Unexpected Uses For Kitchen Tools You Already Have On Hand

Your well-worn kitchen tools have many hidden talents. Surprising you with some unexpected uses. Read on to hear how you can use many of your gadgets in a new and different way.

Surprising Uses for Everyday Kitchen Tools - pictured a variety of kitchen tools

Surprising Uses for Everyday Kitchen Tools You Already Have on Hand

Do you have a drawer, or more, full of kitchen gadgets? Fantastic! This means you have everything you ever needed to be a professional chef in disguise. SURPRISE! Many of your current kitchen tools can be used in more ways than just one. You just have to size it up differently.

The fact is you don’t need a whole bunch of kitchen tools that only have a single-use, or rarely get used. You might be surprised to find that many of the kitchen tools you already have can be used for multiple tasks. Learning some unexpected uses for kitchen tools can save you time, space, and money.

Keep in mind, that these kitchen tools may not seem so important, but they’ll make your days in the kitchen way, way easier.

Bench slicer cutting red pepper on cutting board

Bench Scrapers Aren’t Just For Dough

Bench scrapers may be useful when you are baking, but they can be used for so much more than dough. Just minced up an onion or a clove of garlic? Use your bench scraper to scoop it up neatly in one fell swoop.

It becomes your extra hand when you need it. Plus, if can even slice through veggies. If you need a slicer in a pinch.

Slotted spoon separating eggs - spoon holding egg yolk

Use a Slotted Spoon to Separate Eggs

Separating your eggs can be a daunting task. This is why so many folks feel the need to buy a special gadget called (you got it) an egg separator. You don’t need to buy an egg separator to separate the egg yolks from the whites. All you need is a slotted spoon.

Simply crack your egg into a bowl, and use the slotted spoon to remove the yolk, and the whites will slide right back through the slots. Presto!

Egg Slicers Are Really Food Slicers – The Most Versatile Kitchen Tool

Egg slicers should just be called food slicers because you can slice a lot more with them than just a hardboiled egg. This handy tool can also be used to slice mushrooms, olives, cooked hot dogs, kiwis without the skins on, soft cheeses, and small boiled potatoes.

This little gadget is like a jack of all trades in the kitchen. And probably my most used tool in my kitchen.

woman using cheese grater to grate lemon for zest

Cheese Graters Can Grate So Much More

Cheese graters aren’t just for cheese, you can also use them to grate veggies like carrots or onions.

If you are making biscuits or a pie crust, you can take a stick of frozen butter and grate it directly into your flour until a crumbly mixture forms.

No Need For a Meat Mallet

A meat mallet takes up a lot of valuable kitchen space and probably doesn’t get used all that often. Instead of a meat mallet, you can use a rolling pin, a heavy pan, or even a regular hammer wrapped in plastic wrap instead.

Rolling pins can be used for more than just rolling out your biscuit and pastry dough. You can also use a rolling pin as a mallet for thinning out chicken breasts, or other meats.

Need to smash some crackers or candy before you can use them as an ingredient? Put them in a zip-top bag and smash away with your rolling pin.

ice cream scooper on wooden blue background with ice cream cones

Ice Cream Scoops Aren’t Just for Ice Cream

Ice cream scoops can be used for more than just serving up a bowl of your favorite treat. You can also use them to scoop the seeds out of squash and melons. Ice cream scoops can also be used to make uniformly-sized cookies and meatballs.

This is a big help if you are a messy baker like me. It keeps the batter off your fingers. And in turn, out of your mouth and fewer calories you are eating. That’s a WIN/WIN in my book.

muffin tin holding snacks - each cupcake holder

Muffin Tins are for More Than Just Baking

Muffin tins come in handy when you are making a handheld breakfast treat. But that’s not all that they are good for. Use your muffin tin as an ice tray to freeze leftover soups, sauces, or broths that you can pull out to use later.

They make the perfect single-size servings to snacking too.

potato masher - mashing potatoes in metal pot

Potato Mashers Can Handle All of Your Mashing Needs

Potato mashers can help you mash more than just potatoes. You can also use them to mash avocados for guacamole, beans to thicken soups or stews, or apples to make apple sauce.

Potato mashers can also come in handy as a pastry cutter if you don’t have one.

decorating cookies kitchen tools with unexpected uses

Plastic Bags Can Be Used for Piping Frosting

As a baker myself, I love to decorate cakes. Sometimes though I run out of pasty bags. Instead of spending money on frosting bags, use a plastic bag. Cut one of the tips, scoop your frosting into the bag, and frost away. You can even put a tip through the hole of the bag to make a pretty design.

Keep in mind, in order to use a piping tip, the bag must be a freezer bag. Otherwise, you can squeeze a hole in your bag pretty fast.