Big cubes are the latest trend in high-end cocktail bars because of their slower melt rate (less surface area) and curious look. This is a great home version that produces gorgeous 2x2 cubes. It does take a bit more effort to extract the cubes from the rubbery silicone material than traditional trays -- you have to sort of stretch and push them out -- but for big cubes it's actually advantageous to carefully slide them out this way, rather than "cracking" them out and risking fractures. You'll get the hang of it.
The BIG problem I had with this initially was that the cubes produced white "floaties" in the drink that left a rather waxy residue on the glass(!). I'm not making this up! What the heck are those? I googled it and it appears that this is a problem that some people experience with silicone trays. The best theory I found was that it's related to the effect silicone has on freezing certain types of water, perhaps condensing minerals on the surface of the cubes. It's just a theory. But I figured out a workaround which I am happy to share with the internet via this amazon review. If you experience this, just RINSE the cubes briefly before you drop them in the drink, and it will wash off the white reside. All good! I love my big cubes now. Tovolo 80-5521 King Cube Jumbo-Size Silicone Ice-Cube Tray, Blue
We're cocktail nerds and have worked with the 4 cube size of this Tovolo king cube trays. As already noted, it's a bit of a fight getting the cubes out, but they are nice big cubes.
Our upgrade from this was to the big Beaba "cubes" which are actually cylinder sections with rounded bottoms. That makes them pop out a lot easier and the tray is lidded. Beaba thinks their tray is for freezing baby food, but we mixies know better.
We do recommend the smaller cubed Tovolo tray which freezes up fast and the cubes pop right out. In general, a brand we've liked; it'd be great to see them come up with a lidded tray with rounded "cubes" for easier removal.
I bought two of these trays mainly to freeze cooking liquids (stocks, broths, wines, etc....) and they work just fine. Each cube is a little more than a 1/3 cup which is a pretty convenient size. After they are frozen the cubes don't slide out like a conventional hard plastic tray, but it's not really hard to get them out. I guess if you have a severe case of arthritis or carpel tunnel it might be an issue, but for most I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult. If you need big cubes get these trays!
No kidding. I put a little bit of chili (not too chunky) etc in here, cover w/ saran wrap, freeze and then break out into a quart freezer bag. For lunch I can put a cube or two with some rice (etc) and fresh veggies. Nice little portion and it helps keep the other stuff cold until lunch time. This is nice for me because I don't always want the same food two days in a row.
1) I read about these in the WSJ
2) I made my purchase through Amazon. The reviews looked good but I did have to stop and thing about two reviews that said, "funny taste", and "hard to get cubes out".
3) I decided that it wasn't a ton of money so I took the plunge
4) Wow! The cubes melt VERY slowly. I cube is over an hour, two cubes last longer
5) No funny taste
6) I just push up the cube from the bottom of the tray
7) This product is a winner!
I bought two of these trays with some trepidation, because numerous people had complained about how difficult they were to fill and place in the fridge without making a mess and how difficult it was to work the cubes out of their containers when frozen.
Even though, when it comes to manual dexterity, I have always considered myself to have two left hands, I had zero problems. I found that if you hold one of these trays filled to the brim with water by the middle of the short ends, you can lift them into the ice cube tray of your fridge without spilling hardly a drop. I've done it about 10 times already. Either I've been struck with an episode of never-before-experienced grace and poise, or it just isn't that difficult.
I braced myself for having to wrestle the cubes out of their containers, just as numerous reviewers here prepared me for. Good golly, my cubes popped right out. In fact, it was far easier to remove cubes from this tray than from a standard ice cube tray where you have to run hot water over the bottom and twist the tray to loosen the cubes to get them out. With this tray, a little wriggling and they pop right out. No muss, no fuss.
The virtues of a 2-inch square ice cube are immediately apparent. It takes a good 2 hours to melt, so your drink gets watered down a lot less quickly. When you have company, it's much easier to fix mixed drinks with these large, easy-to-extract cubes than it is with cubes half the size that must be run under hot water to remove from their tray.
For a price of about $10, there's a lot to like about these trays, and not a heck of a lot that could go wrong.
My husband is comitted to huge ice cubes made with distilled water. They melt slower and don't dilute drinks. Also our local tap water is vile. These make a perfect size cube and you can empty all six into a ziplock baggie and toss in freezer ready to use. The hard part is filling and transfering to the freezer without spilling as the trays are somewhat floppy. I solved this by using a small plastic tray underneath which supports the Tovolo on the way to and into the freezer.
I make some of my baby's food and needed something better than a regular ice tray to freeze portions in. This is perfect! Instead of regular 1 oz per cube portions like a regular tray, I get 2-2.5 oz portions to freeze (I haven't measured it exactly), but it works well. After freezing the babyfood, I just pop it out and store it in ziplock baggies/containers. - Baby Food - Silicone - Ice Cube Trays - Ice Cube'
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