The Ice Cube Tray

Can you imagine life without an ice cube tray? While it's not something you think about too often, not having one would sure be an inconvenience to say the least.

Believe it or not, the first practical ice cube tray was invented and patented in 1932. The design was a simple metal box, divided into compartments where you put the water to freeze. The ice cubes were ejected when you twisted it slightly. Maybe the best ice cube tray is the one that has the lever on top that you pull to remove the cubes.

But you know as well as I do that there are some ice cube tray models that are worthless. The cubes do not come out and you wind up banging it on the kitchen counter to get the ice out. Those are the ones that deserve to be tossed.

Even a simple thing like this is subject to improvement. Some of the more fancy ice cube tray designs allow the water to be frozen into different shapes. Kids love their cold drinks with ice that comes in stars, hearts, and other shapes besides the normal rectangular cube. But that is not the end of it.

How about a tray that will freeze water to look like a duck, penguin, or a variety of seashells? These are all available. The one shape that has always been a problem for ice cube tray manufacturers has been a round ball. First, there was the idea that you freeze two trays of half-balls and then put them together. Then came the idea of a plastic bag that froze the water into balls. However, neither of these really worked well. Some maybe if you want to make a million, come up with a good new design for a revolutionary ice cube tray.

If you are really into high style, how about a designer ice cube tray that makes ice in the famous Gucci logo pattern? Or a tray that makes gingerbread people shaped ice? You can even have custom-made tray where you can have your ice come out with your company logo on the cubes.

But an ice cube tray is not just for making ice to cool your drink. Want to keep your jewelry safe from burglars? Freeze your rings in the ice and keep them in your freezer. And hope your thief has not read about this tip.