TikTok just changed our ice cube lives in 10 seconds. In a video that has received over 4 million views since it was posted, user Britnaenae shows us the correct way to fill ice cube trays. Contrary to what most of us have always done, it is not correct to pour water into each little cavity of the tray. Britnaenae illustrates the difficulty of this approach when, in her video, she holds a tray under a faucet and the water goes everywhere but into the ice cube tray. Ugh, we feel you, girl. It's a mess — not to mention, you drip water everywhere on the way back to the freezer. Britnaenae asked, "Am I just dumb, or did nobody else know this either?" and went on to explain, "These little flat spots on ice cube trays are where you're supposed to fill the water."
It's counter-intuitive, but the correct method for filling ice cube trays is to actually pour the water onto the flat surface, in between each four ice cube compartments. This allows the water to calmly disperse into each section and fill up evenly. Who knew?! Certainly not the many who have commented on the video since it was posted in May. Most folks are commiserating over the fact that they were "today years old" when they learned this, as TikTok user 13cassandrarenee said. Silicone Food Molds
Not surprisingly, someone has already figured out how to make money off our ice cube tray ignorance by creating a covered ice cube tray, according to CNET. This gadget features a cover with a small lid that flips up for easy filling and snaps closed for easy transport to the freezer. Well, at least we've got that first part figured out now.
Baking Silicone Molds Now that you've made friends with your ice cube tray again, consider all the other things it's good for. According to One Good Thing, you can use your ice cube tray to freeze leftover buttermilk, coconut milk, whipped creamed, coffee, and the list goes on. Simply fill the tray with your liquid of choice, freeze, then transfer the cubes to freezer storage bags. If you're filling up ice cube trays to prep for your next cocktail hour, Food52 offers advice on how to make (almost) perfect ice at home. The tips go way beyond boiling water to ensure crystal clear cubes, yet it does not cover the very basic tip of how to fill the darn tray. Thank goodness we are able to #learnontiktok, and there's a hack for that.