Well, speak up! - encouraged the geographer, rejoicing that things were going well.
Nyrta muttered something under his breath.
Louder! Repeat!
Buttons, - the hunter repeated bashfully and lowered his head.
The geographer with difficulty suppressed the urge to laugh: bargaining must be serious. It's no joke to say: it was about the soul, about nothing else!
Nyrta raised his head and looked at Vetlugin's buttons with undisguised lust. This is what, therefore, captivated his imagination. Buttons!
In the village of the Last, Vetlugin wore a black satin kosovorotka. She was on it on the day of the flight. Like most kosovorotkas of that time, its collar was equipped with many white mother-of-pearl buttons. They descended from the top to the waist, shimmering with matte reflections, clearly standing out against the black background. There were about a dozen and a half or two.
True, the kosovorotka had already torn off a long time ago, Vetlugin managed to lose some of the buttons, but the survivors, which he rearranged for his clothes from suede, well-dressed buckskin, were enough to impress the dandies in the hollow. And Nyrta was a dandy.
Even in the first winter, buttons attracted the attention of Nyrta.
What beautiful white circles! he said in a whisper. Then, with a timid, childish gesture, he reached out his hand and lovingly stroked the buttons.
These are buttons, - Vetlugin explained.
Buttons, - the hunter repeated in the most gentle voice, not taking his fascinated gaze from them.
However, Pyotr Arianovich did not suspect that the attraction to buttons was so great!
And now these buttons, beloved by the hunter, decided the success of the case.
Of course friend! What are you talking about? cried Pyotr Arianovich cheerfully and grabbed the collar of his clothes. - I give! Take it!
He sat down on the grass and hurriedly began to tear off the buttons one by one.
When Vetlugin raised his eyes, Nyrta was no longer by his side. The hunter disappeared, rushed after "a piece of ice that does not melt."
The geographer was shaking with impatience. It seemed to him that time was passing very slowly, although, judging by the shadows from the trees, no more than fifteen or twenty minutes had passed.
He couldn't wait for Nyrta, now he got up and began to walk back and forth, then he sat down, so that in a few minutes he would again jump to his feet. Finally the geographer forced himself to sit down on the grass and froze, leaning forward a little, peering into the thicket, from where the hunter should have appeared. In his outstretched hand Pyotr Arianovich held a handful full of buttons.
Words on a piece of ice? Is this really a response to his numerous letters, to his calls for help, sent with deer, with migratory birds, and, finally, in tree trunks? ..
Nyrta appeared on the lawn unexpectedly, as always. He parted the thicket with his shoulder - both his hands were busy - carefully looked around. Then he squatted down and beckoned Pyotr Arianovich to him. Something round, white, gleaming dully lay beside him in the tall grass.
Giant bird egg?
Squinting myopically, Pyotr Arianovich leaned towards the mysterious object.
Just look! Nyrta warned in a whisper. - We agreed: just look!
Vetlugin silently nodded, continuing to examine the object, as if floating in the grass.
It was a ball, obviously made of glass, but some kind of special, very thick, unbreakable. Something blackened inside, and outside the ball was surrounded by an incomprehensible inscription, four letters: "USSR".
What could it mean?.. It looks like the word "Russia", only written the other way around...
How did it get to you, Nyrta? asked Pyotr Arianovich slowly, as if enchanted, looking at the ball.
Nirta was silent.
Didn't it fall from the sky?
Why from the sky! - with displeasure answered the hunter. - It's a piece of ice that doesn't melt. It was washed ashore by Salt Water. How are you…” he added pointedly.
Last year the outing to the sea was successful. The "Children of the Sun" were about to return home, when suddenly Nyrta noticed a piece of ice that was spinning near the shore. The waves seemed to be playing with them: either they brought them very close, then they threw them back again.
The "Children of the Sun" were interested in a small round piece of ice. The most reckless of the hunters entered waist-deep water and with long spears drove the stubborn piece of ice to the shore. But as soon as they took it in their hands, they immediately dropped it. It had some mysterious badges on it. She was bewitched!
Lankai offered to throw the piece of ice back into the sea, but Nyrta did not agree with this. It was decided to deliver her to Khytyndo: let him understand witchcraft, because this is her business.
