It’s ankles-out season, which implies it’s iced espresso season, lemonade season, cheeky-white-wine-over-ice season—actually, iced every thing season. And meaning it’s time to consider ice cubes. Too usually, ice is an afterthought: outdated, scraped from a freezer bin, melted right into a brick, weirdly stale-tasting, sort of lumpy. However ice at house may be good!

What makes a fantastic ice dice tray? First, the trays needs to be straightforward to fill and maneuver into the freezer—the freezer is the final place you need wobbles or spills. It must also be pretty straightforward to come out the cubes; the cubes ought to stay intact and the tray ought to cooperate. (That’s, no shattering or flying cubes.) After all, the ice ought to style good! This partially has to do along with your water, however the materials the ice dice tray is manufactured from performs an vital position, as some are extra susceptible to absorbing “off” freezer odors over time, odors that journey from the trays to the ice after which to your chilly brew, Negroni, or tall, cool drink of water. 

We put 12 ice dice trays—well-known manufacturers and newcomers, bestsellers, dear and finances choices, in a spread of shapes, sizes, supplies, and kinds (together with some funky ones!)—to the check to search out out which ice dice trays are the perfect.

The Winners, at a Look

The PHINOX ice dice tray is a thrill to make use of. It’s genuinely enjoyable, like popping bubble wrap, because of the design, which does away with seemingly all of the irritating options of different ice dice trays. The ice is simple to launch, and the bin holds a cocktail party’s value of ice.

This tray-and-bin combo wins the award for best-looking ice dice tray. It carried out properly, too: Plastic bin and lid plus thick silicone ice dice tray equals crisp-edged ice cubes and minimal freezer odor.

For those who’re in search of the perfect model of an old-school, if-it-ain’t-broke ice dice tray, look no additional than the sturdy, no-frills Kitch Straightforward Launch tray. True to its title, the generously sized ice cubes come out with virtually no effort however don’t leap from the tray like ice cubes from comparable basic trays are inclined to. 

A hidden chrome steel body helps this silicone ice dice tray maintain its form, individually molded divots make coming out single cubes easy, and a well-fitting silicone lid helps hold out “off” flavors and mysterious freezer particles.

Life is about small joys, no? And this ice dice tray, which makes tiny, completely spherical ice, was undoubtedly a supply of enjoyment throughout testing. Senior commerce editor Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, who already owns this ice dice tray, notes that it brings her “infinite pleasure.”

The Exams

• Fill and Carry Take a look at: We crammed every ice dice tray with water and carried it to the freezer. We held the ice dice tray with one hand whereas opening the door, then positioned the tray in an accessible spot. (We examined utilizing a standard-size front-loading freezer with a door, versus a top-loading, drawer-type, or chest freezer.) We assessed whether or not it was straightforward to fill every tray evenly, what it was like to suit on lids when relevant, and whether or not the tray wobbled or spilled on its journey to the freezer.
• Launch and Chill Take a look at: We famous what it was wish to launch the ice cubes from every tray: Did it require quite a lot of effort? Was it intuitive? Did the ice come out cleanly, or have been there cracks or shards? Then we crammed a 10-ounce tumbler with as a lot ice as it will maintain, topped it off with room-temperature (about 70°F) water, and noticed how lengthy it took the ice to soften. 
• Style Take a look at: We crammed up the finalist trays with a contemporary batch of ice and allow them to sit within the freezer for per week. Then we plopped them into glasses of water and sipped to see if we might discern any “off” flavors that had traveled from the freezer to the ice dice trays and the ice cubes themselves.
• Common Use/Wash Take a look at: We famous how straightforward it was to scrub every of the best-so-far trays and some other included elements, like lids, bins, and scoops. We additionally thought-about the make of every tray, whether or not they appeared lower out for each day use, and what it was like to make use of them total.

What We Realized

Silicone Was the Finest Materials for Particular Ice Shapes

Desire a actually huge ice dice? What about an ideal dice? What a couple of particular form? Silicone ice molds, just like the W&P Peak Silicone On a regular basis Ice Tray, are the way in which to go. The versatile materials held its form throughout testing however was nonetheless straightforward to twist and switch for unmolding.

