The Water Trick That Gets Stuck Ice Pops Out Of Their Mold

Pulling ice pops out of their mold can get a little fidgety if they get stuck inside. Apply too much pressure and you might end up with only half an icy treat on the stick with the other half still at the bottom of the mold. Spend too long trying to coax it out and it begins to melt; a dripping ice pop is not much fun either.

By immersing frozen ice pop molds in warm water for a few seconds, you can easily pull the cold treat out without breaking it up or melting it. This hack works for popsicles of any shape or size, including those frozen in homemade popsicle molds. You can also use it on your favorite store-bought popsicles by giving them a quick dip in warm water to smoothly slide them out of their plastic wrapping. Best of all, this little hack is an absolute savior at parties and cookouts for when you need to serve large batches of popsicles. And to carry those ice pops to a sunny picnic spot without having them melt, try the ice tray hack.

Stuck ice pops are more common in the homemade variety, and they are also more delicate than the store-bought kind and require gentler handling. If you pull the mold out of the freezer, are excited to try your homemade popsicle creation (we suggest pickle popsicles), and find that they don't budge when you pull the sticks, get a bowl of warm water to immerse the mold in.

A few things to watch out for — first, use a water container that's at least as deep as the popsicle mold. You want to immerse the entire length of the popsicle in warm water in order to extract it smoothly. However, make sure the opening of the mold stays above the surface of the water since you don't want warm water seeping into the mold.

Next, make sure that the water isn't too hot. The objective here is to only melt the icy layer that keeps the popsicle stuck to the mold without warming the popsicle itself. Therefore, warm water at around 100 degrees Fahrenheit is good enough. Make sure the pot or bowl of water is off the stove before dipping the popsicle molds in. Keep them inside the bath for about 20 to 30 seconds and then gently pull the popsicle stick after removing the mold from the water. The ice pop should come out smoothly. If it doesn't, dip it again for another 10 seconds and try again.