There could be no doubt that the ice floe was enchanted. All the hunters were convinced of this on the way back. It did not melt in the sun, and when one of the rotozei, who was assigned to carry it, dropped a piece of ice on the stones, it did not break.
However, her appointment was revealed only at home. Khytyndo announced that the soul of a stranger was hidden inside - it was not for nothing that the ice floe penetrated into the basin the same way as he did, from the north, and was carried ashore along with floating ice floes, just as it happened to him. However, this was not surprising: the soul caught up with its owner.
Nodding absently, Pyotr Arianovich looked with excitement at a glass vessel thrown by the sea onto the coast of Taimyr.
The true purpose of the "enchanted piece of ice" soon became clear to him. It was a hydrographic buoy, one of those floats that are dropped from a ship or floated off the coast to determine the direction and speed of sea currents. Inside is a note in several languages. It asks to report when and at what coordinates the buoy was found.
Could it be that the note was blackening inside the glass sphere? Pyotr Arianovich bent even lower over the buoy. It turns out that a tube was soldered into the ball.
What is hiding there? What news from Russia?
The geographer squinted at Nyrta.
The simple-hearted "son of the sun" was absorbed in his priceless acquisition that he had just made. Laughing like a child, he amused himself with the mother-of-pearl buttons that had charmed him: now he shook them in handfuls and, bowing his head, listened with pleasure as they knocked, hitting each other, then, as if choosing the most beautiful, laid them out in two or three rows on the ground. . Then from somewhere he pulled a long thread from his clothes and, breathing in concentration, began to string buttons on it one by one. Apparently, they were intended to decorate his courageous chest in the form of a necklace.
“This lesson will be enough for him for a long time,” Pyotr Arianovich realized and turned his back to Nyrta, closing the glass ball from him.
Where is the lid? Aha, here! Tightly screwed, however! Can't open without wrench. Where in the mountains can you get a wrench? No, it does. A few more turns! More!..
Vetlugin opened the lid of the tube soldered into the ball. Then, trembling with impatience, he pulled out a folded note.
The first news from the surrounding silent world! The first one in so many years!
There were circles in the eyes, the letters on the note merged. The geographer pulled himself together with an effort of will. The letters stopped dancing and stretched out in a line, forming words, the meaning of which did not immediately reach consciousness. Finally Pyotr Arianovich read:
“This hydrographic buoy was launched on August 12, 1932 from the icebreaker Sibiryakov at such and such coordinates. We kindly ask you to inform us at what coordinates and when the buoy was found, which is important for studying currents and ice drift in the circumpolar seas of the USSR. Address: Leningrad, Hydrometeorological Service of the USSR.
The same text was repeated in English and Norwegian.
Vetlugin got up from the ground. The note trembled in his hand.
Leningrad!.. Le-nin! he repeated aloud. - I understand! Got it! There, in Russia, there was a revolution. We won! Some city is named after Lenin. So, revolution!
Nyrta, putting down his necklace, looked at his friend in surprise. Tinkage is unrecognisable. Always calm, restrained, he is now pale, trembling, words incomprehensible to Nyrta escape from his lips:
But when did it happen? What year? In the sixteenth?.. I ran in the sixteenth. Could have happened in the same year, shortly after my escape. Or later? In the twentieth?.. In the thirtieth?..
He sank down on the grass in exhaustion.
Perhaps he was affected by the magic of an ice floe that does not melt? Nyrta ran up to the ball and felt it anxiously. No, the ball is intact! The hunter carefully examined him from all sides: from above, from below. No scratches or cracks.
It is not clear what his soul, hidden in an ice floe, said to Tynkage? ..
Nyrta squatted down beside him, looked into his friend's eyes, then, with clumsy caress, like a small one, wiped his wet face with his palm.
Vetlugin looked at the glass ball with a fixed gaze, as if it still kept on its smooth surface a reflection of an unprecedentedly beautiful, dazzlingly radiant world from which it sailed.
Ah, if only this "ice" was actually magical! Then the geographer would be able to see on its surface the silhouettes of new, unknown to him coastal cities, past which the icebreaking steamer "Sibiryakov" passed, perhaps even to distinguish the reflection of faces, energetic, courageous, anxiously bending over the buoy before sending it on a long journey.