Plastic Was the Finest Materials for Protecting Out Odors and Flavors

A thicker plastic tray, just like the ice dice tray from Kitch, does a greater job of stopping the odor and style of the freezer from touring into ice and ice dice trays than silicone, which may be an odor magnet! If a plastic ice dice tray begins to tackle smells, give it a run by the dishwasher (prime rack, please) and you need to be again in enterprise. Silicone is a little bit trickier: Place the silicone ice dice tray (be sure it’s 100% silicone) on a baking sheet, then bake for half-hour in a 350°F oven. Let cool utterly, then wash with cleaning soap and water and refill.

Are Lids and Bins Essential for Ice Dice Trays?

So long as they’re well-made, they are often very useful. Tight-fitting lids and bins (stackable with the ice dice tray, ideally) imply you possibly can replenish on ice. In addition they defend ice from these dreaded freezer odors. 4 out of our 5 winners (the PHINOX, the W&P Ice Field, the W&P Peak, and the WIBIMEN) had lids that have been well-fitting and well-made, and three out of 5 had thoughtfully designed bins. However just a few of the ice dice trays we examined (just like the ice dice trays from Williams Sonoma, DOUQAS, Gorilla Grip, and OXO) had lids and/or bins that both have been troublesome or felt flimsy; this was off-putting sufficient to knock them out of the competitors. 

What’s the Finest Measurement and Form for Ice Dice Trays?

That is determined by your freezer, your stage of ice consumption, and what you’re utilizing ice for. When searching for ice dice trays, take into account what you’ll be making along with your ice and the way a lot ice you actually use. For those who’re a Friday-night cocktail sort of individual, you in all probability simply want one or two ice dice trays. For those who’re an ice water devotee or a each day iced espresso drinker, you’re doubtless of the opinion that the extra ice cubes, the higher. How usually do you need to make ice? If the reply will not be fairly often (and if the thought of operating out of ice makes your blood go chilly), quite a lot of ice dice trays and/or a storage bin may be good concepts. 

The place Do Specialty Ice Dice Trays Slot in Right here? What’s Definitely worth the Splurge—or Not?

An important consideration right here is whether or not or not you’ll truly use it. A lot about ice cubes comes down to private desire and hydration routines. For instance, for those who drink water largely out of reusable water bottles and it’s gotta be chilly, an ice dice tray that particularly makes lengthy, skinny ice cubes for water bottles may be nice for you! 

The Standards: What to Search for in an Ice Dice Tray 

The perfect ice dice trays have been straightforward to fill evenly, didn’t wobble or spill on the journey to the freezer, and have been steady within the freezer. The ice cubes launched with out a lot effort and with out cracking or splintering. After per week within the freezer, the cubes from the perfect trays smelled and tasted impartial. Lastly, the perfect ice dice trays washed up simply.

Our Favourite Ice Dice Trays

What we preferred: A inflexible plastic rim provides construction to the 2 ice dice trays, every of which has 32 individually molded mushy plastic cubes. The trays stack neatly on prime of one another and perch sturdily on prime of a storage bin. A lid matches on prime of the trays, minimizing the potential for spills. However better of all is releasing the ice cubes, which you do by flipping every tray the other way up on prime of the bin, inserting the lid on prime, then urgent gently down. Little prongs on the lid poke every ice dice out concurrently—no twisting, no straining, no have to run below chilly water. The bin holds as much as 120 cubes at a time, and delicate handles make it straightforward to tug out of the freezer with out jutting out and taking on more room.

What we didn’t like: We preferred virtually every thing about this ice dice tray, but when it has one downside, it’s its measurement. Totally assembled—bin plus two ice dice trays plus the lid—the PHINOX is fairly huge: 10 inches lengthy, 5 inches extensive, and 5.75 inches tall when stacked with the ice dice trays. That’s a dedication, particularly for those who usually end up jostling for house within the freezer. The plastic is BPA-free, however the trays are usually not dishwasher-safe.

Key Specs

• Materials: BPA-free plastic
• Dimensions: 10 x 5 x 4.25 inches as simply the bin and the lid, and 5.75 inches when stacked with the ice dice trays
• Measurement and form of ice: 0.7 x 0.9-inch barely rounded cubes
• Variety of cubes per tray: 32 cubes per tray (2 trays included)
• Care: Hand-wash solely

What we preferred: This man is sturdy, smooth, and good-looking, with a darkish grey ice dice tray manufactured from thick silicone and a frosted plastic bin and lid, all of which stack collectively. The tray makes 32 one-inch cubes at a time, and the bin can maintain almost 100 cubes—however the entire operation is surprisingly, pleasingly compact. 

