Tuesday, July 31, 2001

I'm working on the page tonight so I'm posting a sort of "best of". This is a reprint of an article I wrote for our company newsletter. ENJOY. First I need to explain the extraordinary cooling requirements of a 6’4” 300 lb human being. Logic and gravity dictate that more energy will be expended during the normal course of the day by the afore mentioned mutation. Physics tells us that energy requires and produces heat. This leads to the conclusion that a human of abnormal size could develop dangerous core temperatures unless extra cooling measures are implemented. This long winded and mostly BS rambling is justification for the well known fact that I drink a ton of pop. The basic formula is simple: 1. Find the biggest container that you can carry. (allowing for the weight of the liquid and any planned activities) 2. Fill your container with ice gently arcing over the top edge. (don’t worry the pop will take care of the snow cone effect immediately) 3. Fill your container with pop using a spiral pattern making sure that the entire top layer is hit . (this will help prevent clumping) 4. Optional, for serious consumers. Use a straw. The damage your doing to your insides is bad enough, there’s no reason to take your teeth down as well. This brings me to the point of this article, ICE. Quality ice is the key to my everyday survival. The following are my general ice guidelines. Ice makers are king. The [drop from a sealed unit directly into your container] models are the best. It’s still a good idea to make sure the unit looks clean and well maintained. This is the best way to go for self serve ice. Don’t be fooled by the plastic lid over certain soda fountains. These units are filled by a nasty bucket usually marked “ice only” on the side. I have worked in too many restaurants to believe that bucket is exclusive to the ice machine. Avoid this ice at all costs. Scoop style Ice machines. These units offer the biggest opportunity for mischief and disease. What’s dropped into the machine, (accidentally or on purpose) stays in the machine. My other big problem is rotation. Last in, first out, goes against all sanitary food handling procedures. Unless you know the owner and completely trust the location these units should be avoided at all costs. I could keep going but I realize that this obsession is abnormal. I hope that this has been helpful. Final Note, Best free ice from a rig ~ St. Alexious ~outside ER doors. Crushed and clean. Five Stars 12:00:00 AM    says you