I cannot find a stainless steel ice cube tray made in the USA. Any ideas?

I use filtered water in my plastic ice cube trays and when I put the ice in a glass of water, there are floaters settling in the bottom of the glass and these floaters are coming from the underside of the ice. Is this something that has leached out of the plastic? Has anyone got any ideas?

My GP told me that plastics also leach during the freezing process, so I guess metal or glass are the safest options.

I researched it and silcon ice trays do not leach any chemicals into the ice.

Why can’t there be a glass ice cube tray? There are glass containers that can go in the freezer such as Pyrex. I like to use them to freeze things besides ice. Has a glass tray ever been made?

No plastic. ca seems to be alive and kicking according to their website. https://noplastic.ca/ So people can buy from them now. (2018)

NoPlastic.ca is open for business –

https://noplastic.ca/?s=ice+cube+tray&post_type=any

Hi, why do we need ice cubes? Wouldn’t a soapstone work as a replacement? Google whiskey stones. Any concerns we should note with using whiskey stones? I live around the equator and get by just fine with chilling water in my fridge and the stones are for visitors if the pre-chilled drinks run out.

Hi there, where is the glass container from you use in the freezer for the icecubes and are the jars mason jars? Thank you. Best, Ava

I am searching for stainless steel ice cube trays, and saw this exact product on Amazon, but I won’t pay $28 for one tray! That’s an outrageous price.

I just found this and I hope someone will have an answer for me. I have been using a quite old aluminum mini muffin tin for making ice, all summer, it makes the cubes so quickly. Then a friend asked me yesterday, “aren’t you concerned about using aluminum?” I hadn’t even thought of it. I’ve tried finding an answer on Google, this blog is the closest I’ve come to having my question answered. Do any of you know, should I be concerned about using the aluminum? My DIL bought me an ice tray about a year ago on Amazon, it is a retro ice tray and looks similar to the one in the photo above. I use, both, it and the aluminum one as well so I can make more ice. I much prefer using these, the plastic is hard to get the ice out of, for me. I’d appreciate some input on this. Thank you.

i just bought two after looking up your recommendation in your book. i remember the old aluminum ones when i grew up and i hate the plastic ones, they wear out. Read all the questions and some reviews when i was on Amazonsmile.com the only objection i saw was some people who have grown up in the plastic age don’t know you need to wait a few minutes before removing ice or it is very difficult. i also got the best price plus Amazonprime free shipping. Glad i saw your link to metal safety razors, i have one, but cannot find blades for it, will check out your link now for that. Thanks Beth.

YES!Been looking for them for years now!

What do you think of silicone? Or, know about it.
I’ve heard that it’s safer than plastic but I don’t really know.

cullenar Research aluminum. Go for stainless steel. Aluminum is just as bad as plastic.

Has anyone thought of a regular ordinary ice cube tray….made of stainless steel…ahem..NON-Chinese hopefully…(>>I<< dunno what they add to their steel!)…only make it without that idiot crank? Obviously it will need to be flexible enough to torque it and have the cubes pop out…so some kinds of tests would need to be done to find one that was strong enough to last, but thin enough to allow torqueing… Ive looked everywhere…It just seems logical to me…

We bought 2 vintage aluminum ice trays for $5/each at a mid century modern consignment store. We love them. I had been searching for non plastic and especially non-chinese made ice trays for a long time. I’m to young to remember these (28) but love them.

how about using those small pyrex dishes vs a bowl? What are those made off? Will try those and maybe buy metal.

I would DEFINITELY us one! Found this post while trying to find one, actually.

I read terrible reviews on this product. Made in China. Some said theirs started to rust. Others said there was a coating on the tray that came off on the ice and left a residue in their drinking glass. Are there any better made alternatives?