What we didn’t like: The thick silicone helped make this ice dice tray-and-bin combo really feel extra steady than many different silicone ice dice trays—no probability of spilling, tipping, or bending right here—however the draw back was that the ice cubes have been a bit tough to launch from the tray. Becoming collectively the bin, tray, and lid took a little bit finesse, too.

Key Specs

• Materials: Lead-free silicone, BPA-free plastic
• Dimensions: 9 x 4.5 x 3.25 inches as simply the bin and the lid, and 4.5 inches when stacked with the ice dice tray
• Measurement and form of ice: 1-inch cubes
• Variety of cubes per tray: 32 cubes
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

What we preferred: These reasonably priced, BPA-free, dishwasher-safe plastic trays, which are available in a set of 4, are light-weight however sturdy, with handy thumb holds; they’re straightforward to fill and to hold to the freezer with one hand with none wobbling or spilling. Each one of many ice cubes launched cleanly—no cracking or splintering—with a easy twist of the tray, and so they have been straightforward to take away one after the other as soon as launched from the tray. All the above makes the Kitch trays an excellent decide for folk with hand mobility considerations. The trays stack neatly, so when you’ve got the house, you possibly can make all 4 trays’ value directly. These have been among the many largest ice cubes we examined and made a beneficiant variety of cubes per tray (16!). Yet another factor: These easy-to-wash and dishwasher-safe trays can be nice for folk who wish to freeze issues apart from water (like pesto or broth) in ice dice trays.

What we didn’t like: Neither the ice nor the tray picked up any odors after per week within the freezer, nevertheless it’s doubtless that they’d ultimately (and don’t have any sort of lid or bin to guard them). That may simply be the destiny of ice dice trays!

Key Specs

• Materials: BPA-free plastic 
• Dimensions: 12 x 4 x 6 inches
• Measurement and form of ice: Barely rounded rectangles, about 1.25 x 2 inches 
• Variety of cubes per tray: 16 (4 trays included)
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

What we preferred: If it’s huge, excellent cubes you’re after, you’ll want a silicone ice dice tray. The perfect we examined was the W&P Peak Silicone On a regular basis Ice Tray with Protecting Lid. Every dice is molded individually, so it’s straightforward to come out simply as many as you want—ultimate for folk who need to sip one thing chilly and powerful from a rocks glass. A silicone lid matches the ice dice tray properly, serving to to maintain out any stray freezer crumbs or smells. And better of all, the tray has a hidden chrome steel body in its rim, which provides the soundness that many silicone ice dice trays lack and helps the W&P mannequin transfer easily from sink to freezer with out tipping. 

What we didn’t like: These trays are a few of the priciest we examined. The person dice molds are virtually too versatile; in locations the place the tray sat on an uneven floor, some cubes have been much less completely cube-y than others. The W&P tray was straightforward to scrub by hand, nevertheless it was additionally the one one which picked up odor from the freezer, though the ice cubes remained neutral-smelling and -tasting.

Key Specs

• Materials: BPA-free, lead-free, dishwasher-safe silicone 
• Dimensions: 7.63 x 5.63 x 1.63 inches
• Measurement and form of ice: 1.25-inch cubes
• Variety of cubes per tray: 12
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

What we preferred: This set (which incorporates two plastic trays, a lidded plastic bin, and a scoop) produced notable pleasure within the form of 0.8-inch spheres of ice. FUN! Is it essentially the most sensible ice-making system in your each day wants? In all probability not, nevertheless it was straightforward to make use of and compact, and the bin was sturdy and handy. As senior commerce editor Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, who has this ice dice tray at house, says, “I’ve owned this ice dice tray for about two years and it is held up! The small orbs of ice deliver me infinite pleasure. I like to make use of them for cocktails (like an Aperol spritz!) and so they jazz up even seltzer water.” These little spheres would make an excellent substitute for crushed ice in a cocktail.

What we didn’t like: Determining simply how a lot water so as to add to get excellent spheres takes follow (NBD, it’s simply ice and also you’ll get the dangle of it!). The primary time we pressed the lid of the ice tray down, it squirted us! (Simply do that half over the sink.) The tray covers are a bit tough to get on and off.

