Ice Orb

We reckon the Titanic would have swerved if it saw the Ice Orb coming: a clever device that bergs out ice at a lovely rate. Ice Orb is a one-stop vertical icemaker that keeps chugging out frozen chunks for as long as you want. No fancy batteries or machinery necessary – just a brilliant bit of design that you can stick in the freezer pronto.

So what is a vertical ice cube tray when it’s at home, we hear you ask? Gather round and we shall share. Ice Orb is a bumpy bucket at first glance. At 14cm wide and 12.5 high, it’s small enough to stick in your freezer. To make ice, you just remove the inner bucket, fill the outer bucket with water, and replace the inner bucket again. It clips in tight, forces water into Ice Orb’s attractive lumps and bumps and starts creating mini-glaciers as soon as it’s in the freezer.

When your ice is hard, you pull out the inner bucket and shake the ice into it – and start again. That’s the real whiz here: you can make as much as 21 cubes at a time, and store another 51 inside the bucket while you’re making it!

And what happens when you’ve got a bucket that’s full of ice, you ask? Party on, is the answer. Because Ice Orb ain’t just for spittin’ out chunks of the cold stuff: it’s a nifty drinks chiller too. Just stick your bottles and cans in the bucket and let the frozen walls and ice cubes do their work.

The bucket can handle wine bottles, ice cream tubs, cold food, even fingers that get too close to the barbecue (if you’re into that sort of thing, the inner bucket is dishwasher safe).

It’s the best way to stay chilled this year by far. Unless you’re holidaying in Greenland, that is!