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Double Duty?

chubbyalaskagriz

chubbyalaskagriz

New member
A friend suspends an antique wooden wagon wheel from the ceiling in his cabin kitchen and hangs pots from it.

I have a 2 decades-old Hershy's syrup can that I use as a biscuit-cutter.

Some folks flute the edge of their pie crusts w/ a fork- or even a spoon.

In one of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks he bakes individual loaves of "flower pot bread" in tiny tomato paste cans and puts them at each place-setting. I've also known folks who bake quick-breads in one-pound coffee-cans for a newt effect...

What gadgets or lost/found items do you have that pull a "double-duty" or that you've discovered a NEW use for?
 
We've done the "can" thing for baking for decades!
I have several different sized plastic glasses that I use for biscuits, cookies, pastas, etc. They work great. I have stainless steel trays that I use as baking sheets. My pizza wheel is my favorite cutter - and not just for pizza.
Velveeta cheese boxes are great for holding homemade salad mixes (dry mixes - Italian dressings, etc.) that I combine and store in "packets".
Tuna cans are great biscuit/cookie cutters - so are other size cans.
Plastic wide-mouth Miracle Whip jars are great for the freezer with broths, chilis, sauces, etc.
I recycle anything I can and make-do with just about anything when needed.
 
RE: "Plastic wide-mouth Miracle Whip jars"

Oh- you reminded me, mama! In restaurants we often used the extra-large wide jar lids from Mayo Gallons as burger presses to pack ground beef into and shape/form our burger patties...
 
There is so much that you can "recycle" in the kitchen! I've used those lids for burgers and sausage patties. I buy a lot of institutional sized jars which I use for holding my homemade mixes, flours, sugars, dried pastas, cereals, etc.
 
A trick I learned for those lids from, of all people, Rachael Ray:

When you need to halve a bunch of cherry tomatoes, or olives, or things of that nature, take two of those lids. Arrange the fruits in a single layer on one of them. Top with the second.

While applying slight downward pressure with the palm of your hand, slice through the cutting-line formed by the two lids.

Voila!

I use 1/2 gallon canning jars to store my grains, beans, some pastas, dried fruits, etc. When I can find the old ones with the zinc lids I prefer those, only because they are prettier on the shelf.

If you garden, almost every meat, veggie, and dairy container can be recycled into a seed starting "flat" or actually be used as a garden. There is no need to bumb your seedlings into commercial flower pots, for instance. Not when you have all those yogurt containers. Or try cutting the shoulders/necks off of pop bottles. Staple them, in rows, to an empty wall. Fill with soil and put one plant in each bottle.
 
Many, but not all yeast breads work when baked in a can. But virtually every steamed (i.e., Boston brown) and quick (i.e., banana, zucchini) bread does.

I like those wide squatty ones---they used to hold 32 ounces but are 28 or even less now---for that purpose.

Make poultry stuffing in cupcake tins instead of a casserole. These "stuffin' muffin's" have several advantages: they are individual serving sized. Everybody gets a portion of the crunchy top. And they're often a conversation piece because most folks aren't familiar with them yet.
 
Another good purpose they'd serve, Brook- in commercial kitchens we would use a large ice-cream scoop to pre-scoop/portion bread-dressing/crab-stuffing onto sheet-pans for boneless chix boobs or sole or other fish fillets. Your muffin-tin method would serve that need for efficiency well, too.
 
When you can find them, Kev, they work great.

An alternative: The bakery sections of supermarkets will give you their "empty" frosting pails. These range in size from 2 to 5 gallons, and have lids as well.

You have to clean them up, because their idea of empty often is far from it.

Ironically, I get most of mine from the Wally World superstore. The bakery is giving them to me for free while a different department is selling lower grade buckets, without lids. Ya gotta love it.
 
Yeah, Kev. Dishers are great for portion control. As heavy as I am into small plates, I'd be lost without them.

Unfortunately, other than "ice cream scoops," they are difficult to find at retail. And even harder for the typical home cook to relate to. I mean, after all, what the heck does #16 mean to a homemaker?

