You can definitely teach an old gadget new tricks.
1. Make easy ice cream in your food processor.
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Just freeze the base in an ice cube tray, then blend into creamy perfection. Get the full explanation and recipe here.
2. A processor is also the fastest, best way to make homemade pizza dough.
Seriously, better than hand-kneaded. Get the explanation and a recipe here.
3. Use your waffle iron to make extra-crispy hash browns.
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Triple the crannies! Get the recipe here.
4. And waffle BROWNIES.
Get the recipe here. Honestly, the waffling possibilities are endless.
5. Quickly shred cooked meat in a stand mixer.
Pretty self-explanatory, but here's how.
6. Kitchenaids can also whip up homemade butter.
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...? Get more coffee pot cooking tips here.
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. More ideas here.
11. Immersion blenders also make ace cream-whippers.
It only takes about 30 seconds! Get detailed instructions here.
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! Get more ideas here.
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.
15. It also does a great job caramelizing onions...
Recipe here.
16. ...baking bread...
17. ...and cooking tons of other things.
This thing can do lasagna, chocolate cake, mac 'n' cheese — you name it. Get ideas and recipes here.
18. Same goes for rice cookers.
Single-use gadgets are usually good for a lot more than they let on. Get rice cooker recipes here.
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.
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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.
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With plenty of room for veggies to soak up all the yummy chicken juices. Get instructions and a recipe here.
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! Get more info here.
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.
