ice cube tray preserving
“This is one of the very best real-food kitchen hacks that I have discovered. It is seriously life-changing, and I totally feel a small sense of victory every time I grab a couple of broth cubes from the freezer now.” - Beth of Red and Honey
Now that built in ice makers are pretty common, you might think ice cube trays are a thing of the past. No way! Ice cube trays are good for a lot more than making ice. They're an absolutely brilliant way to preserve small portions and leftovers, reducing waste and increase efficiency, not to mention creativity, in your kitchen. Especially when the trays are made of stainless steel. Not your grandmother's ice cube trays, stainless steel trays are strong and durable, easy to sanitize, and don't absorb the colors or flavors of whatever you put in.
Consider trying some of these fresh ideas from one of our favorite bloggers (get the full list of 18 here).
Homemade Broth
I thought, “Why not use an ice cube tray to make my own frozen version of bouillon cubes?!” Yep. Lightbulb moment! I make my broth highly concentrated by letting the liquid reduce by at least two thirds of normal, then pour my broth in jars and stick them in the fridge until they’re cooled, and then when I get a spare moment, I do the ice cube tray thing.
Herbs
I am forever buying fresh herbs at the store, and then letting them die a slow and painful death in my fridge. I have the best of intentions… but, well, ya know how it goes. Next time, instead of letting them wilt in your produce drawer, just chop up your extras and put them in an ice cube tray. Fill the tray with extra-virgin olive oil or water. (I like to use water because EVOO is actually not the best for cooking due to its low smoke point. You could use avocado oil or coconut oil, if you’d like!)
Wine
Believe it or not – leftover wine is not always an oxymoron. I had a particular bottle of white wine in my fridge recently that we didn’t care for, after trying it. I poured the remainder into an ice cube tray, and now I have wine cubes on hand for cooking! I love cooking with wine – it adds such a great depth of flavor to so many dishes.
Leftover Tomato Paste or Sauce
In my ideal world, I grow and harvest hundreds of pounds of tomatoes each summer, then can them in glass jars in various states so that all of my paste and sauce needs are adequately covered without a trace of BPA to be had. Unfortunately, however, I still reside in reality, and my kitchen cupboards regularly hold canned tomato paste and sauce. When I open a can, I inevitably have a wee bit leftover. It would be a shame to let it go to waste, so just pop it into a couple of ice cube slots, and store the cubes in the freezer until next time!
Leftover Fruit for Smoothies
Wasting fresh fruit gets expensive fast, so just pop those random bits and pieces into an ice cube tray to freeze for your next smoothie-making session! You can also freeze other smoothie ingredients, like spinach and kale, or other smoothie-friendly veggies
Aloe Vera
This is one of my absolute favorites on the list. I’m a fair-skinned, blue-eyed, redhead with Irish ancestry. I’m basically a pale sun-magnet lobster, which leads me to… aloe vera cubes! SO BRILLIANT. Freeze the gel, and you have instant cold, medicinal sunburn relief available in your freezer all summer long.
Inspired? Leave a comment below and tell us about your coolest ice cube tray idea, and support your school in our current challenge!
Follow Beth's pursuit of The Art of Valiant Living in her blog, Red and Honey. She has chosen to embrace non-mainstream choices on her journey, road-trippin’ around life as she calls it, embracing natural living, real foods, eco-friendliness, gentle parenting, and natural health.
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