Peas & Carrots Podcast and Blog From Fresh Baby

So Easy Storage Tray Question

Question:

What are do the numbers (1,2,3, or 4) represent on the bottom of the So Easy Trays and Lids?

Answer:

The numbers (1,2,3, or4) on the bottom of a So Easy Storage Tray or Lid indicate the cavity number that the tray was made from in our plastic mold.  Our tray mold is a 4 cavity mold and 4 trays are made at the same time.  As a quality control measure each cavity is numbered.  If there is ever an issue with our trays, we will are able to pinpoint which cavity of the mold has a problem.

Our So Easy Storage Trays have always be made from FDA-approved food-safe plastic. #4 LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene) and #2 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). These materials contain no PVC, Bisphenol-A (BPA) or Plasticizer.

For more information abot So Easy Storage Trays for Baby Food of Breast Milk, click here.

Did you know...There are a number of uses for So Easy Storage Trays beyond Baby Food.  To find out more, click here.

Tray Tip #8: Iced Coffee Cubes

Tired of drinking watered down iced coffee because the heat of summer melts the ice in your drink? Well here is a simple solution to eliminating this problem and using that half full pot of coffee.

 

Make frozen coffee cubes by pouring leftover coffee in the Fresh Baby Trays.  Cover them and freeze the over night.  Next time you want a nice cold glass

of iced coffee, simply remove a few cubes and pour coffee over them.

 

Perfect iced coffee every time!

Tray Tip #7: Single Serving Sauces

Sauces are time consuming to make and many can be fattening, but a piece broiled chicken or pasta really comes to life with a pesto or alfredo sauce. These sauces can be high in calories, but you don’t have to deprive yourself of the flavors from these delicious sauces. You know what they say, everything in moderation. Instead serving a gravy boat full of sauce, use So Easy Food Storage Trays to make singe serving sauce cubes. These little cubes are bursting with great flavor and the portion size won’t blow your diet.

Simple make your favorite sauce recipe or purchase them fresh in the store. Spoon the sauce into the So Easy Food Storage Trays. Cover the trays and freeze them overnight. Pop the cubes out, and place them in a freezer storage bag with the name and the date on the bag. At meal time, remove your sauce cubes and defrost them in the microwave (or a water bath) and pour it over your meal. From boring to gourmet in minutes - Bon Appetit

Works well for:

• Alfredo Sauce
• Pesto Sauce
• Vodka Cream Sauce
• Marsala Wine sauce
• Tomato sauces
• Gravy
• Sweet and Sour Sauce

Tray Tip #6: Fresh Herb Cubes

Fresh herbs are delicious and preferred by chefs over their dried counterparts. Buying fresh herbs in the market is expensive and you are often left with quite a bit left over. Instead of tossing these treasured flavors, use the So Easy Food Storage Trays to save them for another recipe.

Simply chop the fresh herbs and place them into the So Easy Food Storage Trays. Cover the herbs with tap water.  Cover the trays and place them in the freezer. Pop the cubes out and place them in a freezer bag with the name and date on the bag. Keep the frozen cubes on hand for sauces, soups and stews.

Work wells for:

• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Basil
• Ginger

Tip:  Use sherry instead of water to cover the fresh ginger. This adds an exotic flavor that is perfect for Asian cooking.

Tray Tip #5: Saving Leftovers

How many times have you thrown out 3/4 of a can of tomato paste, or ½ a bottle of wine because a recipe calls for a small amount? What do you do with all those egg whites when the recipe calls for just the yolks?

 

Now, there is no need to waste these leftovers, and you can always have them conveniently on hand. Using the So Easy Food Storage Trays, leftover ingredients can be frozen into cubes, and ready for the next time they are needed.

 

Simply spoon or pour any leftovers into the So Easy Food Storage Trays.  Freeze them over night.  Pop the cubes out into a dated and labeled freezer bag, and put it right back in the freezer. Next time a recipe calls for this ingredient, it right within reach in your freezer!

