The Short-Lived But Innovative 1950s Kitchen Gadget You Never See Anymore

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People in the modern world will never fully appreciate how miraculous it is to have ice on demand. Before the invention of refrigeration technology, we relied on naturally formed ice. If you were in sunny Florida and wanted an ice-cold drink, you needed to have wealth because this was a luxury. The ice industry was a massive business, involving people cutting huge blocks of ice from frozen lakes in the northern U.S., Canada, Norway, and other frosty climates, then shipping them all over the world. Eventually, refrigerators came along, and we could make ice at home. One of the most beloved gadgets for accomplishing this was the aluminum lever-operated ice cube tray, a relic of the past that's still fun to use today.

The concept of the lever-operated ice cube tray is simple. Like modern trays, it has sections that you fill with water that will freeze into cubes. This is actually a removable aluminum grid. The center of the grid is connected by a hinge or spring mechanism to a handle that extends halfway or two-thirds of the tray's length, depending on the design. When the handle is pulled up, it puts pressure on the connected grid walls, which dislodges the ice.

Sometimes, if the ice is firmly stuck, you'd need to run some cool water over the top and bottom of the tray. This melts the ice just enough to loosen its grip on the aluminum. Otherwise, pulling the handle could bend the aluminum or cause the ice to release unevenly.

Patented in 1949, the lever-operated ice cube tray was a fun innovation for its time. One of the things people who have used them seem to enjoy most about them is the satisfying crack of the ice when the lever is pulled. A small pleasure, sure, but no different than the thrill of popping some bubble wrap.

Unfortunately for lever-operated trays, technology kept advancing. With the advent of plastic and silicone ice cube trays that could be twisted easily to free the cubes, and later ice machines built into refrigerator doors, and countertop ice makers, the lever-operated tray fell out of use.

For many people, as fun as lever-operated ice cube trays were, they weren't actually that easy to use. If you have ever tried wrestling with more modern trays, you know how tricky ice can be to get out sometimes. This problem was even worse in aluminum trays. If you skipped loosening the ice with water and simply pulled the lever, you often ended up breaking the cubes, with many sticking to the aluminum. That said, if you like the vintage appeal, don't trust bagged ice, or just want to try them yourself, you can still buy lever-operated ice cube trays in stainless steel or even aluminum. Just be aware, the aluminum trays tend to warp a little more easily.