The Best Way to Keep Frozen Treats Ice-Cold in the Blazing Heat

If you were to measure my consumption of frozen sweet treats throughout the year on a line graph (please don’t), you’d note a steep, entirely predictable climb in the summer months. From the beginning of June until early September, I like to keep cool with a melange of shave ice, popsicles, ice cream, and frozen fruit (especially Fruit Riot, with which I am fully obsessed). So I’ve spent some time trying to figure out the best way to keep my treats ice cold, even when I’m entertaining in my backyard or lounging by the pool on a sweltering hot day. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, now I’ve got these top three hacks for serving ice-cold treats on summer days. 

Use a Muffin Tin To Serve Ice Cream

There are a ton of creative ways to use a muffin tin, but my personal favorite comes from helpful hack hero Shannon Doherty. In this video, Doherty shows how you can use a muffin tin to pre-portion ice cream for serving on a hot day. I’ve always loved the idea of serving some of my own homemade ice cream to our friends at cookouts, but logistically, it’s pretty challenging. This hack makes it so easy. Just fill the muffin tin with cupcake liners and put a scoop of ice cream in each one. Pop the tray in the freezer, and when you’re ready to serve, just add an ice cream cone on top, flip over the cone with the ice cream scoop on top, peel off the liner, and you’re ready to party.

Freeze Water in Foil Trays To Keep Cold Food Chilled

Outdoor entertaining is one of the true joys of summer, but it presents its own set of challenges, including how to keep cold food properly chilled. Here, momfluencer Mackenzie Biehl shares her super-easy solution: Just fill a disposable aluminum foil pan about 3/4 full of water and freeze overnight. The next day, set a smaller pan of whatever foods you want to keep cold—charcuterie, crudite, or fresh-cut fruit—on top, and you’ll keep those goodies perfectly cool for hours, even in high heat. Plus, the aluminum trays usually come with clear plastic lids you can use to keep bugs away.

Use an Insulated Tumbler To Keep Popsicles Frozen on the Go

During the summer, my family spends a ton of time at the pool, and for years, I’ve wished I could bring our favorite popsicles with us without them melting within the first 10 minutes. Then I saw this hack making the rounds on TikTok, and I felt like my wish was granted. The idea is simple: Take a tall, insulated tumbler and place the popsicles inside. Really pack them in there and add a few ice cubes, if there’s room, to make sure they stay nice and frosty. They’ll stay cool for a couple of hours (I wouldn’t try to go much longer than about four hours), especially if you pop the tumbler in a cooler. Now that we’ve learned this tip, we rarely make a trip to the pool without a tumbler full of popsicles!