Ice Cube Trays Hacks


Who knew that you could use ice cube trays for more then just ice! They were originally created to keep our drinks cold but now people use them for much more. Here are only a few of the ways that you can use them; some are healthy, some are not.

1. You can use them with leftover/homemade broth. Just make some up or if you have leftovers you want to save pour them into the trays and let them freeze. Next time you want to create a soup or use your broth pop a few cubes out and put them in your pot of water.

2. You can add some homemade condiments or dressings into a tray and let it freeze. This will allow you to keep it for longer without it going bad. Just make sure to pop them out a few hours before you need it so then can thaw.

3. If you have children (or grandchildren) like mine you know that they can start a piece of fruit but not complete it. Well cut up the leftovers and freeze them! You can either add some sticks in there and some yogurt or juice to make a popsicle alternative or freeze just the fruit and add it to a smoothie that you make another day.

4. If you have fresh herbs you can freeze them in EVOO so they don't go to waste. You'll want to put twice as much herbs as you do oil in the container.

5. If you have a baby and make your own food then you can freeze the leftovers and thaw it out for next time. You can even freeze yogurt as well for a treat for mom or child.

6. If you make cookies a lot but tend to have leftover dough you can put the extra in the tray and make it convenient to have single servings when you are longing for another bite later on.

7. If you have a garbage disposal you know how sometimes they can start to smell. An easy solution for that is to cut lemons into slices and then into fourths. Add one slice (four quarters) into the tray and then fill it with vinegar. After they have completely frozen you can even put them into a bag for easier access.

Some of my favorite hacks are ones that you can don't necessarily have to freeze food for or even use food!

8. Use the container as a snack tray for kids. You can add in some fruits, vegetables, dips, crackers, etc. When I've tried this I've noticed my daughter will eat more then she normally does and will even try 'new' things!

9. Finger painting! Add in small amounts of paint to the different containers to minimize spillage. This way you can also avoid getting all of the colors mixed together.

10. You can use them as jewelry holders. To get even more creative look for fun shapes or sizes and if you only have a select amount of space available on your dresser or counter you can always stack the trays on top of each other.

11. If you have a silicone tray and lots of broken crayons you can always make some new ones. Just preheat the oven to 200 degrees, take the paper off of the crayons and make sure the pieces aren't too big. Put the silicone trays on a cookie sheet, you can overfill them a little since they are going to melt down and then just bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the crayons are completely melted. Be careful about removing them and let them completely cool before using.

Sources:

    Alyssa Russon
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2016
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