I bought the metal ice cube tray from your site a while ago, and I LOVE it! I use it most often for freezing leftover broth. I used to put leftover broth into plastic freezer bags, but then if you only needed a little, you’d have to defrost the whole package and throw the rest away. I use the tray to freeze broth into cubes, which I then store in freezer bags in the freezer, which is much more convenient and lest wasteful.
Which brings me to my big question. I want to replace my freezer bags with a non-plastic, non-toxic alternative. Any suggestions?

i just found your blog while looking to learn more about all metal ice cube trays. I have mast cell activation disorder and anything put in plastic sends me into allergic reactions that often progress into full blown anaphylaxis.
I have been plastic free (or avoiding it as much as i can) for over 2yrs now. In all that time I have not been able to make or use ice for myself. we used a plastic ice tray and I got very ill- I never thought I would find ice in my life again.
After reading your experience with them I am going to buy one. I am also going to look through your site and other links provided.
Thank you for creating this blog!

Sadly, those stainless trays are made in China. Can we really trust them?

I purchased metal trays about fifteen years ago and have used them ever since. There is a danger with leeched dioxins, etc with freezing as there is with heating. That is what I have heard from reputable sources. I avoid food and plastic whenever I can, and that is at least 90 percent of the time. With the metal trays, you need to run cold water over the tray enough times so that the lever will pull up. That is a necessary step in order to avoid damaging the tray.

I would use metal. It is my understanding that the toxins will leach rapidly into any liquid.

Have you ever noticed that your refrigerator is probably lined with plastic walls and door panels. I can taste this from foods that get exposed too long in the freezer – especially the ice even when it is made with filtered water. Assaulted from every angle. Go within. Make peace with god. Return more present authentic and aware of all that is.

To those with built in ice cube makers, you should know that they are major energy hogs http://earthtechling.com/2011/04/save-energy-cash-by-nixing-the-ice-maker/

They main reason I would want a metal tray would be for freezing things like leftover wine, broth or tea. I could pour them in hot & not worry about leaching chemicals.

I would use stainless steel if I needed to use an Ice Tray

Are you still using this? I need to replace my plastic trays in my effort to get all plastic out of my kitchen (and home).

I still have one of the metal trays (and a number of plastic ones). Frankly, I’m not sure why I keep the plastic ones, because I like the metal one so much better. I prefer it, not only because it’s not plastic, but because you can break up the ice, remove the grid, take as many cubes as you wish easily (no flipping it over or struggling to get the cubes out of the holes in the tray) and leave the rest in the tray if you like. Plus, I rather like the fact that some of the ice often chips a bit. If they weren’t so expensive now, I’d buy more stainless ones.

I recently noticed tiny flakes of somthing in all my ice made from all of my 3 different types of plastic ice trays ?! And yes I use a water filter on my kitchen faucet I use for the water . Anyone know what might the heck might be going on here ?

I have been doing a lot of research on plastic the last year & I love your blog… anyways, this is the first comment I’ve done..

What I know about plastic is that leaching happens more especially when it is heated & cooled (frozen).
So, I would definitely prefer a stainless one over plastic!

I love that you put the cubes in the glass bowl too.. plastic is oh so trashy! I’m a college student & don’t really have any belongings other than my clothes.. but I’m slowly gathering non plastic home stuffs for when I’ve got a place of my own! (I found some awesome food storage containers at an Antique shop in town–I suggest checking out places like that too!)

Anyways, love your blog & happy to see other people here who care about life & are anti plastic. xxoo
Anna Fay

As a physician, pathologist, I heartily agree with your and your readers concerns re plastic. Our culture is steeped in plastic, with soft drinks, food wrapping of meat, so-called bottled water, and on and on. I would add an additional caution: Don’t overlook all of the other ways that we ingest plastics, and so many other toxic chemicals. Read labels carefully, avoid food grown or processed in other countries which use our pesticides and fertilizers, fish which ingests fertilizer and mercury, chicken which may be fed arsenic-laden feed, and the list goes on. I don’t think that the cancer rate in America is coincidental. The increased incidence follows the same curve as this country’s use of chemicals for increased production, bacterial control, taste, coloring of food, wrapping in plastic, etc. So our apparent advancement has a hefty price tag. All of this is especially pertinent to young children, who have a lifetime of exposure ahead of them.

