Kitchen Hacks: The Ice Cube Tray Broth Trick

Ah, kitchen hacks. We rarely know who deserves the credit for inventing these brilliant (albeit sometimes wacky) problem-solvers. Not that it matters. What matters is that some of these hacks are seriously genius (like this one, which will turn your salad-eating world upside-down) and deserve to be shared.
My personal criterion for a shareable kitchen hack is as follows:

• It saves time and makes cooking easier.
• It saves on waste; saves money.
• It makes the food taste better.
• It makes the food healthier.
• It helps me to become more proficient in the kitchen.
• All of the above.

When a recipe calls for water, stock or broth — forget the water. You can skimp on a drizzle of obscure liquor or a fancy garnish, but the stock/broth option is the one ingredient that can make or break your creation. A splash here, a half-cup there — the stock or broth adds not only a ton of flavor, but more nutrients, too!
Unless you have a simmering pot of stock at the ready (like they do in a commercial kitchen), you’d be hard pressed to conjure up a lone cup. But, if you utilize this handy dandy kitchen hack, your stock/broth woes will be a thing of the past.
I seriously love this kitchen hack. The next time you make your own bone broth (or open a container) freeze the extra broth in an ice cube tray and then store the cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer. When a recipe calls for a bit of beef, chicken or vegetable stock, reach into the bag, toss the required amount into the pan, melt away and keep on cooking. (Ice cube tray sizes can vary, so measure first!)
The same method can be used for other tasty tidbits that would normally go to waste. Make coffee cubes with leftover morning brew and keep your iced coffee from tasting watery. Coconut water ice cubes give a tropical twist to your breakfast juice and leftover wine (if there is such a thing as leftover wine) can be used the same way as the bouillon cubes.
They may be simple, but the kitchen hack often defines creative genius. Seriously, who out there possessed the rational, the reason and the intellect to first slice a cake with unflavored dental floss? Was it a culinary mastermind or a maniacal dentist? We may never know.
Are you a fan of this kitchen hack? If you have other clever uses for the ice cube tray, please share! —Karen