Ice Pick Poseidon, 3 Points, Steel with Rubber Grip

For anyone working ice from large blocks. Three aligned points score a line instead of a point: the block opens along that line, and the piece that comes out has the shape you wanted.

Ice splits where its internal stresses are, not where you strike. A single impact point concentrates the energy in one place, and from there the fracture runs off on its own, following the lines of least resistance in the block: the result is unpredictable, and on an expensive block that means waste. With the Poseidon the score left by the three points creates an artificial line of weakness, and the fracture follows it.

• Points: three, aligned
• Material: steel
• Grip: rubber, non slip
• Use: opening blocks of ice

How a block gets worked, in practice

Set the block on a stable surface over a cloth, which soaks up the water and stops it sliding. Mark the line by drawing the points across it several times with light strikes, without forcing: the score has to be continuous, not deep. Then increase the force on the same points until the block opens on its own, almost always cleanly. Beginners go wrong exactly here, because they start with heavy blows and get shattering instead of a cut.

The rubber grip is not a detail

You are working with wet hands on a material that slides, and there is a pointed tool in your hand. A grip that does not give is the first safety measure, and the second is keeping your free hand behind the block and never in the path of the points. Ice, when it gives, gives all at once.

Why so many bars went back to the block

Because block ice is denser and clearer than what comes out of a cube machine, and because it lets you cut pieces to fit each glass instead of working around what the machine produces. It is extra work, but it is also something the guest sees: a hand cut cube reads differently from a moulded one, and the difference is in the edges and the clarity.

Where the block comes from

From slow freezing machines, which make clear slabs because the water freezes in one direction only and the air is pushed out. Anyone without that machine buys blocks from a supplier, and in that case it pays to keep them wrapped and in a dedicated freezer, because ice takes up the smell of everything next to it. A block that tastes of the freezer ruins any work done with the ice pick.

Care

Dry completely after every use, because steel in constant contact with water and air pits, and the points are the part that goes first. Store it with the points protected, not loose in a drawer with the other tools: it is dangerous to reach for in the dark and it is the fastest way to blunt the points against other metal.

FAQ

How many points does the Poseidon ice pick have? Three, aligned, to score a line instead of a point.

Is it for cubes? No, it is for opening large blocks: cubes only need a crusher or a mallet.

How do you avoid shattering the block? By scoring first with light, repeated strikes and only then increasing the force.

Does the grip slip with wet hands? It is rubber for exactly that reason.

How is it stored? Dry and with the points protected, not loose in a drawer.

The other ice working tools are in the ice accessories category.