If you’ve only been using your ice cube tray to make blocks of ice, you’ve been missing out. Here are 30 cool ideas that make the most of this handy kitchen kit, from mini cheesecakes to coffee cubes.

Purée leftover cooked greens and freeze to make vegetable ice cubes. Use for baby food or mix into sauces for extra veg. You can also purée and freeze leftover cooked spinach from dinner and use it later to swirl into soups, stews or curries for added colour and vitamins.

Having cookie dough in the freezer means you can whip up a freshly-baked treat in under 25 minutes. Store it in small cubes so it will defrost quicker. Once soft, roll into balls and press into cookie shapes before baking until golden as per the recipe. Here are 30 secret steps to perfect cookies.

Finely grate ginger and mix with a neutral oil such as peanut or canola (it should be the consistency of a thin paste). Freeze in an ice cube tray until solid then pop the cubes into a freezer bag and return to the freezer. This way, you can reach for a bit of ginger when needed without having to buy a large piece and peel and grate it, with the rest left to shrivel at the back of the fridge.

If you have the dregs of a wine bottle left, don't tip it down the sink. Fill up an ice tray and when a recipe calls for wine, you've got a glug to hand. Drop in an ice cube or two to finish off sauces like a rich bolognese or risottos. Wine ice cubes also keep drinks like sangria cold without diluting the mix.

Did you know you can freeze avocado? Whizz it up with a squeeze of lemon juice to stop it going brown, and freeze. When you need it, defrost thoroughly and use for guacamole or blend into smoothies for a creamy texture. Check out our gallery for more ways to use avocado.

Whisk egg whites and yolks together and freeze in an ice cube tray. You can also freeze egg whites separately. Defrost them in the fridge and use for meringues, omelettes, a mousse or macaroons. Forgotten how many eggs you've frozen? Weigh them out: One egg weighs approximately 60g (2.1oz) and an egg white weighs approximately 40g (1.4oz).

Edible flowers are great for jazzing up drinks. Freeze a couple of flowers (make sure they're actually good for eating, such as lavender, jasmine, violas, or rose geranium) with water to add to fancy cocktails or a jug of fresh juice.

Not going to use up all your yogurt by its use-by date? Avoid waste by freezing it in an ice cube tray. Use it to make a creamy curry, defrost to use in a yogurt cake or blitz to make a frozen yogurt dessert. If you decide to do the latter, here are 30 inspired topping ideas you've been missing out on.

Freeze black coffee and use it to make a refreshing iced brew when you’re feeling the heat. Regular ice can water down the cold drink but the frozen caffeine cubes will ensure it retains a strong coffee flavour.

This is a fun one for children. Freeze chocolate syrup (the kind used for making chocolate milk) in a small ice cube tray. Serve with milk and a straw – for swirling the chocolate syrup in as it melts. Large cubes will take a long time to melt but if you don’t have a small size tray, just fill your normal tray about halfway.

Add an extra shot of vitamin C to juices and smoothies by adding fresh orange or lemon juice ice cubes. Frozen lemon juice is also handy if you need a citrus injection for risottos or pasta recipes. Just throw a cube into the hot pan and it will melt in seconds.

Make a matcha tea concentrate by mixing matcha and water. You could even add a little condensed milk as this gives the cubes a more pastel hue. Serve frozen matcha cubes in a tall glass with milk and watch as your drink changes colour.

Herbs on the turn? Instead of throwing them away, finely chop them, fill up each ice cube hole halfway, then top up with olive oil or water and freeze. When you need the herbs, gently melt the cubes and scatter over your dish.

If you’ve got soft fruit that’s about to turn or leftover fruit salad, whizz them up in a blender and freeze in an ice cube tray. Drop them into a smoothie to cool it down, or use them as smoothie boosters when you're short on fruit. For help with how long you can store food for, check out our gallery.

Purée leftover vegetables or baby food and freeze in an ice cube tray, ready for when you need dinner in a hurry. Turn the cubes out into a freezer bag once they’re set and label them clearly.

Freeze leftover tomato purée or juice and use for a quick tomato sauce. Frozen tomato juice also makes great ice cubes for a bloody mary when you need a soothing hangover antidote or special brunch cocktail.

Make your favourite chocolate rocky road recipe, tip into a silicone ice cube tray and chill until set. They're great for when you need a bite-sized sugar rush. 

Use frozen milk ice cubes to chill coffee, chocolate milk or make a glass of fresh milk extra cold. Frozen buttermilk also keeps well: just defrost and use it for pancakes or doughnuts.

This one's for the dog: freeze goats' milk in an ice cube tray to have tasty treats ready to cool pups down on hot days.

Keep leftover pesto by freezing portions in an ice cube tray. This works particularly well for wild garlic pesto which is only in season for a couple of months. Just defrost cubes in the fridge and stir through your favourite pasta year-round. 

Make a healthier dessert with miniature ice pops. Simply fill an ice cube tray with blended fruit or whole pieces in fruit juice, freeze until semi-solid, then insert a small ice lolly stick and freeze until set.

Make these to create show-stopping drinks at your next gathering. They look particularly good when done in a rounded ice cube tray – rather like chocolate-covered cherries. If you’re serving these to children, make sure to remove the pits first with a cherry pitter. Or use maraschino cherries in alcohol-free Shirley Temples.

Make your usual puffed rice cake mix then push them into the ice cube tray holes. Put in the fridge to chill and turn them out when set to make cute little cakes. Drizzle with melted chocolate for a finishing flourish.

If you’ve got fresh vegetable or meat stock, freeze it in an ice cube tray so it’s ready whenever you need it. This also comes in handy if you have leftover stock from a recipe.

If you buy almond milk in bulk or you’re not able to finish a whole carton before it goes off, freeze it. Defrost and use in smoothies, on your cereal or in a vegan iced latte.

Give kids a cool snack, these frozen watermelon chunks. Purée watermelon and freeze it in ice cube trays or push pieces of fruit into the individual sections and freeze until set. It's a great way to use up watermelon that's starting to go mushy.

Use a silicone ice cube mould for this one. Make your favourite cake pop recipe (or give this one a go), push the baked and blitzed cake crumbs into the ice cube tray, and leave to set with a lolly stick. Then the fun part – cover the cake pops in icing and decorations.

 

Make your glass of water more exciting with these lemon and mint ice cubes. As you drink, they'll melt and flavour the water. Get more ideas for incredible infusions here.

Read more: 22 foods and drinks you shouldn't throw away but do

Say goodbye to mess when making chocolate-covered strawberries. Instead, fill an ice cube tray with melted chocolate, insert a whole strawberry into each section and leave to set. Just turn out when you're ready to eat them.

Read more: Genius hacks to make food and drink last longer

This works best with a silicone ice cube tray. Mix crushed biscuits with melted butter, push into the ice cube tray and leave in the fridge to set for at least an hour. Whisk cream cheese and double cream together until smooth and thick, then spoon on top of the biscuit mixture and leave to set in the fridge ideally overnight. The next day, you could top with a layer of jelly, or simply turn out onto a plate and decorate with fresh fruit.

Read more: 60 food hacks that are borderline genius