Alas, the "ice" lying in the grass was not magical. There was only a short note in the hydrographic buoy.
But there was a word in it that instantly transformed the whole world for Vetlugin: "Leningrad", that is, the city named after Lenin!
Russia, on the map of which Leningrad appeared, has undoubtedly become different. Which one?..
Vetlugin tried to imagine her - and could not! Imagination betrayed him.
Previously, all of Russia behind the Byrrangi passes was, as it were, immersed in impenetrable darkness. Now grandiose spaces - from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean - are flooded with blinding light. It hurts my eyes, I can't see anything! ..
Russia! The note repeats the word "USSR" twice. Similar to "Russia", only consonants are located in reverse order. What could that mean?..
And what events swept across the other side of the pass during this time? How did the war with Kaiser's Germany end? How did the revolution take place? Did her enemies resist? When did Lenin arrive in Russia to lead the revolution?
The spelling of the note was also new. The letters yat and the solid sign disappeared. This strengthened confidence in the revolutionary changes in the country.
Myriads of multi-colored highlights, as in a kaleidoscope, spun, sparkled before my eyes. Head is spinning…
Pyotr Arianovich felt incredibly tired. There was no strength to rise from the ground: a nervous reaction set in.
He lay still, trying to calm down. I tried to imagine the path of a geographic buoy that gleamed dully in the grass. It was easier than trying to imagine a new, revolutionary Russia out there, beyond the Byrranga mountains.
Before him stretched a mighty river-ice drift. Its sources began off the coast of Siberia, the mouth was lost in a foggy haze, somewhere very far away, between Norway and Greenland.
Yes, the geographer probably knew the bends of this amazing river better than the bends mountain river rushing along the rocky riverbed.
How many sleepless nights he spent over the map of the Arctic, studying the drift of floating ice! ..
Isn't it surprising that it was from that "river" that the long-awaited good news came to this one?
Ice floes float, colliding with each other, creaking, rustling. And between them one can see in some places round floats - hydrographic buoys. They are not afraid of compression - the pressure of the ice floes will throw the balls up. They are not afraid of a storm either: lazily, like seagulls, they sway on the waves.
Reflecting in the sun, glass balls float and float - scouts of the Arctic. The bulk of them leisurely crosses the entire Polar Basin, so that in two or three years they will find themselves on the threshold of the Atlantic. But some, not very significant, part of the hydrographic buoys, picked up by coastal currents, turns aside and returns to their native Siberian shores.
This is exactly what happened to the buoy that brought the news of the revolution that had taken place in Russia.
Pyotr Arianovich shook his head. The vision of ice drift disappeared. Nyrta was squatting in front of him with a concerned, sympathetic face. Behind the trunks of pine trees and sparse coastal shrubs, the river chimed rhythmically with pebbles.
Yes, it was his, Vetluginsky, "mail box". Here he lowered his "letters" in wooden "envelopes".
The Lower Taimyr River, flowing from the Taimyr Lake, flows into the ocean. So, there was a chance that someday a fin marked with an SOS signal would meet on the high seas with Russian hydrographers who lowered the buoys. The fin will be pulled out of the water, lifted onto the deck of the ship, opened, and then ...
Then the circle will close. People will learn about Vetlugin and his discovery in Russia, in the new, revolutionary, powerful and active Russia! ..
In the mountains of Shanxi province in China, there is the country's largest ice cave - an 85-meter underground structure in the shape of a bowling pin - located on the side of a mountain. Its walls and floor are covered with a thick layer of ice, and large icicles and stalactites hang from ceiling to floor. Ningwu Cave has one unique feature: it remains frozen throughout the summer, even when outside temperatures rise to summer highs.
Throughout Continental Europe, Central Asia and North America there are many such ice caves where winter lasts all year round. Most are located in colder regions such as Alaska, Iceland and Russia, where the low temperatures that persist throughout the year help keep the caves frozen. However, ice caves can also be found in warmer climates.
