One of my trays broke after only a few uses because the plastic is too brittle and shattered when I was trying to get the cubes out. I had high hopes for the product and loved the dishes that go with it. I will continue to use the 1 tray I have left and see how long it lasts.I've been making my own baby food for a couple of months now and recently purchased these BabySteps freezer trays and love them! I started using a regular ice cube tray (and still do, although I'd like to get another set of these) and find that the BabyStep trays are easier to fill, stack beautifully, and since they have a (nicely fitting) cover, there's no messing with plastic bags and rubber bands to cover for freezing.
Several reviews here mention that they are very stiff and it's hard to get the cubes out. The plastic is sturdy (and I like that) but I notice no difference between the ease of popping food cubes out of these vs. regular ice cube trays frozen food is hard to pop out, that's just a fact. All you have to do is run a little water over the back side for a few seconds, then turn them out with a little tap/twist/shake I do the same thing with my regular ice cube trays. They also clean up beautifully and quickly (and are dishwasher safe).
Another great thing about these trays is that they are BPA/Phthalate free. This is important to me.
Note that on the KidCo website (makers of these trays) they state that each section is approximately 1 ounce not 2 ounces as mentioned in some reviews here and in one of the product descriptions here on amazon.I was pleasantly surprised at the number of products Babies R Us carries for making and storing home mad baby food, and found these trays (though the matching bowl was out of stock).
I like the fact that these have covers, which makes the stackable and helps maximize freezer space, and are BPA free. The fact that you can write on them means little to me as I would never use them for long term storage and if I just cooked the food the day before I am pretty sure I can remember what it is for when I transfer it to a ziploc baggie. The shaped cubes fitting in the matching bowl is cute too. The problem with this product is, I've already cracked one of them trying to twist them to get the food out. They are too brittle and don't release the cubes. That being said, after I cracked the first one, I ran the second one under warm water for a second and the cubes released. That is all well and good but the first one was already broken. Kidco is going to replace it though, I just spoke to their customer service and I have to send a picture of the cracked one and they will send me a new one. A warning on the box would be helpful in avoiding this situation.
I also bought at Wilton silicone baking sheet with small square cubes, and it is easier to get the cubes out but they are only about 1/2 oz. each which is too small. The thought struck me to use silicone muffin pans instead. This is what I am going to do from now on. If you have a beginning eater, you can use mini muffin pans, and if you have a child who is eating more, you can use the standard size muffin pan. By placing a cooling rack between each muffin pan, you can easily stack these on top of one another in the freezer. And when you don't need them to make baby food you can use them to bake muffins and cupcakes.I bought this item and I use regular ice cube trays as well. With both, I have to run hot water over the bottom of the trays for a few seconds before trying to pop out the frozen food, and then it's no problem getting the food out. I like using this tray with the smaller serving trays. The covers fit nice and snug and stack nicely in the freezer as opposed to using trays without covers which you have to wrap with plastic wrap and cannot stack. I highly recommend this item!!Awful, awful, awful. If I could give them zero stars, I would. The very first time I tried to remove food from one, it broke. I twisted it, as you do with ice cube trays, and it snapped right in two. I wasn't even twisting very hard. The plastic is just way too hard for this purpose. I went out to Bed, Bath and Beyond and bought some covered ice cube trays that have eight cubes all in a single row, and they're fantastic. They're much more flexible and take up half the room for the same number of cubes. They were only $2.99 each. These Kidco trays are bulky and brittle and not worth the money. Avoid them at all cost!
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