Tovolo King Cube Ice Mold Tray

THIS IS A RE-REVIEW: I HAVE A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM!! In just a few days after my initial review - my initial ecstatic review - my trays developed the "fug" or "funk" that some of the others have described. Whatever it was that flavored my ice cubes - they started tasting like a freezer condenser smells. So I ordered another round of this tray and another round of the smaller square cube trays - and added the spheres while I was at it - why not? The basic problem is that silicone is not a suitable substance for use in the freezer as it absorbs everything that comes into contact with it - whether from dishwashing or just sitting in the freezer waiting to freeze - the trays are magnets for lots of stinky stuff. Stinky stuff that will end up in your ice cubes. I detailed the solution to the first problem below: NEVER WASH YOUR ICE CUBE TRAYS WITH DETERGENTS - NEVER - WHETHER YOU WASH YOUR DISHES BY HAND OR IN THE DISHWASHER. A RINSE WITH HOT WATER SHOULD BE ALL THAT IS REQUIRED AND THAT ONLY FROM TIME TO TIME. (The manufacturers recommend washing the trays in a diluted solution of vinegar and water periodically. I am going to try that with my former set of trays but I don't "relish" vinegar-scented ice cubes!) Second: I use triple-filtered water in these trays. Not the stuff directly from the tap. Or if you want ice cubes that are clear you should use water that has been boiled and then allowed to cool. Third and this was my partners innovation: After they are filled, I am now placing the filled ice cube trays in freezer bags and then sealing them so the trays and iced cubes will not be exposed to the freezer at all - ever - during the freezing process. And, as I also described below, I store the finished frozen ice cubes in a sealed disposable freezer keeper so - again - they do not have the opportunity to absord "stuff" that will make them smell and taste nasty . This may seem like more trouble than they are worth but these cubes really are the PERFECT size and I feel they warrant all the attention! (What an innovative solution JP! Thanks for the suggestion.) MY ORIGINAL REVIEW: I usually don't care for silicone especially in bakeware. But these ice cube trays are just the ticket and they live up to their name = they make perfectly sized LARGE ice cubes that melt very slowly. Even the silicone is a bit easier to use here and the ice cubes pop out effectively. Perhaps because the cube trays are really not that big - 1 tray fills a large Gladware container perfectly and you can store your ice cubes in an airtight environment. Even after many rounds of ice cube making the trays never lose their shape. I, too, do not understand the quibbles with these trays. They, themselves, do not impart any smell at all and lend no scent to the ice cubes either. I keep my freezer impeccably clean and I have a box of baking soda in the freezer as well as the refrigerator - so maybe that's the difference. Also, I never wash silicone in detergent as that will be absorbed by the trays and your ice cubes will be perfumed and make your cubes taste like Dawn or Ivory or Joy or whatever you use. Not good. Again, it's the LARGE size that is the innovation here and that is the aspect of the cubes that pleases me most. Again, a great idea.

I ordered these last week in three colors as well as the Orb ice cube tray and the smaller cube version of this. I used to own similar ice cube trays from Ikea (smaller sized cube tray) but found over time a bad taste/smell formed and I noticed a film on the surface of drinks when I used the cubes. Both of these issues have been mentioned towards this brand as well. This brand may actually be the same brand found in Ikea, I am not sure. Because these issues and solutions were mentioned in other reviews (cleaning with vinegar etc, etc..) I felt I was making a pretty informed decision and was prepared for whatever issues may develop. After using the cubes for the first time about 10 minutes ago I have to say I LOVE these trays. They are not perfect, but the resulting cubes are exactly what I have always wanted. Lets get the bad out of the way first. They are silicone so I expect them to be soft and not hold their shape holding it with one hand. I expect to have to use two hands after they are filled. The individual walls are a bit thinner than I expected and they are less firm than their smaller cubed counterparts but they are pretty much what I expected. Fill with care to the top, hold it steady with two hands, and place on a flat surface in the freezer. The only bad thing I really have to say about these trays are I expected to be able to sit them on top of each other in the freezer. With the smaller cubed tray you can fill them, stack them, and they sit level on top of each other. These trays have a beveled bottom so if you place them on top of another tray of the same size, it sits into the tray below. If you want square cubes then you pretty much have to fill the tray to the top. If you want to rest them on top of each other you have to guess how far to fill to and then stack a tray into it. This will result in possible spills if you guessed the water level wrong and a ice cube that is no longer square. Certainly not an issue if you were not going to stack them and of course after they are frozen you can stack them. My solution was to mix the jumbo size cube trays and the normal size cube trays alternating between the two. I was able to stack them nicely and all the cubes came out square. The biggest pro to these cubes are they are huge! You know when you fill a cup with ice and a warm drink and you take a sip and it's not cold yet... Not with these!! I use really big glass mugs so I can fit 3-4 of these cubes into a mug. I filled it with liquid and by the time I sat down with the mug my first sip was cold! no waiting, no mixing, just pour and drink a cold beverage! The cubes also last a long time like other reviewers have said. Because your ice lasts longer you drink does not get as watered down and you can refill and still have an immediate cold drink. If you use a smaller glass you may have an issue of more ice than drink in your cup but my solution to that is, just get a bigger cup :) Since I have just gotten this product I am interested in how they will perform after freezing something other than water. Will they eventually hold a bad taste? and will I be able to get rid of it with vinegar? Will they somehow start to form a weird film that will float in my drink? I certainly hope not. Time will tell. If you want large ice cubes that will quickly cool your drink and last a long time, these trays are the way to go. I love em, and look forward to creating a bunch of cubes and storing them in a sealed container it the freezer. This way I can just reach in my freezer and quickly pull out the number I want.