I don’t like plastic; agreed there. I tried the silicon ones, and frankly, they REEK. My freezer itself doesn’t smell, but the trays sure did after awhile, and no amount of handwashing could get the funky smell out (I don’t have a dishwasher, so I don’t know if that would work). Either way, I wasn’t about to eat any ice from something so nasty-smelling. Plus, since at the time, I didn’t use much ice, and the cubes evaporated fairly quickly.

I just bought one of those freakishly expensive stainless steel ice cube trays, and my first attempt at dislodging the ice with the handle was very difficult, I will admit–but I think I filled the tray too full. One rinse with warm water, however, and it worked like a champ. I emptied the tray into a covered container that I bought just for that purpose–to prevent more funky smells and evaporation, and refilled the steel tray. It freezes FAST. Contrary to someone’s worry above that this might not work for an ice-loving family, I think it would work perfectly–you just empty the tray into an larger container, and refill as necessary. It makes 18 big cubes.

@ Brigid

The world was once seen as flat, smoking was thought to be good for you, and fluoride really doesn’t do anything for your teeth.

Anyway if your uninformed about plastic, a good documentary to watch is
Addicted to Plastic

It will really open your eyes to the problem of plastic, both environmental and health.

I don’t know if it’s the minerals in our water or that our ice cube trays are too soft, but I have a terrible time getting the cubes out. I twist and twist and they never pop out. I found myself wishing the other day that they would crack so that I could buy new stainless trays. :)

I also debated on my plastic ice trays. In the end I decided I would put them on the shelf and try something new (that is really old). I bought a nice glass mixing bowl at a thrift store and an ice pick at a local big box retailer. Another bummer about that was the awful and unnecessary plastic package it came in. I wish I could have found one another way.

For ice, I pour a decent amount of water in the bowl and freeze it. I then take it out, flip the bowl upside down, place it on a cutting board, and wait for it thaw just a little so that the block of ice falls out of the bowl. I then put the block back in the freezer for a few minutes to get the surface moisture to refreeze. Once ready, I take the block of ice, place it on a cutting board, wrap a towel around it, and go to work with my ice pick. I end up filling another bowl with these interesting looking ice chunks that are every bit as good as cubes. They look great in a mixed drink!

“Basic Instinct” references aside, I think this is a fun and effective way to make ice.

I found some vintage spring loaded ice cube trays on EBay for less than $10.

I thought that Beth’s cubes like a good size for a portion of babyfood. I could see why there would be a market for these trays given that many more people are making their own babyfood.

Love all of the progressive products
Emily

@Brigid

We use a towel when using our stainless steel tray. That way our hands don’t get cold. We haven’t had any big problems with the handle sticking, so long as we don’t fill it up too far. It does take a good tug, but I’m a weakling and I can use it just fine. (Might not be suitable for those with severe arthritis or similar conditions, though.)

I do wonder how the stainless steel and aluminum ones compare. I saw an aluminum one at a resale store just recently, but I try to avoid aluminum around my food, too. It seems like the stainless one would be a bit sturdier.

The part that scares me about plastic is that it DOES degrade — and degrade into bad things. It used to be that they thought plastic would be around forever, but turns out it does break down. And even before it degrades much, it becomes less useful. We went through several soft plastic trays because they brittle as they aged. Turns out, that’s what happens when BPA leeches out of plastic. So, yes, I do think there is cause for concern.

How does the footprint compare? Well, by the looks of the antique aluminum tray I saw in the second hand store, as well as the construction of the tray we have, I think our tray will be around for some time — much longer than a typical plastic tray is useful for. And, when it’s time is up, it can be recycled.

