Photo: PJjaruwan (Shutterstock)
Open, free-floating ice trays—even the silicone ones—are no way to store ice. They’re prone to breaking, being stinky, and there’s always one ice cube that will never let go.
You may have a refrigerator with an ice maker, but even those get mildewy; other people have resorted to keeping a bag of messy convenience store ice or rotating four sets of slippery trays. But ice keeping limitations have persisted...until now. This summer, stop keeping ice in trays and start storing it in a proper ice box.
Use an insulated ice box with a lid
An ice box, like this one from Lékué, is a double-walled container with a lid—which is key because the lid keeps weird freezer stink and stray crumbs out of your ice. The lid is also silicone and doubles as an ice cube tray, which makes irregularly-shaped cubes that are the most adorable ice cubes I’ve ever seen.
A box like the Lékué is different from just keeping your ice in a bowl in the freezer. I’ve done that before and it’s just short of terrible–the bowl conducts heat every time I use it and, without fail, I end up with five or six cubes melted and refrozen to the base of the bowl. An ice box with a double wall provides insulation, so you can bring it out of the freezer and leave it covered on your home bar setup with far less melting than one of these pretty-but-nearly-useless buckets.
A proper ice box is also better for parties
The architecture of keeping your ice in a fancy flat-lidded box makes this a sure winner for parties, but also the party preparation. The shape of the box keeps a large quantity of ice together without a shapeless bag of ice spilling out into half of the freezer. The flat lid allows you to store things on top without worrying about the impending collapse of trays or other debris falling into the bucket. Even if you own a refrigerator with an automatic ice maker, you should keep an ice box handy for when the party begins, fill it up, and put it out for easy access and less crowding around the kitchen.
You’ll run out of ice a lot less
Frequently running out of ice will become less of a constant torment, too. You can store multiple cups of ice in the vessel, and seeing all of your ice in one container makes it obvious when you’re running out. Yes, you still have to physically put water in the lid-tray again, but it fits right on top of the box to help keep your freezer organized. And if you want to take your organization to new heights, keep more than one ice box: a dairy one for boozy smoothie ice cubes, another for Michelada ice cubes, and another for Mojito ice cubes. Oh, and one for sober ice cubes. Sure, some may call that bougie, but I just call it summer-ready.
