The 5 Finest Ice Dice Trays of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

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

What makes an awesome ice dice tray? First, the trays must be simple to fill and maneuver into the freezer—the freezer is the final place you need wobbles or spills. It must also be pretty simple to come out the cubes; the cubes ought to stay intact and the tray ought to cooperate. (That’s, no shattering or flying cubes.) In fact, the ice ought to style good! This partially has to do together with your water, however the materials the ice dice tray is manufactured from performs an essential 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, expensive and finances choices, in a variety of shapes, sizes, supplies, and types (together with some funky ones!)—to the take a look at to seek out out which ice dice trays are the very best.

The Checks

• Fill and Carry Check: 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 obtainable 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 simple 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 Check: We famous what it was prefer to launch the ice cubes from every tray: Did it require a variety 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 could maintain, topped it off with room-temperature (about 70°F) water, and noticed how lengthy it took the ice to soften. 
• Style Check: We crammed up the finalist trays with a recent 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 may discern any “off” flavors that had traveled from the freezer to the ice dice trays and the ice cubes themselves.
• Common Use/Wash Check: We famous how simple it was to clean every of the best-so-far trays and another included elements, like lids, bins, and scoops. We additionally thought-about the make of every tray, whether or not they appeared lower out for day by 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

Need a actually massive ice dice? What about an ideal dice? What a few 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 simple to twist and switch for unmolding.

Plastic Was the Finest Materials for Maintaining 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 via the dishwasher (prime rack, please) and you need to be again in enterprise. Silicone is just a little trickier: Place the silicone ice dice tray (be sure that 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 Needed 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’ll be able to fill up on ice. In addition they shield 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 a number of 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 Dimension and Form for Ice Dice Trays?

That is dependent upon your freezer, your stage of ice consumption, and what you’re utilizing ice for. When searching for ice dice trays, contemplate what you’ll be making together with your ice and the way a lot ice you actually use. When you’re a Friday-night cocktail form of particular person, you most likely simply want one or two ice dice trays. When you’re an ice water devotee or a day by day iced espresso drinker, you’re possible 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 working out of ice makes your blood go chilly), a variety 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 non-public choice 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 very best ice dice trays have been simple 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 very best trays smelled and tasted impartial. Lastly, the very best ice dice trays washed up simply.

Our Favourite Ice Dice Trays

What we preferred: A inflexible plastic rim offers construction to the 2 ice dice trays, every of which has 32 individually molded gentle plastic cubes. The trays stack neatly on prime of one another and perch sturdily on prime of a storage bin. A lid suits on prime of the trays, minimizing the potential of 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 must run below chilly water. The bin holds as much as 120 cubes at a time, and delicate handles make it simple to drag out of the freezer with out jutting out and taking on extra space.

What we didn’t like: We preferred virtually every little thing about this ice dice tray, but when it has one downside, it’s its dimension. Absolutely assembled—bin plus two ice dice trays plus the lid—the PHINOX is fairly massive: 10 inches lengthy, 5 inches vast, 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 should 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
• Dimension 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 practically 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 likelihood of spilling, tipping, or bending right here—however the draw back was that the ice cubes have been a bit difficult to launch from the tray. Becoming collectively the bin, tray, and lid took just a little 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
• Dimension and form of ice: 1-inch cubes
• Variety of cubes per tray: 32 cubes
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

What we preferred: These inexpensive, BPA-free, dishwasher-safe plastic trays, which are available a set of 4, are light-weight however sturdy, with handy thumb holds; they’re simple 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 simple to take away one after the other as soon as launched from the tray. All the above makes the Kitch trays a great decide for folk with hand mobility issues. The trays stack neatly, so you probably have the house, you would make all 4 trays’ price 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 could be nice for folk who prefer 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 possible that they’d ultimately (and don’t have any form of lid or bin to guard them). Which may simply be the destiny of ice dice trays!

Key Specs

• Materials: BPA-free plastic 
• Dimensions: 12 x 4 x 6 inches
• Dimension 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 massive, excellent cubes you’re after, you’ll want a silicone ice dice tray. The very best 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 simple to come out simply as many as you want—best for folk who need to sip one thing chilly and robust from a rocks glass. A silicone lid suits the ice dice tray nicely, 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 steadiness 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 among 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 simple to clean 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
• Dimension 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 probably the most sensible ice-making system on your day by day wants? In all probability not, nevertheless it was simple to make use of and compact, and the bin was sturdy and handy. As Senior Editor Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, who has this ice dice tray at residence, says, “I’ve owned this ice dice tray for about two years and it is held up! The small orbs of ice carry 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 a great 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 hold 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 difficult to get on and off.

Key Specs

• Materials: BPA-free plastic 
• Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.49 x 2.95 inches
• Dimension 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 will probably make and retailer a variety of ice at a time—however the stiff tray was exhausting to twist with the intention 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 traditional class, is very comparable and noticeably higher on a number of 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 the same fundamental development to our successful 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. Understand that silicone will stand as much as boiling temperatures however plastic would possibly soften. When you’re actually set on it, you’ll want insulated ice dice trays, which freeze from the highest down. When ice freezes in a single path—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 would additionally use this snazzy factor.

What’s the very best form of ice for cocktails?

It is dependent upon the form of cocktail! For spirits or spirit-forward drinks like Negronis, larger ice cubes are finest, as they soften the slowest, which means your cocktail doesn’t get as diluted. If you wish to get actually technical, spheres soften the slowest, which we realized from testing ice sphere molds.) 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 form of ice to shake cocktails, because you’ll pressure it out anyway. Right here’s just a little extra data on what sort of ice is finest 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 mostly made in massive industrial machines (like what you’d get from the soda fountain at a fast-food chain). Pebble ice is usually barely aerated, making it “softer” on the tooth 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 particular form or a extremely massive 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 shortly than different supplies, however you’ll be able to zap away the odor by baking the silicone ice dice trays in a 350°F oven for half-hour or so. Simply be sure that the ice dice trays are 100% silicone. Lids may help hold out odors, and a few designs, like our decide for the very best 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 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 tester for quite a lot of publications, together with the New York Instances.
• For this overview, Caroline examined 12 ice dice trays in her crowded residence freezer, evaluating them throughout numerous metrics.