Ice Cube Trays: Your Passport to Huge Savings

by Myscha Theriault on 1 August 2007 65 comments

With all the new refrigerators coming with ice makers these days, ice cube trays can regularly be found at yard sales and thrift stores for quite literally, a dime a dozen. What does this mean for you? Big money, that’s what!

Ice cube trays can be used to save you loads of time, and money in the kitchen. Numerous liquids and sauces can be frozen in them, and then stored in gallon freezer bags for future use. Some ideas?

Tomato Sauce or Paste: You can usually find the large cans of this stuff at warehouse stores for around two dollar range. This is much less expensive than the small cans from the grocery store. The frozen cubes also save you from having a half empty can of paste or sauce sitting in your fridge going to waste. Toss the paste in with your soup broth, or a few sauce cubes in the frying pan for taco night.

Left Over Coffee: Frozen coffee cubes work great to make your own gourmet frozen coffee drinks. I like to have some coffee in a pitcher in the fridge as well. That way, when I add the liquid element to the frozen cubes in the blender it doesn’t dilute the strength of the beverage. But then, I’m all about caffeine, so . . .

Soup Stock: Chicken, beef, vegetable . . . whatever kind of stock you freeze in the ice trays, it’ll make your life easier when preparing recipes that only call for a small amount of stock.

Left Over Gravy: Makes a great base for pot pies or as a substitute soup broth item.

Apple Sauce: My best friend swears by this. Since this stuff also comes cheap in the large cans at warehouse stores, the frozen cubes should be great for those who bake often and want to control fat content. I’ve usually been fortunate with friends loading me up with the canned homemade version of the sauce. But this particular friend is a fanatic about researching stuff like this and assures me she has used this technique herself with great success. Keep me posted, readers!

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Extra Fresh Herbs: If you have some fresh herbs from the produce section that are about to go bad, chop them up and put them in the cube sections with a bit of water. The frozen cubes are great to add to soups. This is also a way to preserve extra items from your herb garden at the end of the season.

A tip to stay organized with this system and avoid freezer burn from open storage is to pop out each set of frozen product and transfer to a specific gallon – sized freezer bag. In the past, I’ve routinely had gallon bags of tomato sauce cubes, herb cubes, and cubes of chicken stock in the freezer at the same time.

Bonus: Each regular sized cube holds basically two tablespoons of liquid. This means that 2 cubes equals ¼ cup, 4 cubes equals ½ cup, etc. This comes in really handy when recipes call for a specific amount of liquid for a recipe.

Putting the effort into this is worth the time in my opinion. A gallon freezer bag of cubes lasts a reasonably long time, depending on how often you use the product, and provides an enormous savings of time as well as money. Also, considering all you need to do is ladle the liquid into the trays and freeze, it’s not a great deal of time to begin with. It’s one of those “once-a-month-cooking-for-actual-real-people” projects. Those of us with a normal amount of time can actually use this strategy without carving out several extra days a month to make it happen.

Those of you with other suggestions for ice cube tray savings . . . please post your suggestions via the comment box. For example, I’ve heard about trying your own baby food, and I’ve often wondered (as someone getting ready to start a family) if it’s really a workable solution and worth the effort compared to the savings capacity.

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1 Aug. 2007 | 1:44 PM paidtwice

Yes yes yes on the baby food! I made my own homemade baby food for my son this way (he's 3 now) and am currently making it for my 9 month old daughter. So easy!

Basically, cook whatever veggie or fruit, run it through a food processor, ladle it into ice cube trays (I bought ones with lids but you can put tin foil over it too), freeze, then pop them out and store in gallon freezer bags.

Advantages:

1) you can make a bunch of different things you can't find in baby food jars -- like avocado for example. My daughter LOVES avocado. Avocado freezes great!

2) they taste better. try it yourself. I promise homemade tastes better than jarred any day.

3) you can mix your own combos. My son LOVED pumpkin and prunes mixed together. My daughter likes pears with peas (who knew?). We got very creative.

4) less waste. a cube is about an ounce and my kids both were only eating about an ounce at a time to start -- jars are 4, 6, or 8 oz so I would have wasted a ton.

Really really, it is easy. Just set aside a little time each week to make two or three new things at once and you are good to go for a long while. A big butternut squash can make a whole tray full of cubes. I also cut many of the cubes in half after freezing so I can mix different things together in smaller portions.

Really.... it rules.

