You may not think of an ice bucket as an essential kitchen tool, but there are times when this staple of the hotel wet bar comes in handyāespecially for entertaining. And if there were ever an outdoor party season to justify the purchase, it would be this one: Every gathering feels special. If youāre planning to share frosty libations with guests in the scorching heat of summer, you need your ice to be easily accessible. And let me just stop you before you so much as glance over at that metal mixing bowl and think to yourself that it will be an appropriate substitute.
Ice buckets do a couple of things: First, they insulate ice and keep it from melting (something a mixing bowl just canāt accomplish). Second, they allow you to keep your drinks station separate from the kitchen, which crucially prevents traffic jams where youāre trying to cook and assemble foodāand keeps people out of your freezer during a party.Ā
Do you want people rifling through that cavernous ice chest full of stock bones, mixed berries, and forgotten lasagna slices? I didnāt think so. If you have an automatic ice dispenser, maybe you can admit to getting flustered at a small crowd forming around your fridge hoping to get a few cubes in their glasses. Oh, lookāsomeone pressed the wrong button and spilled water all over the floor. āDonāt worry, this always happens. Our fridge is tricky,ā you say, even though it really isnāt. Are you stressed now? Thought so. Just get an ice bucket.
There are plenty of options out there. Some ice buckets are of the more decorative indoor type, meant to embellish a bar cart or act as a bucket for champagne. These will be great come holiday season. Others take a more practical line, acting as tabletop coolers designed specifically for ice. These are your friends during the coming scorchers, where you plan to entertain in your yard, on your roof, etc. No matter what, thereās an ice bucket out there for every person and every situation.Ā
Go for a high-style, retro-feeling ice bucket if youāre planning to entertain mostly indoors. Youāll feel like youāre in an old movie serving whiskey cocktails alongside these stunners.Ā
Fenton Graphite and Wood Ice Bucket
Opt for the options below if youāre looking for a well-insulated ice bucket above all else. These would be perfect to take to the beach, or to keep ice frozen even while youāre sitting on your steaming hot back porch all afternoon.Ā
