Popsicle sticks

These sticks are usually cut from birch or another light hardwood, and food-safe versions are sold for kitchen use. Many ice pop molds have slots that hold the sticks upright. In molds without a holder, the mixture is frozen for about an hour first, until it is slushy enough to keep the stick standing straight.

Besides ice pops, the sticks are used for frozen bananas, cake pops, candy apples and chocolate-dipped treats. Craft sticks from a hobby store are not always made for food, so it is worth buying ones intended for the kitchen.