Key Specs

• Materials: BPA-free plastic 
• Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.49 x 2.95 inches
• Measurement and form of ice: 0.80-inch spheres
• Variety of cubes per tray: 33 (2 trays included)
• Care: Hand-wash solely

The Competitors

• OXO Good Grips Ice Dice Tray: We didn’t like this ice dice tray from OXO one bit! We discovered the sliding lid, meant to maintain out odors and dispense solely as a lot ice as you need at a time, stiff and bothersome, and the cubes routinely splintered after we tried to launch them.   
• Gorilla Grip Stackable Ice Dice Tray and Bin: This set of lidded trays with a bin was nice in some respects—it might make and retailer quite a lot of ice at a time—however the stiff tray was arduous to twist so as to launch the cubes, and the lids on the trays felt flimsy.
• Tovolo Excellent Ice Dice Tray: contender within the silicone ice dice tray division, however very tippy and susceptible to spilling. (Additionally, by nature of it being silicone, it was susceptible to smelling just like the freezer.)
• Williams Sonoma Excellent Ice Dice Tray With Lid: This silicone tray was sturdier than the Tovolo, however we couldn’t get the plastic lid to remain on after freezing.
• Rubbermaid Fast Launch Ice Dice Tray: This tray from Rubbermaid is a steal at below $3 a pop, and the cubes launched simply throughout testing. However the Kitch ice dice tray, our winner within the basic class, is very comparable and noticeably higher on just a few fronts (larger cubes, sturdier tray, made within the USA). 
• Rubbermaid Plastic Ice Dice Tray: These felt flimsy and low cost. The ice cubes did launch extraordinarily simply—so simply that they barely stayed within the tray! 
• DOQAUS Ice Dice Trays: These had an identical fundamental development to our profitable tray from PHINOX, however have been much less compact and got here and not using a bin, and considerably extra effort was required to launch the ice from the trays.

FAQs

How do you get ice cubes to freeze clear?

It’s not really easy! Making ice utilizing boiled water will get you pretty shut in a daily ice dice tray. Needless to say silicone will stand as much as boiling temperatures however plastic may soften. For those who’re actually set on it, you’ll want insulated ice dice trays, which freeze from the highest down. When ice freezes in a single course—versus from all sides concurrently, because it does in most ice dice trays—the frozen water pushes impurities, which trigger cloudiness, away from the middle of the dice, creating clear ice. You can additionally use this snazzy factor.

What’s the perfect form of ice for cocktails?

It is determined by the sort of cocktail! For spirits or spirit-forward drinks like Negronis, larger ice cubes are greatest, as they soften the slowest, that means your cocktail doesn’t get as diluted. If you wish to get actually technical, spheres soften the slowest; listed below are the perfect sphere ice dice molds we examined.) For slushy cocktails like mint juleps, crushed ice (or pebble ice) is the factor. Highballs and spritzes get mid-sized cubes. And you need to use any sort of ice to shake cocktails, because you’ll pressure it out anyway. Right here’s a little bit extra info on what sort of ice is greatest for which cocktails.

What’s pebble ice?

Pebble ice is basically small, rounded bits of ice, usually with a nubbly texture. It’s typically known as pellet ice or nugget ice and is usually made in massive industrial machines (like what you’d get from the soda fountain at a fast-food chain). Pebble ice is commonly barely aerated, making it “softer” on the enamel and really satisfying to crunch into.

Are silicone ice dice trays good?

They’re nice for a lot of issues! Silicone ice dice trays are wonderful if you need a selected form or a extremely huge piece of ice, because the versatile materials makes it simpler to take away the shapes from the molds. They do are inclined to tackle odors extra rapidly than different supplies, however you possibly can zap away the odor by baking the silicone ice dice trays in a 350°F oven for half-hour or so. Simply be sure the ice dice trays are 100% silicone. Lids might help hold out odors, and a few designs, like our decide for the perfect silicone ice dice tray, the W&P Peak Silicone On a regular basis Tray with Lid, have options that make them further sturdy/much less floppy. 

Why We’re the Consultants

• Caroline Lange is a contract author who has spent greater than 10 years working in meals media.
• Caroline has examined recipes for acclaimed and award-winning cookbooks, and has additionally labored as a contract recipe tester for quite a lot of publications, together with the New York Occasions.
• For this assessment, Caroline examined 12 ice dice trays in her crowded house freezer, evaluating them throughout varied metrics.