Are Metal Ice Cube Trays Safe?

Author : Efrain Silva

Aha, you found me, good reader! Which means you, like some other shy souls out there in the universe, were more than likely looking for information on such a topic…all without wanting to let others know the question was still on your mind. Have no shame : It is a valid and equally important one to ask, and one that we will answer in this topical read. So read on!

All right, then, first of all, there are many ways that metal ice cubes can be considered ‘safe’, and many things we can even mean by the word ‘safe’, itself. If, by ‘safe’, we mean that these trays will not damage the ice cubes inside or crack under pressure (such as when they get dropped by accident, perhaps by one of our clumsy third - graders coming home from school), then yes….by all means, these types of trays have been widely regarded as more than safe. To further add to this point, if the type of metal that they happen to be made out of just so happens to be stainless steel, then take delight in the fact that you have chosen one of the best materials out there for your ice cube trays, respectively : Stainless steel, even in this case, is known to last a good lifetime and more. And as I briefly touched upon, if you drop this type of tray, you will find it is nearly impossible (if not truly impossible) to destroy, or even to crack it or break it. It’s like Superman in a stainless steel ice cube tray! Nothing can really ruin it. Thank goodness, right?

Just keep in mind something else, on another note entirely : If you really want to go ‘all - in’ and take the jump, and try metal instead of plastic, you will want to know that you will not be able to remove those ice cubes in the same way as before. With a metal tray, you have to take them out, one by one, and then get rid of the water. Usually, with a plastic ice cube tray, you could shake the whole thing until all the frozen cubes drop out, and just put new water (quick, simple process with no water to remove). Although it takes longer, however, the metal option is still more ‘safe’ because you don’t have “floaters” sticking to the bottom of certain cubes, when it’s all been said and done….these have been said to leach out from whatever plastic tray was underneath them. Gross!

If you’ve ever looked closely at the ice cubes formed in a plastic ice cube tray or container, you will already likely know what I am talking about. If not, take a closer look at these cubes, one by one. Especially look at their undersides, as well as the ice underneath, left over in the tray after you’ve removed the cubes. It can often both look and smell funky, even if you wash your plastic tray often. Metal is safer.