Creative Uses for Ice Cube Trays

Most modern refrigerators have automatic ice makers, and ice cube trays are slowly becoming an extinct tool in the kitchen. Yet there are many ways to utilize ice cube trays for convenience and flavor in your meals. They're inexpensive and available at just about any store. Stock up on a few today and try some of these creative ideas to fill them up.

Fill trays with your family's favorite juices. Use them to keep juices chilled without watering them down. You can also place lemon wedges and mint leaves in the trays and fill with water or iced tea for a pretty and pleasing ice cube. Use your imagination and make ice out of lime and basil leaves, orange and thyme, grapefruit and pomegranate juice. The possibilities are endless.

Cool down your homemade stocks and freeze them in ice cube trays. Empty them into plastic freezer bags and use whenever you want to add stock to pan sauces, soups, and more. You can also save leftover sauces in the freezer trays for later use.

If you have wine that you're not going to be able to finish in a couple of days, freeze the remainder. It does freeze fairly well in trays and you can thaw it out to use in cooking.

Puree vegetables and fruits and freeze them in your trays. They're great for feeding infants and toddlers, thawing and using in baked goods such as muffins or pancakes, or blending into smoothies and frozen yogurt shakes for healthy sweet treats. You can also freeze leftover smoothies in the trays for a cool treat for teething toddlers or just to add to a new batch.

Freeze pestos and other types of sauces into ice cube trays for quick convenience, and freeze in freezer baggies. You might not always want to defrost or use a large container of sauce, especially if you just want it to flavor or accent a dish, salad dressing, or casserole.

If you're leaving the house for a few days and have a few dairy products that will go bad, freeze them in ice cube trays for storage. Nobody wants to waste food just because they have to leave town. Items such as sour cream, buttermilk, milk and yogurt can freeze quite well if they will be used in cooking or baked goods.

It's a great idea to invest in some ice cube trays and experiment with some of these ideas or your own combinations of ingredients. No matter how you freeze it, it's a compact, convenient and cost effective way to make the most out of a simple kitchen tool.