14 Ways To Get More Use Out Of The Stuff In Your Kitchen

New Uses For Everyday Tools

I don’t know about your kitchen, but mine seems to be a magnet for clutter. Every so often I realize there’s too much stuff on the counter, too many things in the drawers, and not enough cupboard space to store everything. So I’ve set a personal goal to start eliminating clutter from my kitchen by getting rid of things that I don’t really need. And one of the most obvious offenders are all those little kitchen gadgets that only do one job!

So in order to keep myself motivated and stick to my goal, I decided to research some alternative uses for things I already have in my kitchen. I gathered quite the list, so I’ve decided to share it with you today! My hope is that it helps you realize that you don’t always need more stuff, and that a bit of creativity is the perfect antidote to clutter! :-)

If you’ve thought of a brilliant alternative use for something you have in your kitchen, and it isn’t listed here, I’d love to hear about it! Tell us about it in a comment at the bottom of this post, and we can keep the conversation going.

14 Creative Uses For Stuff You Already Have In Your Kitchen

New Uses For Everyday Tools

1. Scissors As A Pizza Cutter

You can use a pair of scissors (or kitchen shears, if you have them) to slice up your next pizza! Use oven mitts or a pair of tongs to hold the pizza in place while you cut.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

2. Cup As A Biscuit Cutter

No biscuit cutter? No problem! Just use the rim of a cup or a mason jar to cut out your biscuits. Make sure to dip the rim of the cup or jar in flour before each cut to make sure the dough doesn’t stick.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

3. Vase or Wine Bottle As A Rolling Pin

If you need a rolling pin in a pinch, use a tall cylinder vase or an empty wine bottle! Place your dough between two sheets of wax paper to prevent sticking, then roll away.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

4. Whisk As A Frother

You don’t need a fancy gadget to make delicious frothed milk. Just grab a saucepan and a small whisk! Heat the milk in your saucepan over medium-low heat until it starts to get frothy on top. Then whisk the milk rapidly until it reaches your desired frothiness. Serve immediately on your favorite cup of coffee.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

5. Yogurt Container As A Measuring Cup

You can never have enough measuring cups in my opinion. And if you find yourself in need of a few more, you can use empty yogurt containers! Just measure out your desired amount into the yogurt container, then use permanent marker to indicate the level for that measurement. This can be really useful for messier measuring tasks, because you can just toss it out afterwards.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

6. Cupcake Liner As An Egg Poacher

Use silicone cupcake liners to make delicious poached eggs. Drop a teaspoon of butter into each liner and add an egg. Place the filled liners in a large skillet, then add 1/2″ of water to the bottom. Bring the water to a simmer, then cover and let simmer for 4-7 minutes.

You can also replicate this process in your Instant Pot! Prepare the liners as described above, adding a teaspoon of butter and an egg to each one. Then place them on the trivet in your Instant Pot, and add 1 cup of water to the bottom. Put the lid on the pot, and set to Manual for 3 minutes. Use the natural release method to depressurize, then enjoy!

Related: 10 Awesome Accessories You’ll Want For Your Instant Pot

New Uses For Everyday Tools

7. Roasting Pan As A Large Griddle

A large griddle can really come in handy if you’re cooking breakfast for a crowd. But if you don’t have one, a large roasting pan can get the job done just as well! Place it over two of your stove burners and get cooking.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

8. Box Grater To Save Burnt Toast

It’s happened to everyone; you get a little sidetracked while making toast and it comes out darker than you meant it to. Just grab your box grater and run the dark side of your toast against it! You’ll “grate” off the darker bits and salvage your toast.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

9. Splatter Guard As A Cooling Rack

Use a splatter guard as a makeshift cooling rack.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

10. Salad Spinner As A Seed Remover

Use a salad spinner to remove excess liquid and seeds from tomatoes. Just chop up your tomatoes, add them to the spinner, and give them a whirl. The liquid and seeds will separate from the tomato flesh, leaving you with just the good stuff. :-)

New Uses For Everyday Tools

11. Muffin Tin As A Cooling Rack

Flip a muffin tin upside down to use as a cooling rack. The spaces between the muffin cups will allow air to flow underneath whatever you’re cooling and help it cool faster.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

12. Rolling Pin As A Nutcracker

A rolling pin can be very handy for any kitchen task that involves crushing something. Whether you’re cracking open nuts, or crushing crackers or cookies, just use your rolling pin and a bit of brute force. Quick and easy!

New Uses For Everyday Tools

13. Colander As An Ice Bucket

A colander can make a great ice bucket for keeping drinks cool. Just place the colander inside a larger bowl, then fill the colander with ice and drinks. As the water melts, it will drip down into the bowl, leaving the ice behind. No one will have to reach into freezing water to fish out a drink for themselves.

