What would a hot summer day be without a tall glass of iced tea? Or what would a bourbon on the rocks be without the rocks?
In the scheme of things that are essential to life, ice cubes probably rate quite a ways down the list. But as far as the enjoyment of life is concerned, ice cubes are as essential as fuzzy slippers, the love of the right person, or your team winning the World Series.
We Boomer kids can recall when ice cubes were strictly a hit-or-miss proposition. Theoretically, we had plenty of them in the freezer. But in practice, getting cubes out of those infernally buggy aluminum ice cube trays was an act of skill, blind luck, and the grace of the freezer gods.
Oh, and don't forget the wrath that would come down from mom and dad when a tray was left with one or two cubes of ice in it, instead of being refilled as we knew we should have done.
The ice cube tray's invention is shrouded in a bit of mystery. According to one online source (about.com),
In 1914, Fred Wolf invented a refrigerating machine called the DOMELRE or DOMestic ELectric REfrigerator. The DOMELRE was not successful in the marketplace, however, it did have a simple ice cube tray and inspired later refrigerator manufacturers to include ice cube trays in their appliances as well.
No images of that original ice cube tray exist, nor even any detailed descriptions, as far as I can tell. But it wasn't made of plastic, that much we know for sure.
As the twentieth century wore on, ice cube trays were made from lightweight, plentiful aluminum. A mechanized contraption was devised which would either expel the cubes when a lever was lifted, or when each individual divider was forced ahead by a fraction of an inch, releasing a single pair of cubes.
That last model was nearly impossible for a seven-year-old kid to operate, by the way.
And of course, the aluminum was pretty fragile. Many an ice cube tray divider was tossed in the trash after losing its ability to expel cubes due to stretching or breaking of the metal.
And that meant that the actual tray, which was still intact and %100 operational, would gain a second life as a catch-all in dad's garage.
Somewhere along the line, plastics took over, even as Mr. McGuire predicted to Benjamin in Mrs. Robinson. The first plastic ice cube trays would get brittle after just a few uses, but by the time they broke, better ones were already on the market.
And as aggravating as the ever-snapping-plastic trays were, they still weren't as annoying as an aluminum ejecting mechanism that broke in your hands as you were eagerly anticipating big ice cubes in your drink.
Nowadays, most of us get ice automatically made for us in our high-tech freezers. How sweet it is.
But let's face it. As nice as our automatic ice makers are, they make for really lousy catch-all trays in the garage when they finally break down.
Comments (12)
Hadn't thought about ice cube trays in a while. I remember exactly the feel of operating the lever, and the sound it made. Yet it's been over 25 years (probably more) since I last operated one. Wow.
Posted by Mike Ransom | March 24, 2008 12:36 PM
Posted on March 24, 2008 12:36
I too remember how hard it was to operate esp. when the cubes were frozen together. running water over the ice usually helped.
Posted by Arne Christiansen | March 25, 2008 9:45 PM
Posted on March 25, 2008 21:45
Sure does bring back some memories.
Ice cube trays? More like ice cube shavings after trying to pull that darn handle back!! I swear that about 2/3 of the 'so-called' ice cubes were nothing but slivers after I got a hold of them! LOL :)
Posted by Lando | March 25, 2008 11:37 PM
Posted on March 25, 2008 23:37
God, I remember these. They were like little medieval torture devices. They were rather high tech, too, when you compare them to today's simple plastic trays.
Posted by Rhea | March 26, 2008 1:45 PM
Posted on March 26, 2008 13:45
One of my worst memories of metal ice cube trays was getting the palm of your hand pinched when you were holding the tray down and pulling on the lever! Ouch!!
Posted by rhonda | March 27, 2008 5:40 PM
Posted on March 27, 2008 17:40
Um, I don't know, maybe it's me but I LOVED the old metal trays. I just ran them under water first and then they let go really nicely. Those plastic ones are a pain and I always have one with a rip in it that leaks when you put it back in the freezer.
My best friend and I used to make Coke ice cubes in the old metal trays as a frozen treat in the summer.
Posted by Mauigirl | March 27, 2008 8:05 PM
Posted on March 27, 2008 20:05
I am not a baby boomer but my mom still had one of these pull handle ice cube trays when I was little. I am going to buy one 'cause I loved the slivers of ice when I was little. I always wanted to try and pull the handle and break the ice. It was copper colored with a silver tray in it if I remember correctly. I thought it was the coolest. That along with my aunts colorful aluminum tumblers that I loved to drink out of when I was little.
P.S. I'm 29
Posted by sarah | June 23, 2008 2:57 PM
Posted on June 23, 2008 14:57
They were better than the plastic ones. Every time i twisted a plastic one all the cubes came flying out.
Posted by David Chapman | June 14, 2009 9:41 PM
Posted on June 14, 2009 21:41
I've been looking for Aluminum trays for a long time. I didn't know that you could still get them. If they make stainless steel trays, I think they would be better. I also believe that the metal trays freeze ice cubes much faster than the plastic.
Posted by Buck Gonterman | June 19, 2009 12:16 AM
Posted on June 19, 2009 00:16
i have 3 of the aluminum trays for sale email me at jwf0331@AOL.COM
Posted by jeremy | December 11, 2009 12:03 PM
Posted on December 11, 2009 12:03
Sarah, above, mentions copper-toned trays. They were probably circa 1960. Around that time all aluminum kitchen things, pots, pans, cake keepers, canister sets, Pitchers, tumblers, started being offered in copper-toned versions. So trendy! I had a love-hate relationship with ice cube trays. Challenging skills fraught with many "ouch" moments. My dad never got ahold of any spare trays. Mom kept them, making Jello, fudge, brownies, ice cream (the Carnation Evaporated Milk recipe variety) in them. I miss them. Refrigerator automated ice maker cubes (or wedges) always taste funny to me.
Posted by NCeddie | April 11, 2010 11:21 AM
Posted on April 11, 2010 11:21
Ever since my automatic ice cube maker went on the fritz several months ago, I've been buying those STUPID plastic trays. I can't tell you how many we've gone through already because they keep cracking. I'm not fond of the idea of putting any food items in aluminum, and the only steel ice cube trays I can find are around $30 each - Ouch! I realize they last forever, but does anyone know a source where they are less expensive?
Posted by Angela | June 6, 2010 1:58 PM
Posted on June 6, 2010 13:58