Hospital stays can be really stressful for the patient and for the whole family as well. There is an increasing tension with the thought of getting into surgery. To release this tension and stress a bit hospital provides the patients with ice chips to munch on.
But what are ice chips? Ice chips are small, thin shards or pieces of ice that are easy to chew and munch without much effort required from your teeth and jaw. Ice chips of hospital are used for many purposes like hydration, stress relief, cold compresses.
Uses of Ice Chips
Whenever we think or hear about ice chips or ice cubes the only thing that comes to our mind is drinks. We mostly think that ice cubes and chips are primarily used to make drinks colder. But the reality is far from it. Ice cubes and ice chips are used in many other industries as well other than the food industry.
Hospitals and health care facilities use ice chips, sports complexes and facilities use ice chips for cold compresses and cold-water baths and ice flakes are used in raw fish and salad displays in markets.
Uses of ice chips in Hospital:
- Hospital ice chips are used to hydrate patients that have difficulty drinking water, as ice chips are quickly melted and easy to chew it is convenient for the patient to munch on them and keep hydrated.
- It provides a soothing effect to patients that are going into surgery.
- It helps cure mouth sores and oral mucositis.
- Helps subside the feeling of nausea.
- Ice Chips are used as cold compresses for concussion and injury.
- Ice Chips also help relieve joint pain.
The use of Ice Chips in hospitals is very frequent that almost 10 pounds of ice chips are required per day for every patient.
Due to the increased need for ice chips in hospitals, ice chips machines are installed in every hospital for easy access. The machine makes ice chips in thin shards or pieces which are easy and convenient for medical purposes. The produced ice chips from the machine are stored in the ice chamber at 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
How To Make Ice Chips At Home
Even after you are discharged from the hospital, you can sometimes crave the ice chips available in the hospitals. These ice chips are really easy to make at home, although they may taste and feel a bit different from hospital ice chips, they can fulfil your desire to munch on the ice.
Here is a step-by-step guide to making ice chips at home:
Ingredients needed:
- Flat tray or cookie sheet
- Refrigerator
- Drinking water
Steps to follow:
- Pour drinking water into the tray.
- The level of water should be according to the thickness of the ice chips you want.
- Place the tray in the freezer.
- Let it freeze solid for 30-45 min in the freezer.
- Make sure the refrigerator is working properly and the freezer is capable to provide a temperature of –2 degrees Fahrenheit.
- After 30-45 min take out the tray from the freezer.
- Twist or shake the tray to break the ice into shards.
- Pour the chips into container and enjoy.
Ice chips are really easy to make at home and by making them yourself, you can also add some flavour to the ice chips if you want. It is more easily and quickly made than the ice cubes which takes about 3-4 hours in the freezer to make.
Why make Ice Chips and not Ice Cubes?
While ice cubes are more readily available in households, ice chips can be a better option in many ways like they are easy to munch and melt a lot quicker than ice cubes. It freezes quickly which can help you when you are hosting a party and need a lot of ice. It can help you satisfy your cravings as you can have ice chips to munch on. Benefits of making ice chips at home are:
- Ice chips freeze quicker than ice cubes.
- Can be stored in less space.
- Thin shards are easy to munch on.
- Freezes quickly so you can enjoy it a lot quicker in cocktails and drinks.
Conclusion
Ice Chips are very easy to use and convenient for many medical purposes. An easy way to make these ice chips at home is stated above which can really help with every household. Try making hospital ice chips at home from using the method mentioned above if you are craving to munch on some ice chips.
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