Other Surprising Uses of the Kitchen Tools You Didn’t Know

Some of the best kitchen gadgets will surprise us with uses other than those that we are usually aware of. Discover the secret uses of our everyday kitchen tools and add them to your culinary hacks!

1. Carving fork

Usually, a carving fork is used together with a carving knife to make perfect slices of roast beef, ham, chicken or fish. But you can also use a carving fork to deftly swirl pasta and make it into a nice-looking pasta nest — so unleash the chef in you and make a beautifully-plated pasta dish using a carving fork!

2. Rolling pin

The primary use of the rolling pin is to roll out dough. But you can also use it to break up biscuits and crackers which you may use for a pie or a cheesecake crust, or for breading.

3. Ice cream scoop

The ice cream scoop is a fun way to scoop out ice cream into your cone or cup, but it can also be a baking tool you’d never thought you needed. You never have to second-guess how much cupcake or muffin batter, or cookie dough you need to bake, because an ice cream scoop is a perfect tool to evenly measure the mixture. Use this tool to scoop the batter into muffin tins or baking pans (in case of cookies) — it’s guaranteed that you’ll have your baked goodies in uniform sizes once you pop them out from the oven.

4. Ice cube tray

An ice cube tray isn’t just used in freezing water into ice — you can turn it into a genius kitchen tool. Make coffee ice cubes for your iced coffee. The ice cube tray is also an ideal item to mold bite-sized chocolates — either plain or filled with fruits and/or nuts, caramel, toffee, cream or peanut butter.

Having leftover wine? No problem! Simply pour it into the ice cube tray and freeze them to form wine cubes — perfect for cooking or for making wine vinegar.

You can also use the ice cube tray to freeze homemade ingredients such as tomato sauce, pesto sauce, baby food, chicken or vegetable stock, cookie dough, etc. for future use. Or make herbal ice cubes for your pretty-looking iced teas and other beverages. The ordinary ice cube tray will amaze you with its versatility… we’re pretty sure you’ll eventually find it indispensable!

5. Microwave oven

Apart from using it for quick cooking and heating food, you can use a microwave for a variety of other uses you never knew. Use it to thaw frozen meats, roast garlic, disinfect and deodorize kitchen sponges or cutting boards, de-crystallize honey, and even heat up lemons to squeeze out more juice. Go on, try any of these microwave oven hacks and you’ll be glad you did!

6. Freezer bags

Freezer bags can be beyond storing food. You can also use them for marinating or breading meats, kneading dough, or breaking up graham crackers or Oreo cookies for your cheesecake or pie crust without getting your hands dirty. No piping bag? No problem! Just snip off a corner of the bag to make a tiny hole, and voila! You now have an instant piping bag for frosting cakes and cupcakes.

7. Grater

You use a grater mainly for grating cheddar or Parmesan, or shredding certain vegetables like cabbage and carrots for your coleslaw. Now you’ll discover exciting new uses for this humble tool.

If you need butter for baking and you can’t wait to melt it in room temperature, simply grate the butter right into a plate or a mixing bowl. Puree tomatoes without cooking them — use a grater (prferably a box grater) in grating tomatoes to get that fresh puree for your sauces and dips.

8. Vegetable peeler

Vegetable peelers usually have a pointed end and probably, you might not have an idea what it can be used for. If you’re peeling potatoes and you’re annoyed at the sight of its “eyes,” use the pointed end of your vegetable peeler to scoop out the eyes. You can also use the pointed end in removing strawberry hulls.

A peeler can also be your handy decorating tool. Use it to create ridges on carrots or lemons, then slice them up to make beautiful flower-like garnishes (you may also use the peeled lemons for the zest or to make candied lemon peels).

Another good place to discover more culinary hacks using ordinary kitchen tools is to read kitchen gadget reviews. Along the way, you can also find great kitchen gadget deals where you’ll be able to score the quality kitchen products with the best prices.