Ningu Ice Cave in China. Photo Credit: Zhou Junxiang/Image China
Most of these caves are so-called "cold traps". These caves are conveniently located with crevices and openings that allow cold air to enter in winter, and through which warm air cannot enter in summer. In winter, cold dense air settles in the cave, displacing any warm air that has gathered here, which rises up and leaves the caves. Summer cold air remains in the cave because the relatively warm air rises and cannot get into it.
The ice inside the cave also acts as a buffer, helping to stabilize the temperature inside. The ice immediately cools any incoming warm air from outside before it can cause significant warming inside the cave. Of course, under his influence, the ice melts, but the temperature inside the cave remains almost unchanged. There is also the opposite effect: in winter, when very cold air enters the cave, any liquid water freezes, releasing heat and preventing the temperature in the cave from falling too low.
Ice caves also require sufficient water for the right amount of time to form. In winter, the climate must be such that there is enough snow on the mountains, and in summer the temperature must be high enough to melt, but the air in the cave is not too warm. In order for an ice cave to form and be maintained, there must be a delicate balance between all of these factors.
The largest ice cave in the world is the Eisriesenwelt, located in Werfen, Austria, about 40 km south of Salzburg. The cave stretches for more than 42 kilometers. Photo: Michael & Sophia/Flickr
The Decorah Ice Cave in Iowa, USA is one of the largest ice caves in the American Midwest. The cave remains relatively ice-free in autumn and early winter. During this period, cold winter air enters the cave and lowers the temperature of the stone walls. When the snow begins to melt in the spring, meltwater seeps into the cave and freezes on contact with the still cold walls, and in May-June the ice layer reaches a maximum thickness of several centimeters. The ice often remains inside the cave until the end of August, while the outside temperature rises above 30 degrees.
A similar phenomenon is observed at the Coudersport Ice Mine in Pennsylvania. This is a small cave where ice forms only in summer months and melts in winter. Photo credit: rivercouple75/Tripadvisor
The booming Ice Chasm in the Canadian Rockies in Alberta is known for its incredible acoustics. It is said that when the stones fall off and fall to the floor of the cave, 140 meters down, it causes a rumbling echo.
Tim Skorenko
A person began to eat hot food immediately after he ceased to be afraid of fire. This happened from one and a half million to a million years ago, and Homo Erectus is considered the first species to have mastered fire. First, food was fried, then they learned how to cook it, then many alternative culinary methods arose - smoking, steaming, and so on. A powerful breakthrough was brought by the technological revolution of the 20th century - in 1947, the American company Raytheon launched the first commercial model of the Radarange microwave oven on the market.
But absolutely all methods of cooking - from direct frying over a fire to a microwave - are united by one rule. Heat always comes from the surface of the food inwards. Therefore, the surface warms up earlier and, accordingly, much stronger. This feature people have learned to brilliantly use. In the same bread, the outer part of the dough becomes a crust, which is different from the pulp, but it is also very tasty. Uniform frying of meat is achieved with the help of long cooking at more than low temperatures. In the confectionery art, caramelizers are used - special burners for burning the surface of the product. In general, a person, by and large, has subjugated the uneven heating and resigned himself to the fact that it is impossible to cook otherwise.
Usually bread has a crust. Its taste is different from the taste of the pulp, and some like the crust even more.
But in August 2017, the German company Miele showed a striking device - the so-called Dialog oven (there is no official Russian name yet, you can say “Dialog oven”) using M Chef technology. A device that is fundamentally different from everything that came before, from microwaves and ovens. A device protected by patents and promising to be the future of first professional and then home cooking - as always happens with new technologies.
At the first presentation, the chef took a cube made of ice, put a piece of fish in it, covered it with an ice lid and put it in Dialog. A few minutes later we were already tasting the finished fish - hot, fried - and the ice did not melt. More precisely, it melted in places where it directly touched a piece of fish. And we asked the question: how is it possible? Why did the heat touch the product and not touch the ice? Zoning and heating of individual areas does not work here, because the fish was inside the ice, that is, surrounded by it from all sides. Focus? Yes, in part. Because behind every trick lies engineering.
The most famous PR photo of the Miele M Chef is a fish on ice. We tried a similar one - the fish is hot, the ice is cold.
This is not a microwave!
