I hate silicone ones, they absorb smell/flavor. I have this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/256432559012 works great, nice and solid. I read that the larger cube version can break, but idk
Holy shit, I literally just bought the best ice trays in my life about 4 days ago, after the worst ones 4 days before that. These are regular plastic trays, with 14 cubes per tray, they seem to be strong as fuck, and the ice releases like butter. Also they stack, and fill really nicely without spilling.
I own those trays, I used them for a few years with zero issues. I moved and my new fridge has an ice maker, but I kept the trays because eventually I'll probably have a use for them.
I have 4 of them, and if I were to fill and empty them as they froze, I'd end up with an overflowing container in about 3 days. And Im in Arizona in the summer.
I was in FL, but my family uses enough ice cubes that I never got to the "overflowing" state.
I have silicone trays and I love them. I haven't had them super long (about a year), but I use them every day and they show no sign of wear. It doesn't get brittle with time like some plastic, so I don't see them wearing down any time soon.
If you need to be able to stack them, it might be worth looking into some kind of small rack?
Well, I can't say much about "for life", but I bought a batch of Rubbermaid trays back in 2008, and they're all still in use. No cracks, no problems. I added to the original 4 a couple of times, and the most recent two pack is indistinguishable from the older ones in thickness or coloration. So I'm fairly confident that the new ones should last just as well.
I'm also going to chime in about the silicone trays. They work fine, but I've had a lot of trouble with them picking up odors, like from being washed with scented soaps. Never had the issue with regular plastic.
However, there are also the old school metal trays that last for bloody ever. Might be worth looking into
Okay, so I just transitioned from an ice cube maker back to ice cube trays, and I was looking for a BIFL option that wasn't plastic (or silicone)
I ended up buying both those metal cubes designed for whiskey, as well as a metal ice cube tray that has this lever that breaks apart the ice cubes after they have become solid.
My conclusion is that the metal tray with the lever is by far one of the best ice cube trays that you can get.
It will last forever, zero weird taste, easy to use, not terribly expensive, and definitely something that I would recommend.
All other options are either gonna make the cubes taste bad, introduce plastic into your cubes, may not last as long as you'd like, or just suck at being functional.
The one I got is from the brand Onyx, and looks like this:
I appreciate the sentiment of wanting to avoid plastic. But I'm not sold on that style of design, especially because it looks like the cubes are not uniform in shape (with the ends being significantly different) which I know would bother me. I think it probably would be possible to make an ice cube tray in the twist style out of metal, if it was a relatively flexible metal. I haven't seen any yet, though.
especially because it looks like the cubes are not uniform in shape
The image is deceptive. The cubes are uniform, and the "fins" are angled to beging with, and the lever straightens them, which ejects the cubes.
This image might give you a better idea:
But the cubes aren't PERFECT in their shape, so if that bothers you, then there's no way around it with this style of tray.
I think it probably would be possible to make an ice cube tray in the twist style out of metal, if it was a relatively flexible metal.
Yes, I think that would be possible, but you'll likely end up with fractured cubes. Silicone trays are the best for perfect cubes, but they make the ice taste bad.
Good luck in your search!
I've never had an issue with ice cubes fracturing in the twist trays if they're trapezoid shaped, since it just makes them pop up when they're squeezed by the angled walls. The newer ones I've seen that are rounded instead have a lot more issues, though.
For me, the trick with the metal trays is to just very gently heat them to release any of the ice from sticking to the sides. Once that's done, they come out very cleanly. Zero fracturing or fragmenting. It's beautiful.
Oxo brand shit is worth its price. I don't use them anymore but when I did, the Oxo ones with the cover made the best ice and lasted for years
This is the way. People suggest the silicone ones but I need to stack, gimme the rigid ones. The cover makes it even better.
The silicone bottoms stack great. I bought the ones I have now around 5 years ago, the old trays didnt make it through a move and cracked.
You should get silicone ice trays, they're basically rubber so they don't break and they twist way easier (I always hated those thick plastic ice trays cause sometimes you just could not break the ice free.)
I'd look at reviews, maybe see if Americas test kitchen has done a guide
Anything decent should hold up long term, I think you've just found some crappy ice cube trays
This one seems like the style you're talking about and has better reviews than just about anything else I see on amazon. How much you trust those reviews is up in the air, but it does look like a fairly foolproof, classic style of icemaker as long as it's not flimsy, and the reviews don't seem to suggest that's an issue 🤷♂️
Yeah, I just bought those a few days ago, and they really are fantastic for basic looking trays. They're very structurally sound and reinforced, but also flexible, and the ice comes out with no effort. And they can only stack, it's impossible to nest them together.
It certainly seems like it should be simple to find a good one. It feels like we perfected the technology ages ago and then for some reason no one kept making the good ones. XD
That listing looks like it might be good at face value but it also seems potentially suspicious. I'll probably see if I can find third party reviews of it to double check (compared to the Amazon reviews that are easier to spoof).
A person just replied to me to say they bought them and shared some thoughts, it sounds like they're very happy with them, thought I'd let you know since you won't get a notification for that message :)
I've never broken a plastic ice cube tray twisting it. There are plenty of plastic trays on Amazon.
I have tried a silicone one once and didn't like it, as it took more doing to get the ice cubes out than the plastic tray, where they tend to all readily slide out after the tray's been given a twist.
I just had 3 out 4 plastic trays shatters like balsa wood after 3 goddamn days. Do not buy "Core Kitchen" trays with silicone bottoms. Everything about them was spectacularly bad product design.
I've had bad experiences with modern-style plastic ones. The ones I tried were not shaped well to pop the ice cubes out and the thin plastic quickly broke. And I've had bad experiences with the hybrid silicone ones as well, their seams are a failure point and they're less convenient as well.
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