How to Choose an Ice Cube Tray
Pros
Ice cube trays are a good back up in your freezer in case you need extra ice or your ice maker stops functioning. They are very affordable and easy to use. Some ice cube trays allow the user to create specialized forms which are perfect for festive occasions.
Cons
Some ice cube trays, particularly the plastic ones, have a tendency to break and crack. In addition, they may leech toxic chemicals into the ice you consume. Silicon trays however can add an alien "taste" to the ice while metal trays have the highest purchase price.
Full Review
Using ice in our drinks is commom and can make what we imbibe much more pleasant and refreshing. Today, most of us have an ice maker built into our freezer but sometimes we need more ice than it can provide or we want an alternative for those times when it ceases to function properly. An ice cube tray is the simple and affordable alternative even to this day. Choosing an ice cube tray is a fairly simple task, but believe it or not, the one we select has both health and cost implications.
There are primarily three types of ice cube trays available on the market. Plastic, silicone, and metal ice cube trays. Each offers unique advantages as well as disadvantages that a shopper should consider.
Plastic Ice Cube Trays
Plastic ice cube trays offer affordability. They do a good job with the intended task of creating ice cubes. Simple enough. They are also readily available and light weight. Unfortunately, they can break after repeated freezing and twisting to release ice from their forms. This of course, has a negative influence on the overall cost, as users have to purchase new trays repeatedly over the years. However, this is not their primary drawback.
Probably the two more annoying problems with plastic ice cube trays are first, that it can be difficult to release the ice if you have limited strength or dexterity. Kids and the elderly for instance can have a hard time with a loaded plastic tray. Secondly, trays constructed from traditional plastic may allow toxic chemicals to leech through to the ice you make with them. Dioxin and BPA for instance are common in plastic and are known to be harmful, how much of it leeches into forming ice is unknown.
Silicone Ice Cube Trays
Silicone ice cube trays are an alternative to plastic. They also tend to be quite affordable although often a bit more expensive than plastic. They often create smaller cubes of ice, but this isn't necessarily a drawback. One of their primary advantages is that they allow the user to create ice in a wide variety of shapes. The flexibility of the silicone allows for a great deal of creativity and is perfect to use on festive occasions. In fact, silicone trays are also perfect for forming long cylindrical pieces of ice that can be used in bottles.
These flexible trays won't break as easily as plastic so they are rather durable. However, the negative aspects of silicone trays are that they sometimes transfer a bit of a "taste" to the ice that is formed and it can take quite a bit of time to remove the cubes from the tray. In many instances, these smaller specialty shaped cubes have to be removed one by one. For this reason, many people choose not to use these silicone trays for reqular use.
Metal Ice Cube Trays
Another popular option for ice cube trays, the metal version offers the best durability. They don't crack or split due to freezing and the operation doesn't require twisting as they have a release arm. Metal ice cube trays are either aluminum or stainless steel.
Both of these options can be a bit more expensive than plastic or silicone, but they are still quite affordable, especially if you realize that they will probably last a life time. Both types of metal trays help users to avoid leeching toxic chemicals and strange aftertaste in the ice they form. Both of these options also offer an easier release. By running cool water over the ice and pulling up the lever, ice is released without a herculean effort to twist the frozen form. Stainless ice trays offer the most durable and clean material although they are also the most expensive one. Some experts hypothesize that if highly alkaline water is frozen in an aluminum tray that it will form toxic aluminum hydroxide. Most water however is not highly alkaline. However, for those who always like to err on the safe side, stainless might still be the best option.
In Closing
In the end, if a user wants specialty ice cubes, silicone ice cube trays are the way to go. If however, they want larger ice cubes, easier operation, and freedom from the chance of toxic leeching, metal ice cube trays, especially stainless steel, are the better choice. Cost differences, especially over the long term, are insignificant.
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Comments
I don't think I have owned an ice cube tray for twenty years! I did not know they made silicone ones.
You may want to look at yard sales for old metal ice cube trays. They can even be resold on Ebay!
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