If you love entertaining and having a great-tasting drink in your hand, you know there’s one thing you always need – plenty of ice! One of the most affordable and easy ways to ensure that you always have ice ready and waiting at home is to invest in silicon ice trays. Here are just a few of the many advantages of these great ice trays.
Benefits of Silicone Ice Cube Trays
1. They’re Easier to Use in Every Way
The first thing you’ll notice when you see a silicon ice tray is their flexibility. Unlike traditional plastic ices trays that are rigid, these trays are soft and slightly floppy, which makes it so much easier to remove frozen ice blocks. No more struggling for ten minutes over a sink to break the ice cubes free – and no more broken plastic ice trays as a result.
2. The Ice Cubes Just Come Out Better
Not only is it easier to get the ice cubes out of the tray, they retain their form better too. Using plastic ice trays, especially if you’ve struggled to get the ice blocks out, results in shattered and broken cubes more often than not.
3. There’s Far Less Wastage
Plastic ice cube trays are very solid and difficult to flex, so there tends to be significant wasted ice as a result of ice cubes shattering, jumping out of the tray to land on the floor, or simply sticking solidly in the tray. With silicon ice cube trays, the ice cubes are easier to remove, making it far less likely that they will shatter, break or fall on the floor when you’re preparing drinks.
4. They’re Safe, Healthy and Hygienic
Silicon ice trays don’t contain any harmful BPA (bisphenol A), a chemical often used in the production of many plastic products. Although they are soft and pliable, tests have shown that they don’t leach any chemicals into the ice itself, making them very safe and healthy as an alternative to traditional plastic ice trays. This also makes them ideal for freezing juice, wine, stock, soup and even baby food.
5. They’re a Great Way to Add a Pop of Color
If you love your home’s décor or have a color theme for your bar or event, then silicon ice cube trays can help you bring it all together. Silicon ice cube trays can be made in any color you enjoy, so it’s easy to co-ordinate them with your kitchen, bar or home’s style.
6. They Allow You to Get Creative with Flavor
Silicon ice trays are a healthy, safe way to prepare flavored ice cubes too, as they don’t absorb anything from the contents stored in them. This means that you can freeze different flavored ice cubes without worrying that the flavor will be affected by the silicon itself or previous flavored ice cubes. Some favorites for flavored ice cubes include lemon, lime and berries – great for cocktails or for adding a touch of taste to iced water!
7. You Can Get Creative with Shapes Too
Because silicon is so flexible and made from molds, there’s almost no end to the ice cube shapes you can produce. Even delicate shapes like hearts, stars and leaves are easy to make – and they come out really well because they’re so easy to remove. Small cubes are great for smoothies and crushed ice and are ideal if you don’t have a lot of time to freeze ice cubes before an event. Larger ice cubes are better for sustained cooling, as the larger the ice cube, the longer it takes to melt and cool a drink. This also makes them a great option for filling ice buckets for storing additional drinks for parties.
8. They’re Easy to Use
Silicon ice cube trays are very easy to use. Firstly, wash with warm water and soap, rinsing and drying it thoroughly. Then, pour in water until you reach just below the molding’s shape so that it doesn’t spill. Place in the freezer for 4-6 hours depending on the size of the ice cubes, as small ice cubes will freeze much more quickly than large ones. Once frozen, remove the silicon ice cube tray from the freezer and run warm water quickly over each side of the tray. Then hold it upside down over an ice bucket and press gently on the bottom of each cube through the silicon, causing it to release cleanly. Clean well before reusing.
As you can see, there are plenty of great reasons to consider choosing silicon ice cube trays when you’re looking for new accessories for your home!