Put This Underrated Kitchen Tool to Good Use.
One of the most underrated tools in your kitchen is the simple ice cube tray. You probably have a few in your freezer right now, busily making ice cubes, but do you use them for anything else? Maybe you have an automatic ice maker and have given up on trays completely. Here’s a collection of ice cube tray recipes to help change your mind.
This is my first time using silicone trays, in the past I have only used the cheap plastic trays. There really is no comparison. I found that using silicone is quite a bit easier than rigid plastic and the items come right out of the mold without twisting the tray like regular plastic. I have not had any trouble with an off smell or a white residue like some people have reported online. My Kuuk silicone ice cube trays have come in very handy!10 Ice Cube Tray Recipes to Try
1. Make lemon ginger tea cubes for colds – just add honey and hot water. I used my mandolin slicer to cut very thin slices of ginger and lemon. Combine together and placed in individual ice cube sections. Cover with filtered water and freeze. Once they are solid, remove them from the tray and place in a freezer bag. Next time you feel a cold coming on or want a refreshing drink, place a cube in a mug and add hot water and lemon to taste. This is especially good for sore throats.
2. Sometimes we don’t finish our yogurt before the expiration date. I’ve taken to freezing the leftover greek yogurt in the individual tray sections and then we use it in smoothies.
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3. Freeze Basil in olive oil (or any other herb) so you’ll have it for quick cooking days. Look at our post – 3 Ways to Preserve Basil – to learn how to do it.
4. Oil isn’t the only way to preserve herbs. They also make good herbed ice cubes. Just chop up that extra bit of cilantro, onion, or chives and give it a freeze in individual sections. They will pop right into the skillet the next time you need it.
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5. Use ice cube trays as a mold for rebatched soap. Here’s my recipe and directions. How to Make Hand Milled Soap
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6. I’ve experimented with various recipes for dishwasher tablets. This one from One Hundred Dollars a Month works pretty well.
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7. This idea to use an ice cube mold as a seed starter is pretty ingenious! See the post from Mr. Brown Thumb.
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8. Have leftover orange, lime, or lemon juice? Pour it into an ice cube tray and add it to flavor your water.
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9. Make natural chicken stock cubes from the post at The Cooking Geek.
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10. We always have bananas that get too ripe. Save that fruit that may go bad by cutting up sections and freezing it. You can add it to smoothies or use it as healthy fruit pops on a hot day.
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11. Make DIY Saute Cubes from your favorite herbs.
It turns out that there at least 50 other things that you can do with an icecube tray! If you find that the non-stick coating becomes too greasy, take a peek at this post and learn how to clean sticky silicone bakeware from Cleanipedia
These are the ones I have – Kuuk Silicone Ice Cube Trays in Blue and Green found at Amazon
#KuukSiliconeIceCubeTray #GotItForFree
I received a set of Kuuk silicone ice cube trays to try in my kitchen. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
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After you use that two tablespoons of tomato paste your recipe calls for, divvy out the rest of the can into cubes instead of letting it go bad in the fridge. I’m sure I’ve thrown out a gallon of tomato paste in my cooking adventures.