NEVER!!! I remember those metal ice cube trays from my childhood. They were horrible! The lever always stuck, and then it would release suddenly and the ice cubes would explode all over the kitchen. I would always cut or bruise my hands in the process, and it always seemed to hurt twice as much because they were already cold. Also, my hands always stuck to the metal surfaces. OK, our trays were aluminum, but somehow stainless just seems like overkill.

Has anyone ever shown that plastic leaches out of ice cube trays into the ice cubes, or are we all working on guesswork here? I’m pretty serious about buying organic, avoiding canned food, not using plastic containers in the microwave, etc., but this risk seems to be pretty theoretical. Our ice cube containers came with the fridge, and I bought another set at a garage sale. They last pretty much forever, so they are not going into the waste stream anytime soon, and they perform their allotted function (making ice cubes and releasing them easily) beautifully.

I do think plastic has a place in the world when the alternatives are less efficient or have a higher environmental cost. I find it hard to believe that the stainless steel tray doesn’t have a bigger environmental footprint than the plastic trays, and like them, it’s not biodegradable. While it may fit into a no-plastic lifestyle, from a more holistic point of view I’m not sure it’s the better choice.

I like the idea of stainless ones, but I am sticking with my plastic ones. Seeing as how they never get heated up, I am not that worried about 5 year old plastic leeching into my ice cubes. When they need replacing, I will get metal ones, but for now will use up what I have. Thought-provoking post.

The cost of this is pretty darned prohibitive so I haven’t made the plunge yet. Still using our cracked plastic ice cube tray

I agree completely with Daharja! I don’t think ice cube is a necessity!

Currently we have two ice cube trays that we got used with no plastic number so I can’t say that I trust them…

But we have not used them for years! We are perfectly fine with the temperature of the drinks that come out of our fridge! We just don’t serve us huge glass when the temperature is hot!

The fact that I am not a fan of any diluted drink weight surely in the balance ;o)

Also, when we had ice cubes in the freezer, they are usually so old that they taste like crap ;o)

But, for answering your question, I have a bad flaw, I put health before environment, so if I would to choose, I would buy I new stainless steal one…

I also remember the metal ones from my childhood. I also remember as a child often having difficulty getting the metal bar to lift up and thus spilling ice all over!
Regardless, I currently have plastic and have no problem with my ice touching plastic. Since these plastic trays still work, I will continue to use them until they are as used up as they can get, then purchase metal ones.

I totally would, we had one when I was a kid, but we then got a fridge with an ice maker on it. We have an ice maker now, but I am sure it uses plastic…

I am so glad I found your site. I made the declaration last month that I want to remove plastic from my life (mainly because I am concerned about the chemical leaching). It also has an environmental factor–as in that stuff is really terrible, have you read “Garbage Land” by Elizabeth Royte? She titles the chapter on it “Satan’s Resin” and it so is.

Its kind of scary how much plastic there is and the things you have to do to avoid it!

@kimberly

I’ve tried silicone trays, but I found them more difficult to use. You have to put a plate under them or else they bend and spill, but I didn’t have a plate the right size or shape. Plus, in my experience, the ice was not as easy to get out as it is using the steel tray.

@Daharja

We did without ice cube trays for a while, but finally bought the steel tray. It wasn’t a necessity, but it is convenient when we want to cool down drinks quickly (and living Florida, cold drinks are just about a necessity).

i think i’d just go for a silicone tray (new).

Am I being too ascetic when I say that I really don’t consider ice trays one of life’s necessities?

We have a whole stack of them sitting in our freezer. Empty. I never bother filling them because we never use ice.

And yes, I live in a cold country now (New Zealand) but it was the same when I lived in Adelaide, Australia, and temperatures regularly soared above 100F. I just don’t think people really need ice cubes to live a fully and happy life.

If you absolutely MUST, then buy secondhand stainless. Because the more I do research on plastic, the more I’m starting to think the stuff should be banned completely – there are too many studies coming out telling us it is dangerous and fouls up the planet too much.