Hands down great, the cubes are about as big as a standard glass would fit. 1) It melts slower while still cooling the drink equally well due to less surface area. 2) No more re-freezing and drink in your face, one cube does the job. 3) Looks sweet, and makes ice feel like a luxury item once again. I haven't had any trouble removing the cubes, it isn't hard folks (if you can't push a cube out of this thing then how in the world are you able to do much harder tasks like filing for taxes? actually... Think I just answered my own question there). The tray is actually very stretchy and flexible due to the silicone, allowing the cubes to easily pop out with a thumb movement while still hugging the others in place for dispensing; This is great for filling a line of glasses, or saving them in the freezer for later. Re-filling empty cubicles with water before putting it in the fridge is super easy, just one cube will keep the tray rigid as a whole when refilling. I would also recommend this for people who have ice makers, the shape and size is quite the luxury, had it for a few weeks, and putting ice in my water still feels "prestigious". I no longer use the ice of the common folk for my beverages. If you don't live in an area where the water is so hard that you can't cut it with a knife, then you won't have any trouble with this weird coating people are talking about. I live in Atlanta and use city water, the cube comes out as clear ice and nothing else. Cool Tip! For extra glassy ice boil your water first. This will remove all the air dissolved in it. Fun Fact! Hot water freezes faster than room temperature water. (look it up O_O)

This is a good big ice cube tray at a good price. I originally bought two so I could have enough ice cubes to use for my old fashioneds, but I realized that one was more than enough (unless you're throwing a party - in which case, you could just make them in advance and throw them in a bag until you need to use them. I just bought another one for a friend who was envious of my big ice cubes! I don't know if I'm just lucky or if it's the water or something, but despite everyone saying that there is a problem with smelly ice cubes, there is no smell coming out of my tray - and I've been using my tray for a long time now. It might have something to do with the water source. The silicone material of the tray makes it very easy to peel the sides away to release the ice cubes - no more torquing the tray and hoping that the cubes come loose! As others have said, make sure you put the tray in the freezer on a level surface, otherwise you might get slanted cubes. Not a big deal, but isn't as cool if you're trying to impress your guests. Note that this tray is not enough if you want to make the perfectly see-through ice cubes. That has to do with the speed and direction of freezing, so if you want to do that you will probably need to insulate the tray to ensure it freezes from the top-down. The other day, I put some water in the ice tray and threw it in the freezer. It was only about 50% frozen when I pulled it out of the freezer, thinking that it was done. They were crystal clear, but unfortunately they weren't completely frozen yet. Once they're completely frozen, you'll get the white cloudiness that is par for the course for homemade ice cubes. I've attached a photo of my ice cubes in my old fashioned!

I have a device to make clear, round ice cubes but it takes longer, the cubes are bigger and it only makes two at a time. I really don't need clear ice cubes 95% of the time and I like the slightly smaller volume on these cubes. I have the tray for six and I use about two a day. I have extra in an airtight container but if the cubes are left in the tray for two or three days they are quite fresh. They take a little effort to eject cubes from the silicone tray but I find pushing on just a corner of a cube, sometimes vigorously, gets them out easily enough.

