It’s one of those tips that it seems everyone knows, until you hear from that one person who doesn’t. And to them it’s mind-blowing, earth-shattering… okay, maybe not. But it’s super-neat and cool! Or, maybe just really handy.

So with that in mind, I share the flavor-enhancer-in-an-ice-cube-tray trick. When you have bits of liquid or semi-liquid things left over (or if you just want to perfectly portion a huge batch of something), pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Each cube usually yields 1 to 2 tablespoons of whatever. You could do this with stocks for those recipes that call for 1 tablespoon here or there, leftover wine, citrus juices, or, as I’ve done here, my pesto. These are perfect for a serving of pasta or tossing into a baked egg.

For heavier substances, like the pesto, or chipotle chilis in adobo, I first line the ice cube tray with saran wrap before filling each cube with a tablespoon of the ingredient. Then I top it off with another layer of saran wrap. After the ingredient is frozen, I pop these out, trim the plastic wrap so the cubes are individually-wrapped single servings, and ensure they are tightly wrapped before tossing into a ziploc bag that is noted with ingredient and amount per cube. This ensures the cubes don’t stick together in the freezer, and it makes cleanup of the tray easy.

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Prep for Later Use, Quick tip by Courtney