These 7 essential kitchen ice cube recipes are a game-changer in the kitchen. They are also a great way to save money by not throwing away unused food.
The key to success with this is to have a section of your freezer that is designated for your ice cubes and has clearly marked packaging.
On my blog Living Large in A Small House, I may sometimes use affiliate links, which means a small commission is earned if you make a purchase via the link. The price will be the same whether you use the affiliate link or go directly to the vendor’s website using a non-affiliate link. You can find my full Disclosure Policy HERE
7 Essential Kitchen Ice Cube Recipes
Imagine having the fresh flavor of basil ready to use in the dead of winter! Taking the time to do a little prep in the kitchen will be a time-saver for many meals to come.
Having ice cube recipes prepared and ready to use is a must in my kitchen. It saves me time and saves me money because I don’t throw away unused food.
1. Herbed Ice Cubes
When I purchase fresh herbs from the store, it’s always more than I will use in my recipes so I chop everything up and make ice cubes with the left-overs and they are available and ready for me to pull out of the freezer for future recipes.
Basil, Oregano, Cilantro, Thyme, and Rosemary are just a few of the herbs that can be stored in the freezer with either water or olive oil in an ice cube. Chives, peppers, and onions, I just chop and put directly into a storage container to freeze. You can break off what you need and put the container right back into the freezer.
Mint in an ice cube is so yummy and refreshing in a glass of water or iced tea.
4 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
2. Buttermilk
Again, you can’t just buy a 1/2 cup of buttermilk so I use what I need and then I freeze 1 tablespoon in each ice cube square so that they are pre-measured for my recipes. My favorite homemade ranch dressing recipe uses buttermilk so I love having this in my freezer. You can find the recipe HERE
3. Wine Cubes
That last bit of wine that no one drank from a bottle? It doesn’t go to waste in my house. Measuring it out into tablespoons for your cubes makes popping it into recipes so easy and already measured.
4. Fruit Cubes
If you like me, buy fruit every week, I find that by Friday I always have some extra. I know that it won’t get eaten over the weekend so I pop the fruit into ice cube trays with water and I have refreshing cubes to liven up my water or glass of sparkling wine over the weekend. You can do the same with lemons and limes. Many recipes call for the juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime so the rest get sliced up and made into cubes in our house. A flavored ice cube just adds something extra special to drinks.
5. Gravy Cubes
There is always leftover gravy from Sunday dinner at our house. Pop them into cubes and you have either quick gravy for a weeknight meal or added flavor for stews or soups.
6. Left-Over Coffee Cubes
We tend to just use single-serve but occasionally I make a full pot in my SMEG Coffee Pot. There always seems to be some left. Put them into ice cube trays and you will have them available for iced coffee that doesn’t get watered down. If you’re looking for some great coffee recipes, you can find them HERE
7. Eggs
We have chickens and in the warm months, that means more eggs than we can use. Yes, I store the eggs in ice cube trays. There are a couple of ways to do this. For eggs that I will use for scrambling or putting into the recipe, I lightly whisk the egg and pour each egg into an ice cube tray section.
Because my Caesar Salad recipe calls for one egg yolk, I also freeze the yolks individually and then whisk the whites and freeze them for egg white scrambles. You can find my Caesar Salad Recipe HERE
How to Properly Freeze
Using silicone ice cube molds is the easiest way to freeze. The cube easily pops out of these kinds of molds. If you are going to use a traditional ice bute tray, you can spray them with cooking oil spray to make the job of removing your cube from the tray easier.
Tools you’ll need
Freezing your molds or trays on a cooking sheet will keep them more upright in your freezer. It also makes putting them in and taking them out easier. Using a glass measuring cup with a lip makes pouring water into the molds easier. You can also use a measuring cup if you’re using oil.
Freezing takes about 2-3 hours depending on what you are freezing. Once they are solidly frozen, you will want to remove them from the molds or tray and put them into a storage bag or container, and clearly mark what is inside.
I set a timer because I tend to forget and being in the freezer too long can cause ice and discoloration. I also like to have my ice cube trays clean and ready to go the next time I need them. 🙂
Thawing
Most of these cubes you can put directly into a recipe or drink. For the eggs and buttermilk, I would suggest pulling them out and letting them thaw in the refrigerator for a day before you use them. However, you definitely want to use it within a 24-hour window.
Fresh From the Garden
With it being summer and I grow all the things in my veggie garden, I will be stepping up my freezing game soon. I will be preserving as much as I possibly can. I will be canning, drying, and freezing. You can find out more about how I preserve our food HERE.
These are just the 7 essential kitchen ice cube recipes that I use. I’m sure there are others. If there is something that you freeze to use later, please leave it in the comments below.
Peace,