Common leftovers ingredients that can be frozen:

• Tomato paste
• Coconut Milk
• Wine
• Sherry
• Egg whites
• Chicken, beef or vegetable stock
• Chipotle Chili Peppers in adobo sauce

Tray Tip #4: Cookie Dough Cubes

It is always nice to have something sweet on hand to offer unexpected guests or as treat for your kids.  But we all know too many sweets on hand is not a good thing - They either go to waste or to the waistline!

 

Using the So Easy Food Storage Trays to make cookie dough cubes makes it a breeze to have hot, fresh, homemade cookies in minutes!

 

Simply make your favorite cookie dough recipe. Press the cookie dough into the So Easy Food Storage Trays, cover the trays and freeze them overnight.  You can either leave them in the trays or pop the cubes out a store them in a freezer bag (labeled with the date and name of cookie recipe).

 

The next time company stops by, or your sweet tooth start talking to you, preheat the oven and grab a few cookie dough cubes from the freezer. Place them on a cookie sheet and right into the oven. No defrosting needed!

Tray Tip #3: Quick Gravy Cubes

How many times have you skipped making gravy or stews, because it is just to time consuming? Have you avoided making a stir-fry because it seems too hard? Using the So Easy Food Storage Trays, you can make simple gravy cubes and never feel rushed or overwhelmed when making gravy ever again.

 

For stews, roasted meats, and gravy:

• 8 Tbsp flour
• 8 Tbsp water

In a bowl, mix together the flour and water. Pour the mixture into the Fresh Baby Trays. Cover and freeze overnight. Make 12 quick gravy cubes

For Asian stir fries:

• 8 Tbsp cornstarch
• 8 Tbsp water

In a bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water. Pour the mixture into the Fresh Baby Trays. Cover and freeze overnight. Make 12 quick gravy cubes

 

Using Quick Gravy Cubes: Simply drop 1 or 2 cubes into your pan of juices. Wisk until the cube is thawed and Viola! a perfect gravy in minutes.

Tray Tip #2: Fruit Juice Cubes

Research has directly linked the over-consumption of juice to childhood obesity. It is also a contributor to poor dental health.  The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association recommend diluting juice with water (50/50) for children under 4 years old.

   

Making fruit juice cubes using the Fresh Baby Trays, offers a convenient way to have diluted juice on hand all the time. Simply fill Fresh Baby Trays with 100% juice, cover and freeze.  Pop the cubes and place the in a freezer storage bag.  Write the type of juice on the bag. 

   

To serve, add 1 or 2 juice cubes to a cup of water. The cubes will flavor the water and keep the drink cold at the same time!

   

“Healthy” Soda:  Dropping a few juice cubes into seltzer (sparkling) water instantly creates a soda pop. Get Creative by freezing exotic juice flavors such as strawberry, guava, or pomegranate in the trays (You'll want some too).

Tray Tip #1: Toddler Snacking Tray

Toddlers have little tummies that fill up quickly, and they are very active so they quickly burn calories. To keep your hungry toddler happy offering small servings of healthy snack choices is the trick. Use your Fresh Baby Trays to have snack “at the ready” any time of day!

The concept is simple, at the beginning of each day fill up the compartments of a tray with healthy snack choices. Place the lid on it and store it in the fridge. When your toddler asks for a snack, simply take the tray out and place it on the table. Let your little one choose which snack foods they want. When they are done, put the cover back on and it's back in the fridge to wait for the next request.

Using a snacking tray teaches your toddler to make choices, offers them plenty of variety, and makes it easy and convenient for you to answer ever so common cry of "I'm hungry!"

So EasyTray Tips & Uses

Many of our customers are beyond the baby food stage and are the proud owners of a few sets of SO Easy Baby Food Storage Trays. These nifty little covered trays have many uses. We’ve started a NEW section of our Blog called “Tray Tips”, so we can share these great tips with you.

 

Do you have a TRAY Tip to share? We would love to hear it! Please e-mail us.

 

FYI: Fresh Baby's So Easy Baby Food Trays have ALWAYS been free of BP-A, Phthlates, and PVC.