New Uses For Everyday Tools

14. Cocktail Shaker As An Egg Scrambler

If you have a shaker for cocktails or martinis at home, you can use it to quickly and easily scramble eggs! Just put the eggs in, place the top on, and give it a good shake. This method is also great for making salad dressings and vinaigrettes.

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Jill Nystul Photo

Jill Nystul (aka Jillee)

Jill Nystul is an accomplished writer and author who founded the blog One Good Thing by Jillee in 2011. With over 30 years of experience in homemaking, she has become a trusted resource for contemporary homemakers by offering practical solutions to everyday household challenges.I share creative homemaking and lifestyle solutions that make your life easier and more enjoyable!

About Jillee

Jill Nystul

Jill’s 30 years of homemaking experience, make her the trusted source for practical household solutions.

About Jillee

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25 Comments

  1. At the age of 66, I have gone my whole life without a rolling pin. My momma didn’t bake and I don’t bake, so I never thought I needed one. When the occasion calls for smashing something (like nuts, crackers for meatloaf, etc), I use a can of something out of my cupboard…big or small, they all work the same. BTW, I love your newsletters and your website. :)

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    • Kathy, thanks for your kind words and for sharing this great tip with us. :-)

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  2. I use scissors to cut up my veggies & meat…. beef, bacon,pork or chicken…. into small pieces for cooking. It’s easier than cutting with a knife for stir-fry & recipes that call for small pieces of meat.

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  3. I use my pizza cutter to cut brownies and all sorts of baked goods and dumplings. I use my “meat” scissors for cutting up cooked spaghetti into the small bite size portions for the little ones.

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  4. I use a plastic thread spool with the paper off the end to press a flower into my cookies. Or the end of my wine bottle stopper to press the center of the cookie dough for jam.

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  5. I USED THE CAN OPENER TO TAKE THE TOP AND THE BOTTOM OF CANS OFF……AND USE THEM TO MAKE BISCUIT CUTTERS WITH……DIFFERENT SIZES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF BISCUITS……

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  6. I use the pan from my vegetable steamer to strain noodles, etc.

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  7. One of my favorite affordable finds was the small stick milk frother I bought from Ikea! I don’t even use it to froth milk, but I use it like a small whisk. It’s perfect for mixing powders into liquids and making thinner emulsions. Also great for mixing up sauces! Plus it’s easy to clean by running under hot water and then turning it on to dry it.

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  8. I already knew about most of these tricks, however the tomatoes in the salad spinner gave me one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” moments as well!! ((The next sound you hear will be me smacking my forehead!)). Can’t wait to make preparing tomatoes for bruschetta so much easier! Thank you! Marianne

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  9. I always use a mason jar to scramble eggs. Just like your cocktail shaker. I also use a jar to mix my thickener for gravy. No mess and no lumps!

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  10. I use a plastic jar from mayonnaise to peel garlic. I split the garlic apart and throw them all in the jar. Put the lid on and shake it hard for about a minute. Take out what is peeled and start again. I usually have it peeled completely after the second time.

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  11. An addition to the whisk for frothing milk…I drink bulletproof coffee every morning (coconut oil and heavy whipping cream). I put both in my cup, then coffee to fill a little less than half full. Blend 10 seconds or so with a stick blender..bam! Instant froth :)

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  12. Using a grapefruit spoon to peel fresh ginger works great. A regular spoon will work but the grapefruit spoon works better. I read recently that you can freeze fresh unpeeled ginger or store peeled ginger submerged in vodka. I didn’t try freezing or the vodka method but will in the future. Also, you can grow your own fresh ginger root, outdoors or indoors, and it is supposed to be easy. Looking into trying this also.

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  13. I can even eliminate the silicone cups for poaching. Bring your water to a boil and put the egg in whole for 5 minutes. Remove and put in cold water to cool just enough to handle. Tap large end and begin peeling until you get a spoon between the membrane and egg white. Run the spoon under the shell to release the egg. You need a little practice to get comfortable doing this, but it simplifies poaching eggs.

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  14. Wow Jillee! You never cease to amaze me with all your great hints and info. I hear myself using one of your phrases often, “Why didn’t I think of that.” I really look forward to every email in my inbox from you.

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  15. Where did you buy the red-checkered rolling pin? Love it.

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    • I found it at Walmart! It was part of The Pioneer Woman’s holiday collection :-)

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  16. I use a pastry blender to quickly chop eggs for tuna salad, egg salad, etc.

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    • I use a grater to do my hard boiled eggs make it easy and fast

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  17. I also use kitchen scissors to snip green onions directly into eggs, salads, macaroni salad, tuna salad, etc…, instead of getting out a knife & cutting board. :o)

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