31 Aug. 2007 | 10:30 AM Carolyne

I fed two children without ever purchasing jar food. That jar stuff stinks, who knows what it tastes like. I just cooked dinner like normal and put the leftovers in the blender, one food at a time. Because the portions are small, most small canning jars will fit on the blade portion of your blender as it is a standard screw. Try it. I suppose that "magic bullet" thing would work as well.

If you consider that we fed them what I had already cooked, the savings has got to be incredible.

21 Jan. 2008 | 7:32 PM anne

I had two children both of whom had food allergies or malabsorbtion problems from birth. I made all the baby food mainly from food I already cooked for the rest of us, except for fruit which I made additional specially for the babies. Commerical baby food always had things my babies could not digest. I could not have survived as a working mother (had to supply all the allergic children's food for daycare) without a freezer. It was a huge chest one that could fit an entire moose! I had baskets for the little things like baby food. Now that the children are grown and there are only two of us (and we have downsized to a condo), I sold the huge chest freezer and bought an upright one. I find meat gets freezer burn faster than it did in the chest one (unless it was because we went through more food then). I also have a new fridge with bottom pullout freezer, which is so handy, but I still use the upright one for sauces, desserts (e.g. apple or other fruit crisps), cookies both baked and unbaked dough, and other prepared food (e.g. cabbage rolls, lasagna...). I have a microwave with defrost function for fast thawout before finishing the cooking. This means when someone drops over unexpectedly, presto meal! When we have a snowday and can't go out shopping, who cares - we have meals to spare. Don't feel like cooking or I am in hospital, there is always something to eat. One question though - I make a wicked clam sauce for spaghetti with canned clams. The sauce used to be eaten in two days with a family, but the two of us eat only half in two days and get sick of it. Can this sauce be frozen? I can't do a half batch of the sauce because it takss on full can of clams.

21 Jan. 2008 | 7:32 PM anne

1 Aug. 2007 | 2:16 PM marisa

I freeze chai concentrate (either store-bought or homemade) and then use it to make chai smoothies (great with just the addition of milk & a banana). So tasty, and SO much cheaper than buying something similar at a coffee shop.

1 Aug. 2007 | 2:38 PM Myscha Theriault

I suspected the baby food idea was a winner, but without personal experience or a close friend / colleague who had done it, I didn't feel comfortable giving it a formal public "thumbs up".

Sounds like there are combinations for the baby food I haven't even thought of!!

And chai for frozen smoothies . . . see? I really pays to ask for suggestions. These are great ideas. Thank you so much for posting, both of you!

22 Aug. 2007 | 11:36 AM Robin

we did this when my daughter was still on mushy foods. She didn't even like commerical baby foods.

However, in general, this is not doable for an apartment dweller who has an average size freezer. Our freezer is always full. We certainly do not have space to store everything.

1 Aug. 2007 | 3:17 PM MDiskin

Triple yes to making babyfood cubes! all you need is a food processor and the sentience to boil water. What I do:

-Buy frozen organic veggies, boil them in a little water, and puree them (this also works for carrots). Then freeze and pop into a plastic bag.
- Bake sweet potatoes in their jackets (or boil peeled ones). The skins slip off easily. Puree and freeze.
- Poach some chicken breasts or tenders in organic boxed broth. Puree with a little broth, put in trays, freeze.

The veggies are easily combined with rice cereal or other foods. It's incredibly fast and cheap -- because who can't boil water? And the bright color and taste of my fresh-frozen veggies compared even to the organic jarred veggies sealed the deal.

1 Aug. 2007 | 4:21 PM Dancing Empress

Lemon & lime juice for cooking... a great way to use up the fruit before it goes bad.

My current hot-weather treat is plain old ice water, with a few slices of cucumber and one lime-juice cube tossed in... yum!!

1 Aug. 2007 | 4:33 PM Myscha Theriault

Woohoo!!!

Great ideas! Keep 'em coming!

1 Aug. 2007 | 7:25 PM Jessica Okon

I want to try some of these, but how long do you think these keep?

2 Aug. 2007 | 5:41 AM Myscha Theriault

Hi Jessica.

I also date the bags with a Sharpie like the lady who commented below you. As for how long, I've usually used them up before the 4 month mark and they were fine up to that point.

A good rule of thumb though, is to take note of the cubes when you start noticing a little crystalizing around the edges or in the case of the tomato paste, a little bit of cracking. At the first sign of this, you can probably still salvage them for one recipe for another. For example, one time my tomato paste cubes sat there for longer than normal due to a crazy few months with family and business stuff. When I noticed the edges getting a bit cracked / dried, I planned a thick spaghetti sauce and thinned out the paste cubes with puree and clam juice for a red clam sauce. It worked fine.

