Nice, Ice, Baby!
November 19, 2013 5:57 PM   Subscribe

I am looking for the absolute most convenient, easiest to use, best, and well-engineered in ice tray/bin setups! Find me one like it was designed by Dyson!

Due to a recent move I find myself without my beloved automatic ice maker (I'll figure out how to run a water line from the basement some other time). I want a manual ice making setup that affords me the convenience I was once used to but now I lack. I'm imagining something with matching trays and a bin, and it's important that the trays are very easy to empty. I'd like to be able to empty them at the freezer and not have to walk across the kitchen to the sink and run it under hot water to loosen them up and hope that you thawed enough of the bottom that they don't crackandouhavehalfacubestillstucktothebottomofthecompartmentandAUUUGH! You get what I'm after.

Send me your links! Thanks!
posted by sourwookie to Food & Drink (17 answers total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
Honestly, this is one of those situations where the slightly fugly Rubbermaid model works best, specifically the Easy Release trays. There are fancier ones and prettier ones (metal, silicone) but they all have flaws.

I know people with old GE trays that they got from Habitat for Humanity, so perhaps look there.
posted by holgate at 6:23 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


I'm on this quest as well. I even got one of those old fashioned ones with a hinged metal separator which supposedly perfectly removes ice when you pull the lever. But it doesn't work so well, I own end up with crushed ice or I simply can't pull the lever. I haven't ever tried one, but I've always thought the new silicone ones would do the job, at least in theory. Especially the larger cube sized ones. I am also particularly interested in this vertical one. But again, haven't actually tried it.
posted by brenton at 6:23 PM on November 19, 2013


I've always just bought the cheapest, flimsiest ice cube trays and never needed to run them under water, because just twisting the tray causes the cubes to pop up out of their sockets.
posted by XMLicious at 6:25 PM on November 19, 2013 [3 favorites]


holgate, that aluminum one you linked is exactly the one I have. It is good, but definitely gives me trouble if I don't run it under water or let it heat up a bit.
posted by brenton at 6:28 PM on November 19, 2013


I've got 4 cheap trays (from Target maybe?) and I've never had half cube stickage. Pro tip - if you're stacking, don't fill the bottom trays too full or the cubes will stick to the tray above.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 6:28 PM on November 19, 2013


Oh, sorry, forgot to mention this one, which I'm connived will work as advertised.

http://amzn.com/B00BULLEN0
posted by brenton at 6:30 PM on November 19, 2013


It is good, but definitely gives me trouble if I don't run it under water or let it heat up a bit.

I know what you mean: waggle the waggler straight from the fridge and you get lots of half cubes with a layer of crushed ice.
posted by holgate at 6:36 PM on November 19, 2013


Response by poster: I wonder what the real world experience with this fancy-dancy number is like.
posted by sourwookie at 7:02 PM on November 19, 2013


I own the vertical tray brenton mentioned above, and I can't recommend it. It takes up too much space for the amount of ice it makes, the silicone lid warps slightly after a year so that the bottom layer gets more and more ballooned as time goes on, it's uncomfortable to dispense and messy to fill, the ice cubes are too small, and the silicone absorbs gassy freezer smells. It's probably one of the worst ice makers I've ever used.
posted by oceanjesse at 7:03 PM on November 19, 2013


Response by poster: I own the vertical tray brenton mentioned above, and I can't recommend it.


That's a shame because it looked so intriguing.
posted by sourwookie at 7:08 PM on November 19, 2013


Here's more information than you probably wanted to know about the best ice cube tray, the process of finding the best ice cube tray, and the science that determines what "Best ice cube tray" even means: The Sweethome

(Personally, I love the giant cubes suggested, as well as the smaller cubes. Going silicone is really the way to go.)
posted by CrystalDave at 7:15 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


I have a set of these:
link
Which I *love*! The ice cubes come right out with a poke of the finger. And they are nice sized cubes, so they last longer.
I let them sit on this to freeze:
link
And store them in a spare lock and lock container I have (which sits on the top 'shelf' on the above linked tray.
Its a pretty complaint-free setup, and this is coming from a former ice-maker haver. And it is pretty cheap!
posted by sleepykitties at 7:45 PM on November 19, 2013


When our automatic died, I discovered the next-best thing: a seven pound bag of ice is $1.20 at the nearby grocery, and fits nicely in a bin in the freezer. If you can't have the automatic maker, just buy it--such less hassle than cube trays, and so much more ice.
posted by mimi at 7:59 PM on November 19, 2013


Response by poster: I'm starting to come around to the bag-a-week idea. Too bad there is no local subscription service for delivery. Perhaps there's a business idea there...
posted by sourwookie at 8:12 PM on November 19, 2013


I've been using rinsed out Brown Cow yogurt containers to make giant ice a la fancy whiskey bars. The ice pops out with a little manhandling of the yogurt cup and keeps your drink cold for hours. Or at least an hour. Make-shift option while you ponder other choices?
posted by spamandkimchi at 9:18 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


Seconding mimi, just buy it. I love copious amounts of ice in everything, and after some testing, I've accepted it's impossible to make and store up enough for my need. My labor costs too much per minute to endlessly wrestle with ice cube trays when ice in a bag is soooo cheap. I've been pondering getting a dedicated lidded plastic bin to store it in in the freezer as the bag itself can be a bit of a pain when it's less than half full.

If you're a spirits fan, get a silicone mold for huge square cubes to put in your rocks glass, but otherwise, treat yourself to to $2/week of glorious, clear, copious ice.
posted by mostlymartha at 11:41 PM on November 19, 2013


I wonder what the real world experience with this fancy-dancy number is like.

Hey, I have exactly this! I like it a lot. It works as advertised, looks good when you pull it out, and holds enough ice for my needs. The ice within stays fresh and flipping the cube tray and giving it a good whack gets most of the cubes out. I usually still have to poke out a few manually - 4-5 perhaps? - but it's clean enough you probably wouldn't have to walk to the sink if you don't want to. More to the point, the bin tends to hold enough ice that I don't deal with the tray if I have people over: the tray is only over by the sink because I'm refilling it anyway.
posted by pahalial at 11:52 PM on November 19, 2013 [1 favorite]


« Older How might I squeeze a little extra mpg out of my...   |   You can check my nooks, but don't bother me. Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.