Whether you’re preparing for a party, a family gathering, or just craving a cold drink on a hot day, waiting for beverages to chill in the refrigerator can feel like forever. Fortunately, there are several effective strategies to speed up the cooling process for drinks. Here’s how to cool your drinks faster in the fridge and ensure they’re ready when you need them.
1. Use Wet Paper Towels
One of the quickest and simplest ways to cool drinks in your refrigerator is to wrap them in wet paper towels before placing them inside. The moisture on the towel evaporates as it cools, accelerating the heat transfer from the beverage to the refrigerator. Here’s how to do it:
- Wrap the drink: Take a paper towel, soak it in cold water, and wrap it tightly around the bottle or can.
- Place it in the fridge: Put the wrapped drink in the refrigerator or freezer, and in about 10-15 minutes, your beverage will be noticeably cooler.
- Keep an eye on it: If using the freezer, monitor the drink to ensure it doesn’t freeze, especially with carbonated beverages.
2. Chill Drinks in the Freezer
If you’re really in a hurry, the freezer can be your best friend. Drinks chill much faster in the freezer because it operates at a lower temperature than the refrigerator. Here’s how to do it properly:
- Set a timer: Place your drinks in the freezer, but be sure to set a timer for 15-30 minutes depending on the size and type of beverage. You don’t want them to freeze and possibly explode (especially with carbonated drinks).
- Check regularly: After 10 minutes, check the drinks to ensure they are cooling without freezing.
3. Add Salt to Ice
Salt lowers the freezing point of water, which means you can create an ice bath that’s colder than regular ice water. This method is commonly used to chill beverages extremely fast, and here’s how it works:
- Fill a container: Get a large container or cooler, fill it with ice, and add cold water.
- Add salt: Stir in a few handfuls of salt, which will cause the ice to melt slightly and create a super-cold slushy mixture.
- Submerge the drinks: Place your bottles or cans in the ice bath, making sure they are fully submerged. In about 5-10 minutes, your drinks will be much colder than if placed in ice alone.
4. Use Ice Packs or Gel Packs
If you don’t have enough ice, ice packs or gel packs work just as well to cool drinks quickly. These are especially useful for chilling beverages in a small fridge or cooler. Here’s how:
- Surround the drinks: Place ice packs around your drinks in the fridge or a cooler to absorb heat quickly.
- Rotate the drinks: For faster cooling, rotate the drinks after 5-10 minutes to expose all sides to the cold.
5. Place Drinks Near the Fridge Vents
Most modern refrigerators have cooling vents that circulate cold air. Placing your drinks closer to these vents can help cool them faster because they are exposed to a direct flow of colder air. Here’s how:
- Locate the vents: Look for the cold air vents in your fridge—usually located near the back or sides.
- Arrange the drinks: Position the drinks closest to these areas for faster cooling.
6. Freeze the Glass First
A clever way to chill your drink instantly, especially for bottled or canned beverages, is to cool the glass or mug beforehand. Here’s how you can do it:
- Put glassware in the freezer: Place your glass, mug, or beer stein in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the drink: Once the glass is cold, pour your beverage into it for an instantly chilled drink.
7. Use Smaller Containers
The size and material of the container also affect how quickly your drink cools. A smaller bottle or can will cool down faster than a larger one due to its reduced volume. Here’s how you can take advantage of this:
- Use smaller bottles or cans: If you have the option, choose smaller containers for quicker chilling. A 12-ounce can will cool faster than a large 2-liter bottle.
- Choose aluminum over glass: Aluminum cans tend to cool faster than glass bottles, so opt for cans if you want your drinks cold quickly.
8. Pre-Chill with Ice
If you have time to prepare ahead of time, you can keep your refrigerator stocked with ice or frozen items, which helps maintain a consistently lower temperature. Here’s how this works:
- Store ice in the fridge: Keeping a few trays of ice or frozen gel packs in your refrigerator will lower the overall temperature, helping drinks cool faster when added.
- Add cold water bottles: You can also store filled water bottles in the fridge. These act as cooling agents when drinks are placed near them.
9. Rotate Drinks in the Fridge
When you place several drinks in the refrigerator at once, the ones placed in the coldest spots or near the back will cool faster. Rotate your drinks to ensure they cool evenly.
- Move the drinks around: After 10-15 minutes, rotate the bottles or cans to expose all sides to the cooler areas of the fridge.