These really are a huge help and time saver Jessica, if you can find the time to do them. You just reach in and grab a couple cubes for whatever you happen to be doing. No opening the can and scrounging around with a spoon to get every little bit out. Just quick and easy. Good luck, and keep me posted.

9 Sep. 2007 | 7:56 AM Guest

If you freeze them in FoodSaver (or similar) type bags, they will last nearly forever!

1 Aug. 2007 | 9:34 PM Dancing Empress

I keep a Sharpie in my box of freezer bags, and date them as I use them. Most frozen foods will keep 3-6 months, but three months is all they get in my tiny freezer.

Use it or lose it, I say ;)

2 Aug. 2007 | 7:13 AM N'AwlinsKat

I haven't tried freezing in ice cube trays; great idea! In our house, fruit smoothies are the breakfast du jour, especially during the hot summer. I bulk-buy fresh fruit when it goes on sale and then clean and freeze it individually. For example, I clean and chunk strawberries, pit cherries, pick over blueberries, etc, and then freeze them for an hour or two on plastic-wrap covered cookie sheets. Bananas work, too; when I find turning bananas on sale, I pick up 10 pounds or so and chunk them, dip them in lemon juice to prevent browning, and freeze. As soon as they're frozen, I pop them off the tray (this is where plastic wrap makes things easier and less messy, but it's optional), and dump all the chunks in gallon-size freezer bags. I've also frozen them in serving size snack/sandwich bags, then put those into a gallon bag; they last a bit longer that way. Either way, I can pull out a handful of individual berries or banana chunks w/o them sticking in a lump, then dump them in my blender with a cup of skim milk. I wind up with something the consistency of a milkshake, no added sugar or chemicals, and it's a great start to the day. I've found it helps to let them thaw a bit, 5-10 minutes or so, to avoid choking my blender. Using frozen fruit keeps me from needing to add ice to the drink to water it down. Plain yogurt or pineapple juice are good alternatives to the milk, as well. And berries needed for baking, etc, can be used the same way. I imagine you could also puree them ahead of time and freeze in cube trays and go from there. A huge time saver in the morning and a relatively inexpensive breakfast!

2 Aug. 2007 | 7:37 AM Myscha Theriault

We do this too, when we have the freezer room. Works great, I agree. I especially like the bananas which we slice into rounds and freeze. That way they are great for breakfast smoothies or just to eat in little frozen bites (tastes just like frozen yogurt).

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

2 Sep. 2007 | 2:17 PM Guest

I too freeze bananas for smoothies. I buy them marked down at the grocery store, peel and freeze 10-12 to a bag. They don't turn brown if peeled. For a great smoothie that keeps me going all morning:

Blend until smooth:
3/4 cup low or no fat yogurt (I make my own)
1/4 cup no fat cottage cheese
1 TB dried pasturised whole egg powder
1 TB ground flaxseed meal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 frozen banana (may need to thaw or nuke briefly)
1/2 cup fresh/frozen, or 1/4 cup dried berries: cranberry, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, etc.

Pour into a cereal bowl and add 1/3 cup raw oats.
I figured this around 500 calories.

We are cross-country bicyclists; on-the-road, we make do with fruit on the bottom yogurt and raw oats. We buy a pound of oats (lasts 2 meals) at a time, pour into a ziploc bag and buy 2 yogurts each for breakfast. We add as much oats at a time as we can, eat, add oats, eat, add oats....

2 Sep. 2007 | 2:46 PM Myscha Theriault

I bet that egg powder really helps pack in the protein. Thanks for posting!

2 Aug. 2007 | 8:26 AM Joann

now this is something i've never thought of. I've always chucked my avocados in the fridge and watched them turn brown! will try this one next time

15 Apr. 2008 | 11:03 AM Guest

Just found this great post, but as per the avocados turning brown, just save the pits! What I do is use the half of the avocado without the pit, and I put the one still holding the pit in a ziploc bag and toss it in the fridge. Something in the pits keeps them from turning brown...you can do this when you make gauc too, just put them on top!

2 Aug. 2007 | 5:35 PM Tannaz Sassooni

not that i condone having leftover wine, but sometimes it happens. freeze the leftovers in ice cube trays to use for cooking -- pop one or two into sauces, soups, stews, and more.