First you need to explain how a microwave oven works. Because my first guess was: Dialog is an "advanced" microwave. But no, not at all. To understand the difference, let's delve a little into microwave technology.
A microwave oven uses electromagnetic waves in the decimeter range - this is a frequency from 300 MHz to 3 GHz. The efficiency of the microwave depends on how deeply the waves penetrate into the heated food: the lower the frequency, the greater the penetration depth. But you cannot use any frequencies: they should not intersect with the frequencies on which, for example, cell phones operate. Therefore, two standards have been developed for microwaves: home ovens use a frequency of 2450 MHz (wavelength - 12.2 cm), and industrial ovens use 915 MHz (wavelength - 32.8 cm). These frequencies are higher than conventional radio waves, but lower than infrared light.
Water and other substances that make up food absorb the energy generated by electromagnetic waves through the so-called dielectric heating. The fact is that many molecules are dipoles, that is, they have a partial positive charge at one end and a partially negative charge at the other. Trying to "align" with the incoming EM radiation, they rotate and, accordingly, heat up. In particular, this applies to water and liquids - they are the first to heat up inside the microwave oven.
But there are also downsides. Conventional temperature heating from a fire or steam supplies energy to the surface of the food. Microwaves penetrate a depth of 2-3 cm, depending on the product, this speeds up cooking, but at the same time it complicates obtaining uniform heating (that is, the outer layer is heated due to dielectric heating, and inner part food - due to heat transfer). Another disadvantage is the negative interaction of microwaves with a number of materials; for example, you can’t put metal in the microwave, that is, you can’t bake it in foil. Finally, since microwaves act primarily on liquids, a microwave oven dries out fish or meat somewhat by evaporating some of the juices.
This is what the preparation of fish looked like at the presentation of the technology.
In addition, the radiation in the microwave is not systematized, chaotic: the waves are reflected from the walls and absorbed by random areas of the heated food. This leads to uneven heating not only in depth, but even on the surface. In this regard, even a conventional oven wins over a microwave.
The task of the engineers was to create a device that would allow electromagnetic waves to penetrate the entire depth of the heated food and cook it evenly. There were several problems. In particular, food is different in composition, and the optimal wavelength for fish is different from that for dough, and so on. Second, a significant portion of EM frequencies overlap with those involved in cellular communication, radio communication and so on.
But Miele engineers have mastered both tasks.
Meat with vegetables cooked in Dialog Oven. Everything was ready at the same time. Overall, the Dialog is significantly faster than a conventional oven: say, a classic marble cake can be made in 55 minutes in the oven and in just 37 minutes using M Chef. And pulled pork, a classic of the American South, takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to cook, versus 8-16 hours in the oven!
From inside out
At Miele they say: "We have reinvented cooking". To some extent, this is true: Dialog really requires completely different skills and abilities, and the result is different from any traditional method. This is an oven that uses a whole spectrum of electromagnetic waves, varying the frequency depending on the composition of the food and the cooking mode. Moreover, it directly measures not only the temperature of the food, but also the supplied energy in kilojoules (named Gourmet Units for ease of marketing). The closer the end of cooking, the slower the food takes energy, and therefore the level of supply of the latter must change - this is also taken into account by Dialog. And the frequency variability allows, for example, to preserve the juiciness of meat: Dialog operates in a range that practically does not affect liquids. It heats the food, not the water that is part of it. But let's talk about the specifics.
Outwardly, Dialog resembles an oven - this is a relatively large kitchen gadget that implies embedding. Inside - lattice shelves, lighting, ventilation holes. The only thing that catches your eye is a thick, safe-like, opaque lid. Its main function is not to keep the temperature, but to shield radiation, since Dialog operates at the same frequencies as your mobile phones, and interference interference will occur without a screen.
The chef sets the settings. Pay attention to the thickness of the cover. Regular users of Dialog can control two parameters: the amount of energy supplied in Gourmet Units (i.e. in kJ) and intensity (how quickly the food will absorb energy). They can be changed manually, can be set using presets. There is also a Gourmet Pro mode - for advanced users and chefs: in it you can manually change any parameters, including cooking time.
