Why Ice Plays An Unexpectedly Important Role In How Bobby Flay Dines Out

Celebrity chef Bobby Flay has owned a few restaurants in his time – actually, it has been more than a few, since he still has a hand in two casino-based stand-alones (Brasserie B and Amalfi), one upscale fast food chain (Bobby's Burgers), and a ghost kitchen concept (Bobby Flay Steak, only available via delivery service Wonder). He has pretty high standards regarding how restaurants operate, so when he opines on the subject of crushed ice, you might want to listen. Flay is all for it, and a restaurant's use of it may even dictate what he orders.

Flay apparently has no ice crusher at home, at least not one that performs to his satisfaction. (If he has one in his refrigerator door and is disappointed with the results, I feel his pain, since that has been my experience, too.) As he told PopSugar in a 2017 interview, "I don't easily have crushed ice at home, so if I can get oysters or anything else served on ice, that's what I go for." His reasoning makes a lot of sense, as many professional chefs love to order restaurant dishes that they don't typically prepare for themselves at home.

Bobby Flay may only have mentioned oysters in the PopSugar interview, but his statement implied that he enjoys other types of seafood that come on a bed of crushed ice. That may include clams on the half shell, shrimp, crab legs, and lobster, while some menus might even feature seafood towers combining all of these items. Caviar, too, should be served atop crushed ice, and ice can even feature in the presentation of non-seafood dishes like chilled noodles, fruit salads, and crudités. Sometimes steak tartare will also come in a bowl embedded in crushed ice, although Flay's own recipe for the dish does not call for such treatment.

While Flay appreciates ice as a means for chilling his appetizer or entree, it serves as a main ingredient in some desserts. Crushed ice can be used to make Korean bingsu, Chinese baobing, Japanese kakigori, and Filipino halo-halo, along with American frozen treats like shaved ice, snow cones, and New Orleans-style sno-balls.

Crushed ice is also a crucial component of certain cocktails. These include the mint julep, Moscow mule, and anything with "smash" in the name. Even without easy access to an ice crusher, Flay seems to appreciate what crushed ice can do for a drink, as he includes it in the ingredients for his frozen mojito and mojito limeade.