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Frugality cubed -- creative ways with ice cube trays

Posted Jul 02 2009, 12:15 PM by Donna Freedman
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A friend of mine pours leftover coffee into ice-cube trays. The caffeinated cubes make first-rate iced coffee because they chill the beverage without diluting it.

That got me thinking about other ways to use ice cube trays -- and no, Jell-O shots don't count.

For example, you can save a lot of money by making your own baby food. Steam and puree vegetables (which you can mix with meat and/or rice or other grains if you like), or puree soft fresh fruits. As the baby gets older you can transition to leftovers from the grownups' table, chopping them a little more coarsely in a food mill and, eventually, with just a fork. If necessary, thin these foods with a little of the cooking water from vegetables. Freeze in ice cube trays and store the chunks o' grub in freezer bags or in repurposed plastic bags. Hint: Unless the bags are greasy with meat residue, they're easy to wash and reuse.

Speaking of that veggie cooking water: Even people without babies should save those nutrients. Freeze the liquid for use in homemade soups. If you do have kids, freeze some of the cubes extra-small and add one or two to a toddler's soup to cool it off.

A few other suggestions:
•    Freeze iced tea, lemonade or fruit juices for use in summertime drinks.
•    When a recipe calls for just a tablespoon of tomato paste, don't leave the rest of the can in the fridge to grow hair. Freeze it for future meals.
•    Don't think you can finish the milk before it goes bad? Freeze some or all of it, then thaw a couple of cubes at a time for morning oatmeal or coffee.
•    Freeze homemade pesto: It's easy to pull out just a couple of cubes for appetizers or to brighten up a jar of store-bought spaghetti sauce.
•    A brown-bagging reader freezes cookie dough in lumps, then bakes two each morning in her toaster oven. Why not freeze it in an ice cube tray?
•    Bananas, strawberries or other fresh fruit getting a little old? Puree and freeze, then add the cubes to smoothies (or thaw them for baby's dessert).
•    Don't rule out non-food uses. Crafters and DIYers have always known that ice cube trays are good for organizing beads and hardware. And with a handful of dried beans and an ice cube tray you're ready for a hot game of mancala, an African strategy game.

How about it, readers: Any other ideas for saving money this way?

Related reading:

Overcoming your cooking obstacles

Bargain shopping 101

I share my bedroom with a freezer

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Comments

 

I freeze my home-grown spinach and kale this way.   After it's blanched and chilled, I drain the greens and pack them into the ice cube trays, topping it up with a little cold 'green' water from the chilling. Once they are frozen, I pop the cubes into large ziplock bags. This way I can take any amount I need when cooking.

When I was a child, we used to make homemade 'popsicles' in ice cube trays. Instead of sugar-water, we froze juice.  We wrapped a piece of plastic bread bag around them, when eating them, because my mother did not have popsicle sticks!

Hannah (Posted 07.02.09 1:19 PM ) Report Abuse

I've read about this technique before and always kick myself for not putting it into practice!  

M in NM (Posted 07.02.09 2:38 PM ) Report Abuse

I freeze leftover chicken stock.  Each cube is about a tablespoon. When I saute veggies or meat  I throw a couple of cubes in the pan. You can then use significantly less oil and it adds a little flavor.

Sandy (Posted 07.02.09 2:55 PM ) Report Abuse

Hannah: The horticulturist at the Alaska Cooperative Extension program agrees with you. I'd forgotten that she told me she freezes kale in this way, and pops a few cubes into homemade soup right at the end of the cooking. It adds nutrition and color.

Sandy: What a good idea. I'll have to try that.

Thanks for reading Smart Spending.

Best regards,

Donna Freedman

Donna Freedman (Posted 07.02.09 3:22 PM ) Report Abuse

Soda that has gone flat can be frozen into cubes and then used either as a mini-popsicle or to cool down soda drinks. Ginger ale frozen into cubes is good added to iced tea. --Also, I have a couple ice cube trays on my bedroom dresser to sort small pieces of jewelry: pins, rings, earrings. I've done this for years. --You can use them to hold small amounts of paint for crafts and even mix some of the colors in an empty compartment.

This reminds me of a similar thing my father used to do. He had so many different kinds of medicine to take, some were only once a day, others were 2 or 3 times a day. Some medicines had to be taken on an empty stomach, others were to be taken with food. Some couldn't be taken at the same time as other medications. Anyway, he came up with his own system using an empty styrofoam egg carton. He taped a paper on the lid with the names of his meds and how they were to be taken. Then he would fill each egg cup with whatever medicine was to be taken. I don't know exactly what his system was, but it worked well for him. (He fastened the egg carton to a wooden board by pushing a thumbtack through the bottom of the four corner egg cups.) Every couple of days he would refill his egg carton. I think he said it was two days' worth of meds.

JellyCity (Posted 07.02.09 4:37 PM ) Report Abuse

I freeze white vinegar in ice cubes and put them in a large zip lock bag in freezer.  Once a week I grab 2-3 vinegar cubes and put down garbage disposal to clean and freshen it.

I make my own chicken stock and some I freeze in ice cubes and put in zip lock bag.  Comes in handy for lots of cooking especially if you want just a bit.  Great in mashed potatoes.  Lable bags good so you don't get the chicken stock confused with the vinegar.  Don't ask me how I know that...

jackie (Posted 07.02.09 8:14 PM ) Report Abuse

How cold do you have to keep your freezer in order to get solids?  If you're trying to cut back on your energy bill it probably won't be worth it.  

Jules (Posted 07.03.09 6:47 AM ) Report Abuse

@ Jules:  As long as your rubber door seals are in tact (no leaks), your freezer is fine.  It cools at the freezing temperature of 32 degrees F (0 degrees C).  Its cost effective and not running your electric bill any higher.  Its the HVAC that contributes to the majority of ones electric bill.

HaXiu (Posted 07.03.09 7:07 AM ) Report Abuse

If yogurt looks like it won't get eaten by the expiry date in my house, I freeze it for use in smoothies.  Mix a few cubes with some frozen berries or orange juice, and there's breakfast or a snack.

Hilary (Posted 07.03.09 12:11 PM ) Report Abuse

If you are gifted a whole lot of lemons at one time....freeze the juice of the excess lemons in icecube trays and take out individually for your ice tea etc.  The ice cube trick also works for fresh herbs......cut them up into water and freeze in the ice cube trays......take out for soups etc.

fetu (Posted 07.03.09 2:51 PM ) Report Abuse

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