But the real differences become noticeable during the cooking process. When we were in Dialog, they put an almost served dish: lamb meat surrounded by vegetables. In the microwave, after properly cooking the meat, the vegetables would turn into a sour mashed potatoes, as they require a much more gentle approach. In Dialog, we got a perfectly cooked dish with evenly fried meat and warm vegetables: the chef chose the frequencies that would have the maximum effect on the meat and the minimum on the side dish. Thus, Dialog allows you to work with completely different ingredients at the same time.
The wave generating element in Dialog is different from the microwave magnetron. The magnetron is a vacuum resonator chamber that filters out all unnecessary wavelengths and passes only the required one (2450 MHz). The M Chef technology on which Dialog is based is a block that allows you to generate different frequencies, and two antennas serve as emitters. The base frequency, around which variations occur, coincides with the frequency at which industrial microwave ovens operate - 915 MHz, but unlike the latter, Dialog constantly “leaves” this frequency in one direction or another, depending on the need.
But the most important thing lies elsewhere. In all traditional methods, as we have already said, heat enters from the outside and moves inside due to heat exchange. In Dialog, the opposite is true. Energy is evenly supplied to the entire mass of the heated product, and the only way to remove it is heat exchange with the external environment (air). Thus, the outer part of the product gives off heat and cools compared to the inner part, and heat, according to the First Law of Thermodynamics, tends from the inside out, from the hotter parts to the cooler ones.
The bread on the left is also ready. It just doesn't have a crust on it. It was not cut off: it is prepared just like that.
Thus, Dialog really allows you to heat the product absolutely evenly (in Miele they use the term "volumetric heating"). It turns out bread without a crust, a perfect steak without burnt areas, a perfectly thawed cream cake, and so on.
The Dialog Oven booth at IFA looked futuristic.
Will there be a revolution?
Each new technology usually takes root with difficulty. The already mentioned Radarange oven in 1947 weighed 340 kilograms, was 1.8 meters high and cost $5,000 (which is equivalent to $54,000 today). It is clear that at first it could only perform industrial functions, say, in restaurants - only a rich original could buy it home. Today, more than half a century later, a microwave oven costs a penny and is in every home. The same can be said about mobile phones or TVs. Dialog will go on sale in 2018 (on the Russian market - in 2019) and will cost, according to preliminary information, €7,990. But, if you look at historical trends, within 3-5 years Miele will bring the design to perfection, and its cost to a more gentle one.
Second "but": does Dialog have limitations? Yes, of course - there are no perfect gadgets. Since the frequency range used in Dialog minimizes the impact on liquids, it is inconvenient to heat soups or drinks with the M Chef - it will take significantly longer than if you just heat them up on the stove or in the microwave.
The second limitation is due precisely to the uniformity of heating. If I like crusty bread, I'll have to make it the traditional way. Or, say, a deep-fried steak. In general, for recipes that require uneven heating, Dialog will not help. It is likely that in a few years Miele will introduce a combination technology that combines the functions of Dialog and microwave - and then the Absolutely Universal Culinary Gadget will be born.
Good afternoon ladies!
I want to tell and show an amazing scarf - Harty Ice with mint duck, 100% cotton.
The scarf came to visit me thanks to the wonderful Natasha Natusyanya (for which she thank you very much) and it so happened that, with her permission, he went with us to the Turkish shores, having adequately passed the test of thirty-degree heat.
Somehow I did not succumb to the mania for Harty Christmas trees. There was interest in the beast, but the past experience of dealing with hand-wovens frightened me with its unexpectedness in terms of performance characteristics of scarves, and I decided to stop at my favorite and proven Oshas. And then Natasha offered to rent her Ice. I thought that I still need to try to put a tick, and Natasha and I quickly agreed.
In a brick, he did not impress me, but I just fell in love with him from the first winding. Never before have I wound such an amazing scarf: color, such a mirror gradation, hugging, tenderness ... At the same time, despite the relative thinness of my 8.5 extremely jumpy kg, it carries perfectly, and, which is important in the case of a fidgeting child, the winding does not deform . Since I wrote the post for a long time, my 8.5 kg jumping turned into 9.5 kg running. And if he carries 8 kg easily and naturally, then after 9 kg it is already difficult to wear it for hours ... but if you wish, you can, which I proved yesterday by walking in it from 11 to 17:30 with several breaks, of course, and KNK shifts to DR, and the last segment of wearing turned out to be about three hours. The last hour was clearly superfluous, but the weather was painfully good ...
