The ice cube tray is a foreign object in many households because so many of us have ice makers in our refrigerators. So why should everyone have a few of these trays on hand? They can help preserve little bits of everything in perfect portions!
Here are just a few ways we use ice cube trays around our house:
- Over the summer when my herbs are in full swing, every week or so I always shred or chop enough to fill the ice cube tray, add a little bit of water to each cube and freeze them for the perfect portions to add to sauces I make that call for fresh herbs.*
Shredded Basil in cubes ready for spagetti sauce!
- Take what’s left of that bottle of wine from dinner and make “wine cubes.” These are perfect for sauces that call for just a splash of wine.*
- Ever have a recipe that calls for just a half of an onion or pepper? Chop the remaining half, place in ice cube tray, add a splash of water, freeze, and use in other recipes. Don’t let unused veggies go to waste!*
- If you’re having a party on a hot day, make ice cubes from the beverage you are serving. This helps keep the beverage cold with out being watered down.
- Probably the most fun I’ve had with ice cubes has been with my 20 month old son. I add several different colors of food coloring to the trays to make colored iced cubes and he plays with them in the bathtub. It is a great way for kids to learn colors and the mess goes down the drain!
(*After each of these are frozen, empty tray into a freezer bag and label with the contents and date.)
So head over to the dollar store and pick up a few of these to have this summer. They will definitely come in handy!
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I am a huge lover of the ice cube tray. We have a refrigerator with the ice cube thing and don’t need the trays but I have a stack of them. I use them when I make pesto sauce from leftover herbs, when I make lemonade and I put some in the cube trays and freeze them so that I can ice the drink without watering it down. I use them when I have leftover coffee and do the same thing that I do with lemonade so I don’t water down my iced coffee. I also use them like you do – for leftover herbs, leftover veggies. I have many types of cubes in my freezer, I do the wine thing too. A recipe calls for a tbsp or so of wine, I defrost a cube OR I just add it to the recipe straight from the freezer.