I can't believe I paid the price of two for the price of one here. These ice molds let the ice be removed easily. Love how easy it is to take them out. The ice is perfect for my matcha, coffee, tea and so many more. It didn't come with a lid but that's to be expected.

tl;dr: This thing is pretty sweet. Buy it. Let me start by stating the obvious: this thing makes ice. And it does it well. If your freezer can freeze, removal's a breeze, but that's not why you're here. You read 600 reviews of a $9 ice cube tray to find out if this is the product that will finally turn your life around and I'm here to tell you it is. The cubes pop out easily and are nice and big with beveled bottom edges (pro tip: flip the cube over and it's got beveled top edges). And here's the kicker: these suckers are big. They fit in a Collins glass, but they create a nice big surface across the top of your beverage that is awesome for floating dark rum over your Mai Tai. If you're clumsy like me, this is a perfect alternative to trying to float using a spoon. It probably even works for virgin drinks (blueberry juice over ice tea? Sounds lovely!). So what about scotch? I take mine neat, but on a hot day a rock might be a welcome addition given a 90 degree liquor cabinet and these cubes cool beverages nicely but melt slowly. Anyone with half an understanding of thermodynamics knows that if it isn't melting quickly, it's not sopping up the heat in the beverage at large as quickly as quick melting crushed ice. This means these cubes really shine in their role as longer term solutions to your beverage's cooling problems. These are slow melting cubes for keeping your drink cool longer. You want it cold fast? Shake it with ice before pouring it over one of these. Final thoughts: this is a great tray, making large cubes. It's not the only size tray you should have, but it's well worth the purchase.

These cubes are near perfect. They are plenty big enough to cool down a glass of scotch and since they have a low surface area to volume ratio they are going to take longer to melt and dilute your drink. They may also not cool it quite as quickly, but for my application that wasn't the point. A lot of people have commented on the off flavor that these can provide. I agree in that when I received my package they didn't smell the freshest. They definitely had some kind of lubricant from the manufacturing process on them. I rinsed them with blue dawn and then let them soak with some dilute vinegar solution (roughly 1:10 vinegar:water). I used apple cider vinegar because its what I had on hand. After a 10 minute soak and a quick rinse the tray had no discernible off odor and the cubes came out tasting like regular ice. I'd also heard that the cubes were difficult to remove, but I didn't have quite that experience. They don't fall out of the tray like an old school plastic tray, but I think thats done on purpose a bit. If you're going to take the time to make perfectly shaped cubes would you want to let them tumble out and chip corners off? A little push up on the bottom of each cube gets it out far enough that I can grab it and lift it out and the mold snaps right back to shape. Overall I'd say these are as close to perfect as you're going to get especially if you fixate on making pretty drinks. The cubes are not only functional, but look amazing and to me thats well worth a quick vinegar rinse and a few extra seconds to take them out of the tray. 5 stars!

Why would anyone need or want a giant ice cube? - It takes longer to melt, hence diluting your drink less quickly, cooling it longer - It is quicker, easier and neater to dispense into your drink - It being large means you are not drinking ice cubes as they melt into tiny pieces - It just plain looks cool This tray makes some pretty huge 2.5 inch cubes. The tray is silicone but with a slightly more rigid base, so getting the ice cubes out is a doddle. I am going to ditch my three normal trays that make those poor little ice cubes and replace them with a couple of these. They seem well made and do the job. Simple but great idea.

Un oggetto ben fatto ed efficace, provati i cubetti XL mai piu' senza!

I like the two-inch , mostly clear cubes that these trays make. These large cubes contain about as much ice as the 4 of the 1.25 " cubes that my other Tovolo trays make, and since they take longer to freeze, the air dissolved in the water has more time to escape, and they come out clearer, but not completely clear. They are too big to fit into some of my smaller glasses, but do fit into the ones that I use most often for drinks. Just shove the cubes out with both thumbs, and they'll come out easily, with no ice sticking to the trays, and the trays will bounce right back. No need to baby them. You can definitely find cheaper trays, but I really like these.

El producto es de muy buena calidad, al principio se me dificulto un poco sacar los cubos de hielo pero conforme a la practica ya no se me dificulta en nada, pense que el material no iba a ser lo suficientemente durable al manipularlo y la verdad es que si. Hay que tomar en cuenta que los cubos son demasiados grandes y por lo tanto no cabe en todos los vasos.

Neat, large sized cubes - perfect for one cube a glass.