Don’t use hot or even warm water, otherwise, you might melt the ice. Hold the ice cube tray over the sink and run water from the tap over the bottom of the tray. Place a bowl or colander in the sink under the ice cubes in case any come loose and fall out.
Flexing the tray like this allows air to enter between the ice and the tray, which will release the cubes from their pockets. [3] X Research source If you have an old metal tray with a lever on it, pull up the lever to shift the metal divisions and release the ice. [4] X Research source
To get the cube off, simply dip the tip of your finger into your drink and allow the bond to melt.
If necessary, give the bottom of the tray a quick bang with your hand if some of the cubes are still stuck.
If the water in the ice cube trays is connected, it will freeze as one large block of ice, which will be harder to break up and remove from the tray. [7] X Research source
If you need multiple batches of ice for a party or special recipe, freeze the ice cube trays one at a time, and then stack them once they’re all frozen.
Once frozen, ice can always be transferred to a sealable plastic bag or freezer-safe container if you need to free up the tray to make more ice.
To remove ice cubes from a silicone tray, flex both sides of the tray to loosen the cubes. Hold the tray in both hands, and place an index or middle finger under a single ice cube on the bottom of the tray. Push against the bottom of the cube with that finger, and the ice cube will pop out. Grab it with your other hand while still pushing it from the bottom. Silicone trays work best when they are clean and don’t have a cloudy residue inside, so wash them out with hot soapy water and a brush between every filling.