2 Aug. 2007 | 8:16 PM Myscha Theriault

Now that's a unique one! I would think you could toss a couple with some herbs and a piece of chicken in a ziplock and have a single person's marinated meat serving for dinner. Great suggestion.

4 Aug. 2007 | 11:16 AM Guest

I put grapes in grape juice and freeze in cubes, it works really great, you can use these for a variety of purposes, including healthy fruit popcicles.

4 Aug. 2007 | 11:19 AM Guest

Absoulety the greatest idea ever! tt

4 Aug. 2007 | 12:18 PM Harveen

I have never really thought of ice cube trays as anything but that. Thanks for all the great creative ideas-I
ll be sure to try some these.

4 Aug. 2007 | 3:23 PM Guest

OK, maybe not an ice-cub tray, but the same idea -- I make big batches of oatmeal (the GOOD kind, like Irish oats, not the instant or rolled oats) and freeze it in muffin trays. Each lump is about a one-third cup. I pop two of them out in the morning and microwave them. Yum!

5 Aug. 2007 | 3:04 AM Myscha Theriault

I had the steel cut Irish kind for the first time last year. It really is very different and much more filling. You hardly have to eat any at all.

7 Aug. 2007 | 5:21 PM story

I need to go get some ice cube trays! We have an icemaker so I just never thought to get any.

8 Aug. 2007 | 5:01 AM Myscha Theriault

Thanks. It's really an easy money saving tip with a great deal of flexibility as to how you use it.

22 Aug. 2007 | 11:49 AM Dguest

Breast milk! Freeze breast milk in the ice cube trays. When the milk is frozen, pop them out and put them in a freezer bag. Of course you need to label with the date. When you need to make a bottle, pop several of these in a bottle, and then put the bottle in some warm water. The only downside is that you have to make sure you have a big enough bottle or a bottle with a wide opening to do this with. I used the Avent bottles and they have a wide opening. This is a great tool when you don't have those freezer breastmilk bags.

27 Feb. 2008 | 3:12 PM Guest

Hi, I was just curious about the frozen breast milk ice cubes..
Is it safe? I mean.. bacteria???
When you take the bag out of the freezer to get the cubies.. open the bag and then close it again.. doesn't this allow bacteria to get in??
After freezing the ice cubes, what kind of bag is good to put them in?
I'm just trying to do this, but this is my only concern. :s
Thank you.

23 Aug. 2007 | 5:03 AM Myscha Theriault

Now . . . I don't think I would have thought of that one on my own. Good tip.

One thing I didn't have on the original list is pumpkin puree. I'm thinking of trying this out within the next week or two as there is a recipe I only need a tiny bit of the pumpkin for, and don't want to waste the rest of the can.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

31 Aug. 2007 | 3:20 PM Myscha Theriault

I'm sure you're right, the savings had to have been phenomenal. We are really trying to put the parenthood thing on our timeline, so it's really nice to get so much reassurance from all of you readers.

Glad you liked the article.

1 Sep. 2007 | 11:26 AM Sunfell

If I have too much basil (which is usually the case since it grows like crazy), I'll take the extra, make a pesto, and freeze that. Then I can use it in various recipes. This works with other herbs, too. How about bouquet garni cubes?

1 Sep. 2007 | 11:46 AM Myscha Theriault

Love that idea!

You could probably do it with the extra sun dried tomato pesto, too.

1 Sep. 2007 | 12:53 PM WTL

That is very clever. Thanks!

9 Sep. 2007 | 12:56 PM Myscha Theriault

That's an interesting tip, particularly for more expensive items that you have lots of. The ones I use all the time, I like to be able to unzip the bag and grab what I need. But this is certainly an interesting tip for things that are a bit more expensive (pestos) that you want to have on hand for a whole season. Thanks for the tip.

10 Sep. 2007 | 1:04 PM Guest

Puree any extra garlic with a little water and freeze in the mini freezer trays (like the ones that are used in college dorm refrigeradors)... I believe one cube is equal to 1 tbs. (I use a lot of garlic, so I am very liberal with it). You can do the same with ginger root... I use ginger for making chai drinks, and the garlic in most everything that needs it.

Thank you for the fantastic ideas on freezing baby food! I am currently making my son's food and just preparing three day portions at a time... I had never thought about feeding him avocados!