I was chasing all the time recent times behind silk scarves. Three rukotkans that live with me - with silk, Oshi's favorite ones with silk. And after trying cotton from Harty, I realized that I don’t need silks, soft cotton has almost the same tenderness, and at the same time does not slip.
I realized that here it is, my ideal one - cotton, herringbone weaving (or zigzag for KK). My ideal performance characteristics.
In the vacation stack: 
Separately, I want to say about the color - it is perfect. Darker from the edges, in the middle it smoothly flows into green, from the dark edge to the light ... I would not call it a scarf for everything, it is very bright, but it blends beautifully with a lot of colors. It would be photographed in the Maldives, against the backdrop of white sand and the azure sea, the color would be very in harmony with the water and sand. By the way, this is what the colors in the scarf reminded me of: the sea, if you look at it, flying up to Male (the capital of the Maldives). You see the same shades on the water...
It was possible to carry in different conditions: at +10 in Moscow with a windbreaker, he protected his son from the wind, showed himself smartly on the road when we rode the metro and the aeroexpress to the airport, and amazed me at + 30 when I wound it for a photo.
I like to wear with straightened canvases (I don't seem to remember how to wear them unfolded at all)))), and scarves that do not stretch very well, my son knocks down, jumping and sticking out his arms. Everything is perfect with Ice: the canvas lies back, and if you straighten the handles outward, it will simply gently flow around the child, firmly supporting it at the level of the waist. It lies softly and neatly on the shoulders, it is easily pulled up (by the way, the board is woven, you need to pull it up well), it slides in moderation, just enough so that there is a comfortable winding that does not go after tying a knot. Speaking of the knot: if you tie a surgical knot, the winding under 9.5 kg does not crawl at all.
For the photo, we chose the time between 15 and 16:30, mid-May in Turkey. The heat is not godless yet, the breeze is blowing from the sea, but you can already burn in the sun like hello. An hour-long walk in a three-layer winding did not cause discomfort at all, only at the end it became a little hot in the room where my son and I touched our bellies. The scarf blows great! In the thin Osha Roses Chaumbra under the canvases on the back, my back was a little hot, but here there was no feeling at all that I had fabric on me! I was delighted! He even seemed to be cold! Ice that doesn't melt in the hot sun
As always, a lot of words))) but I just fell in love with this scarf and am ready to sing his praises again and again)
Weaving near: 
By the way, my husband, who also wears his son to the best of his ability, really appreciated Led. And highly appreciated it appearance, which is rare in our case, the husband really does not like multi-color gradations.
During the holidays, we walked several times from the hotel in Side, the road goes along the promenade along the sea and takes about 20 minutes at a brisk pace. Due to the sleep of the child and our schedule, it was impossible to walk there so as not to get into the heat. And once again we went in the morning, around 10 o'clock, with the expectation of returning to the hotel already in the heat. The husband volunteered to carry the son, wishing to wind Ice (I could have taken Shaumbra, but I liked Ice more). As a result, the walk took 3.5 hours with breaks of 20 minutes to feed and crawl over the parents, the husband wandered for the first time without a mirror. He is delighted with TTX! Loose, cargo, fits and does not stray, easily dangles. But the most amazing thing: in the heat of 30, my men did not even think about cooking! What does it have to do with winding with straightened canvases! Of course, it was hot, but the wind from the sea blew the scarf so that it was very comfortable! I wore it in the heat in Kelum and Rose Shaumbra - it was much hotter because of the less loose weave.
I also really liked him in DR. I started winding behind my back for a couple of months, and not every day, but I can wind Ice blindly and the winding will turn out to be quite decent. The fabric on the back goes easily, does not cling and pulls up quite well, the knot is neat and beautiful.
And finally, I’ll show you what this scarf was taken with you for - photos!
Well, the traditional serious bonus: 
Many thanks to Natasha for the opportunity to vilify this miracle!
