Your kitchen is loaded with gadgets and gizmos so why not give them new life by making them work for you instead of just sitting there gathering dust. Even a one job type of tool can likely be used for so much more. Get a load of these tricks from Buzzfeed.com and you'll up your kitchen game without having to do anything but pull out your gear. Have fun!
1 Make Easy Ice Cream in Your Food Processor
Just freeze the base in an ice cube tray, then blend into creamy perfection.
Frequently asked questions
2 A Processor is Also the Fastest, Best Way to Make Homemade Pizza Dough
Seriously, better than hand-kneaded.
3 Use Your Waffle Iron to Make Extra-crispy Hash Browns
Triple the crannies! .
4 And Waffle BROWNIES
Honestly, the waffling possibilities are endless.
5 Quickly Shred Cooked Meat in a Stand Mixer
Pretty self-explanatory.
6 Kitchenaids Can Also Whip up Homemade Butter
For your bread, pancakes and much more.
7 Use a Popcorn Popper to Toast Nuts
This is a fast, easy way to toast nuts without the risk of burning them. Put 1/4 cup of nuts in and turn on the machine for about a minute, until they turn golden-brown.
8 In Times of Need or Confusion, a Coffee Maker Can Boil Vegetables and Other Foods
To be clear: This is neither easier nor more effective than using a normal pot. But handy when you're in a hotel room and desperately craving broccoli...?
9 Use a French Press to Whip Cream...
It won't get super fluffy, but is a great shortcut if you just need a nice dollop to put on a slice of cake.
10 ...or Brew Loose Tea
The built-in strainer makes it handy for all kinds of things.
11 Immersion Blenders Also Make Ace Cream-whippers
It only takes about 30 seconds!
12 Ice Cube Trays Are a Neat Way to Freeze and Store Handy Portions of All Kinds of Food
Pesto, stock, tomato sauce, fruit and yogurt for smoothies. Even cheesecake!
13 Meanwhile, Muffin Tins Can Pinch-hit as Jumbo Ice Cube Trays
These big cubes are great for pitcher drinks, punch, or anywhere you want to slow down the ice melting.
14 A Slow Cooker is Ideal for Perfectly Cooking Dried Beans
Burritos, anyone?
15 It Also Does a Great Job Caramelizing Onions...
Perfect!
16 ...baking Bread...
There's nothing like a fresh batch of homemade bread.
17 ...and Cooking Tons of Other Things
This thing can do lasagna, chocolate cake, mac 'n' cheese — you name it.
18 Same Goes for Rice Cookers
Single-use gadgets are usually good for a lot more than they let on.
19 Use a Microplane to Grate Garlic and Ginger
This is way faster and easier than finely mincing, and a great way to thoroughly incorporate ginger and garlic into sauces, dressings, etc.
20 Keurig Coffee Machines Can Make Instant Oatmeal, Ramen, or Anything else That Just Needs Hot Water
Honestly, better to use it for this than for actual coffee pods, which are pretty terrible for everything.
21 Microwave Lemons and Limes before Squeezing to Get More Juice out of Them
Just zap for about 20 seconds.
22 A Bundt Pan Doubles as a Handy Chicken Roasting Rack
With plenty of room for veggies to soak up all the yummy chicken juices. . NOTE: Just don't try this with a non-stick pan, since the high roasting temps could ruin its non-stickness.
23 Slice Strawberries or Mozzarella with an Egg Slicer
This works great for mushrooms or other soft fruits and veggies, too.
24 You Can Actually Cook Food in Your Dishwasher While It's Running
It works for things that want to be cooked at low temps — say, poached pears. Just make sure to keep things in tightly sealed, heat-proof containers (canning jars are perfect), especially if you're running it with soap!
25 Use a Turkey Baster to Squeeze out Cute Shapes with Pancake Batter
This would also be a tidy way to fill muffin or cupcake tins with batter.
26 Use a Pizza Wheel to Chop Delicate Fresh Herbs
Just roll it back and forth over the herbs; it's faster and less bruising than a regular knife. Pizza wheels are also very useful for cutting out strips to make a lattice-top pie, or basically any other rolled-out dough situation.
27 The Freezer Bowl of an Ice Cream Maker is Great for Quickly Chilling Wine or Drinks for a Party
Take the bowl out of the freezer, fill it with water, put the bottle(s) in, and it'll cool that booze right down. This also works without water to keep chilled wine cold; just make sure to wrap the bottle in a kitchen towel or stick a soft ice pack in with it to keep it from banging around too much and damaging the bowl.