4 Jan. 2008 | 1:52 PM salsa

I often end up with more carrots, onions, celery, and green peppers than I need, so I just dice them up and freeze them when they start to go-- in ice cube trays with a little water to hold them together, or in baggies holding 1C. Even better is pre-mixing mirepoix for freezing, and freezing small cubes or disks of diced shallots. Fwiw the celery loses a lot of texture through freezing, but it's not an issue if you're really cooking down your mirepoix.

10 Sep. 2007 | 1:08 PM Myscha Theriault

For the extra stuff you grate or press, this is a great idea. I don't know about whole garlic, but I know you can freeze whole ginger root and it is MUCH easier to grate that way. Still tastes fresh, and doesn't get all dried up.

Thanks for taking the time to post your ideas. I know we are all very busy, so I appreciate the extra thought and effort on everyone's part.

31 Dec. 2007 | 10:51 PM Guest

I use them for freezing lemon juice if someone gives me a bag of lemons from their tree. I juice them, pour them in the ice cube trays, then pop them out and story them in a ziploc bag. These lemon cubes are easy and conveient to
to use when making lemonaide, ice tea, or in any ecipe calling for lemon juice.

1 Jan. 2008 | 3:20 PM Myscha Theriault

Good one!

4 Jan. 2008 | 11:08 PM Graham

I also freeze lemon juice, for adding to drinking water to make it more palatable. Drinking 8 glasses of plain water can be unappealing, but a little bit of lemon juice makes a lot of difference.

When my lemon tree produces a big harvest, i freeze the juice in large containers which are more efficient for long term high volume storage. When the need arises, I thaw a large container of juice, pour it into ice cube trays, then re-freeze. I've never had any problems with thawing and re-freezing lemon juice.

5 Jan. 2008 | 6:25 PM Guest

There are some great ideas for the baby food. I'm expecting my third baby this spring and money will be very tight. I would love to prepare my own baby food when the time comes but can you tell me how to prepare it after it is frozen? Do you microwave it or boil it in baggies? Do you need to add any liquid? Any additional baby food recipies would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

10 Jan. 2008 | 5:11 PM Betsey

My mom and sister both have used the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron (you can get it on Amazon). There are recipes for cereals, methods for freezing the food (this method with ice cube trays is used), and nutritional guidelines for feeding your baby the best possible food. I plan to use this book when feeding my own baby, and would recommend it if you need some more information!

7 Jan. 2008 | 3:19 PM Myscha Theriault

The friend of mine that uses this the most just sets it out to thaw and then microwaves it. Then, she tests it for temperature and waits until it's the right temp for her baby.

7 Jan. 2008 | 8:23 PM Guest

In 'Deceptively Delicious', a cooking book by Jerry Seinfield's wife, she uses purees to sneak vegetables into regular recipes. If you're looking for information on how to cook or make or thaw purees, this is a great resource!

8 Jan. 2008 | 12:49 PM Myscha Theriault

I think the Deceptively Delicious techniques would be perfect for this strategy. Good idea.

11 Jan. 2008 | 2:49 AM Myscha Theriault

Thanks, Betsey. That sounds like a great title.

22 Jan. 2008 | 1:40 AM Myscha Theriault

Hi Anne! Yes, I have frozen the red clam sauce we make flat in freezer bags. Works fine for us!Cool post. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

5 Feb. 2008 | 8:30 AM Guest

heyy.<3
i am going to do this as a science fair proect!!!!

whoo!!!!18

27 Feb. 2008 | 3:24 PM Myscha Theriault

You know, I'm not really a breast milk expert. It sounds like the person above sounded comfortable, but you may want to check with your doctor? It sounds fine to me, but really I have no experience with it.

15 Apr. 2008 | 12:43 PM Myscha Theriault

Who knew? Thanks for the tip.

16 Dec. 2008 | 3:09 PM Guest

When I make homemade chicken or beef stock, I boil it down to 1/4 its original volume and then freeze it in ice cube trays. Each cube is enough to make 1/2 cup of stock when the water is added back. It saves on storage space in the freezer, having a bag of stock cubes instead of several 1/2 cup containers. It took me several years to figure that out BTW :-)

16 Dec. 2008 | 3:52 PM Myscha Theriault

Great tip on the reduction amount. Thanks for sharing!

10 Aug. 2009 | 2:37 PM Rachel Ramey

My favorite thing to freeze in ice cube trays is a mix of half butter and half flour. Then these cubes can be tossed into a saucepan to make a fresh white sauce without the mess of measuring out the butter and flour.