Besides which, at from 13 to 17 bucks a pop, how many would the home cook own?
 
5-gallon buckets are great for mopping

cloth diapers are great for windows

I had my Camp Fire Girls use egg cartons for separating their beads for projects

baby food jars are good for homemade spice mixes (small and junior size)

plastic bottles of Bubble soda pop (with the white pull up tops) - 25 cents a bottle - just empty the contents and wash and dry out - great for spices, homemade colored sugars, etc.

I save all the pull up tops from dish soap bottles, etc. - work well on glass long-necked bottles that I use for oil and vinegar (which I purchase by the gallon - smaller bottes are easier to handle)

speaking of dish soap bottles - they make the best "squirt guns" for summer fun

Crisco shortening covers also work for covering certain bowls

the white dividers from boxes of tea are nice book marks

nail baby food jars to the underside of a piece of wood on your work bench and use the jars for smaller screws, tacks and nails - you can see thru the jars and its easy to unscrew them to get at what you want

baby food jars (or other small jars) are nice for holding thumb tacks, small objects

plastic coffee jars and Domino sugar jugs are nice for food storage

clothes pins are nice bag clips

save the waxed paper box when empty (one with a good cutter) and a cheaper generic brand (the ones with the lousy cutters that don't work) can be placed in that box - better cutting

if you have a lot of spices and herbs in your cupboard - using a plastic container or two to keep them all together and in order makes finding them easy - no rummaging thru the cupboard

pencil size plastic containers (long and thin) are nice to hold food colorings and extracts
(or use another Velveeta box)

I'm a big butter user - I always have at least 2 pounds in my butter "container" - great for cooking and baking (yes I have a butter dish for table use) - a friend of mine uses a one of those plastic tortilla holders (with the cover) to hold hers for baking and cooking

stainless steel coffee cups are great for making individual cakes or all sorts

I save the racks from my ovens to use as baking racks for marathon baking

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I have friends hooked on those 100 calorie packs, or they are on a diet of some sort and they need to measure their foods, or are into portion-control with everything - so to save money they (for instance) buy a regular box of whatever (which is usually much cheaper) and have the kids measure/portions the foods into zip lock bags from the dollar store - saves money and keeps the kids busy - place the bags in plastic containers in the pantry - grab -n go for cereals, snacks, etc.
 
KYHeirloomer said:
A trick I learned for those lids from, of all people, Rachael Ray:

When you need to halve a bunch of cherry tomatoes, or olives, or things of that nature, take two of those lids. Arrange the fruits in a single layer on one of them. Top with the second.

While applying slight downward pressure with the palm of your hand, slice through the cutting-line formed by the two lids.

Voila!
Click to expand...

I’m not sure I can visualize what you mean? It seems to me you would have juice flying out everywhere and pretty squished tomatoes or olives. What lids are you using that are so sharp?

You know I have a bunch of large canning jars I should put my dried beans in them. I always have several types and this way instead of taking up lots of space in bags in the cupboard I can use them for a decoration on my counter.
 
jfain, have you ever seen one of those bagel cutters? Imagine turning one of them on their side.

You're not squishing the tomatoes. Basically you're using the plastic lids to stabalize the tomatoes or olives while you cut through them with a knife.

I find I can cut an entire layer of them this way in about the same time it takes to halve two of them working one at a time.

Hopefully, this sketch will help.

________________
0000000000000000 <----- cut here
 
Tons of the older ladies around here use the vienna sausage cans for biscuit cutters. My Mom used one as long as I can remember. Everyone used to have the smaller metal coffee cans on the stove that they saved bacon grease in.
 
KYHeirloomer said:
jfain, have you ever seen one of those bagel cutters? Imagine turning one of them on their side.

You're not squishing the tomatoes. Basically you're using the plastic lids to stabalize the tomatoes or olives while you cut through them with a knife.

I find I can cut an entire layer of them this way in about the same time it takes to halve two of them working one at a time.

Hopefully, this sketch will help.

________________
0000000000000000 <----- cut here
Click to expand...

Ah now I get it.
 
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