Unleash Your Ice Cube Tray’s Hidden Potential: Fun and Unexpected Uses

The humble ice cube tray is a kitchen workhorse, but its talents extend far beyond crafting frosty companions for your drinks. With a little imagination, these handy trays transform into versatile tools for food storage, creative treats, and even fun crafts. Get ready to reinvent your perception of this everyday item with these unusual uses for ice cube trays.

Unusual Uses for Ice Cube Trays

Food Preservation and Prep Powerhouse (and who doesn’t love easier prep):

• Herb Garden on Hold: Don’t let leftover herbs go to waste! Finely chop them, add a drizzle of olive oil, and freeze them in cubes for a flavor boost in soups, stews, or sauces later.
• Pesto Portions Made Easy: Homemade pesto is a delicious time-saver, but making small batches can be inconvenient. Whip up a larger quantity, portion it into ice cube trays, and freeze for a ready-to-use pesto stash whenever you need it.  Here’s how I learned— the corporate executive chef at Universal once told me a good way to make and keep pesto is to make the pesto (completely or as a base to which you add garlic and pine nuts later on) at any rate – after blending the fresh pesto with olive oil, pour the pesto into an ice tray.  After it freezes, put the pesto cubes into a freezer bag…. Then when you want to make pesto, a little or a lot, you have frozen cubes as your base.
• Tomato Sauce Leftover Rescue Mission: Don’t toss leftover homemade tomato sauce, gravy,  chicken or vegetable stock! Freeze them in ice cube trays for effortless additions to future meals. These pre-portioned cubes are perfect for quick weeknight dinners.
• Coffee Chills Without the Thrill: Brew a pot of coffee and freeze it in ice cube trays. These coffee cubes will keep your iced coffee refreshingly cold without diluting its flavor.

Once you have the cubes frozen, you can pop them out and store in a covered freezer bin or strong storage bags!

Creative Treats and Drinks for the Adventurous Foodie:

• Fruity Ice Cubes for a Splash of Fun: Liven up your beverages with vibrant and flavorful ice cubes! Freeze sliced strawberries, blueberries, or kiwi in water or sparkling water for a delightful touch. you have leftover wine, make ice cubes for sangria or to cook with in the future
• Mini Marvels on a Spoon: Get creative and portion out small desserts like yogurt parfaits, mousses, or puddings into ice cube trays. These individual-sized treats are perfect for portion control or a quick and easy dessert. An ice cube tray is great for making miniature desserts, storing things like herbs or stock for easy use later on, and making unique ice cubes for cold drinks. Consider buying silicone ice cube trays; they make it easier to remove things when frozen. Once whatever you’re making is frozen, you can transfer the cubes to a ziplock bag for storage in the freezer. Here are some things to try. Miniature Cheese Cakes or Desserts
• Chocolate-Dipped Delights: Line an ice cube tray with parchment paper and fill each section with a small piece of fruit or a bite-sized piece of cake. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top and freeze for an irresistible and easy treat.

Beyond the Kitchen: Fun and Functional Uses:

• Seed Starting Sanctuary: Kickstart your spring garden with ice cube trays as mini greenhouses! Fill the compartments with potting mix and plant your seeds. Once they sprout, you can transplant them into larger pots. You might enjoy learning about Indoor Gardening as well, start here to begin.
• DIY Crayon Craze: Recycle broken crayons or colored wax by melting them in a double boiler and pouring them into ice cube trays. Add a pipe cleaner or string wick and freeze to create one-of-a-kind crayons for the little Picassos in your life.
• Portable Paint Palette: Freeze watercolors or acrylic paints in an ice cube tray for a mess-free and portable paint palette. This is perfect for outdoor painting adventures or keeping kids entertained.
• Fizz, Fizz, Whimsy! DIY Bath Bombs: Ice cube trays are the ideal mold for creating your own custom bath bombs. There are many online recipes that use simple ingredients like baking soda, citric acid, and essential oils.
• Indoor Ice Bowling Extravaganza: Looking for a fun indoor activity? Fill a small baking sheet with water and freeze to create a mini ice rink. Use a marble and an upside-down ice cube tray as a makeshift bowling set for some wintery fun.

New and Creative Trays

They even have mini ice cube trays for you now. You can grab them on Amazon here!

By tapping into your creativity, you can unlock a surprising number of uses for your ice cube trays. So next time you’re in the kitchen, consider the possibilities! These versatile tools can help you save time, money, and reduce waste, all while adding a touch of fun to your day.