10 Aug. 2009 | 4:29 PM Myscha Theriault

Hi Rachel, LOVE the white sauce starter tip. It is totally up my alley with regards to types of tips I like to try. I'm sure others will like this one as well. Thanks for sharing it.

Check out my various projects and services at Itinerant Tightwad. I also have a monthly education newsletter.

24 Sep. 2009 | 9:04 PM Guest

I consulted this page to find out the volume of an ice cube, and read up on the baby food comments. I just made 270.27 worth of baby food for 18.72. Carrots were .14 a serving, squash .24, peas .19 and green beans .40! Talk about satisfaction! It takes no time at all, aside from the time spent cooking it, and I just put it in the oven with some water (a giant 13x9 pan full of peas, peaches, whatever) and check it every 20-30 minutes. The actual making of it takes so little time, especially with a magic bullet. I am basing my prices on the .99 two-pack Gerber 1st Foods, and counting 4 ice cubes as equivalent to one of those packs. I guess I'm probably a little off, but still, who can beat savings like that?

25 Sep. 2009 | 4:23 AM Myscha Theriault

That's quite a savings, guest. Congratulations. Interestingly enough, I ran across an interesting article on baby food recently while researching Indian food recipes. Here's the link:

http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/indian-baby-food-recipes.html

Apparently, the idea is not only to try something different, but to expand your baby's taste bud experiences so he / she is more comfortable with different foods, which hopefully avoids picky eater issues later in life. I don't have an infant, but those who do might find this interesting. There are other recipes resources for Indian baby food online that I saw, and while I haven't looked around too much, I would think there would be references out there for other seasoned international baby foods as well.

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22 Jan. 2010 | 9:30 AM Guest

wow!
thanks for all the advise, when I have children I will give them the healthier and cost-effective home made babyfood.

My husband is always making fun of me because I freeze EVERYTHING!! but the thing is-- why let it go bad or trow it away if you could use it later???? like tomato paste.

Also an empty freezer is not very energy efficient at all, in fact they cost more, freezers with only a few products inside require more electricity to keep them cold.

what I ALWAYS have handy in icecubes is Sofrito (dont know the english word), is a mixture made out of chopped cilantro leafs, garlic,onion, green pepper, sweet peppers. With a little water blend in the food processor and pour into icecube tray. To start the making of meals I sautee the Sofrito with a little olive oil and make whatever I want.

22 Jan. 2010 | 12:43 PM Myscha Theriault

Great one, Guest! Definitely one that wasn't on the list. Thanks for stopping by to contribute.

You can also follow me on Twitter and Trek Hound.

23 Mar. 2010 | 3:32 PM Guest

Thanks for all these great ideas! I just got a chest freezer on Craigslist to eliminate the waste that cooking for two seems to bring. Currently, I have "normal" size ice cubes of:
- Stock
- Ricotta
- Tomato sauce
- Coffee
- Garden spinach, blanched, pressed in a paper towel, and stuffed in cubes
- Onions, the same way
- Shredded Zucchini, raw

and "mini" size"
- Lemon juice
- Lime juice
- Pesto
- Various garden herbs submerged in either water or olive oil, depending on how I usually use the spice.

I will be trying garlic soon, thanks for the tip!

On a similar note, I make a big batch of Apple Crisp topping and keep it in a freezer Ziplock. Since I always have homegrown berries or fruits of some sort in the freezer, all I have to do is toss the fruit of my choice with a little sugar and cornstarch, then throw a scoop of the crumble on top. It makes sudden guests feel welcome when they smell a fresh-baked dessert as soon as they walk in, and no one has to know it took me literally 2 minutes.

24 Mar. 2010 | 6:50 AM Myscha Theriault

I love the ricotta tip. I had no idea that would freeze well. Your idea about separating the topping from the fruit to increase flexibility is a great idea too.

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29 Jun. 2010 | 1:23 PM Perfecting Motherhood

Ice cube trays are great to make homemade baby food! And there's no need to buy the fancy baby food ice trays, regular ones work just as well.
I created a post on how to make your own baby food and using utensils you already have in the kitchen that I hope other moms will find useful:
http://perfectingmotherhood.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/how-to-make-your-ow...

17 Aug. 2010 | 3:36 PM Kristen O

Very Good suggestion about transferring cubes to freezer bag. I just made a huge batch of fresh pesto I am freezing in cubes and was wondering how to prevent the freezerburn. Thanks a lot!

Ice Cube Trays: Your Passport to Huge Savings

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