How to Make Shaved Ice Manually

Shaved ice is used in snow cones.

Normally, shaved ice is made by dropping ice cubes into a machine that shaves it down to fine granules. At home, it is often made my dropping ice cubes into a blender. However, to make shaved ice by hand requires a little more effort. Luckily, with a little bit of knowledge and a few simple tips, making shaved ice by hand is something that can be mastered fairly quickly.

Things You'll Need

• Cookie sheet with raised edges
• 4 cups water
• 1 ounce unflavored vodka
• Large bowl
• Metal fork
• Flavored syrup

Instructions

1. Fill a large bowl with 4 cups of water and 1 ounce of unflavored vodka. Stir the two together with a fork. The vodka is not necessary, but it prevents the ice from becoming too hard and brittle when frozen.

2. Pour the contents of the bowl into a cookie sheet with raised edges. Fill the cookie sheet ¾ full, not all the way to the top. It is possible that not all of the water and vodka mixture will fit into the cookie sheet.

3. Put the cookie sheet into a freezer, being careful not to spill any of the liquid.

4. Freeze the mixture for 5 minutes.

5. Scrape the slightly frozen liquid with the tines of a metal fork. The mixture will still be fairly liquid; don't worry. Scraping the ice with a fork as it freezes prevents the ice from freezing into one solid block. When scraped continuously, the ice freezes into small granules that resemble the shaved ice you find at carnivals and fairs. Work quickly not letting the mixture melt..

6. Return the mixture to the freezer for 5 more minutes.

7. Again scrape the mixture with a fork. If piles start to form, spread them out using the fork.

8. Again, return the mixture to the freezer for 5 more minutes.

9. Scrape the mixture with a fork. If the mixture is not thoroughly frozen at this point, continue the process of freezing and scraping until the mixture has completely transformed into shaved ice.

10. Keep frozen until you are ready to use it.

11. Scoop the ice into a small bowl and squirt your favorite flavored syrup on top of it. Eat and enjoy!

References

• Hawaiian Shaved Ice: Free Shaved Ice Recipes