A pair of kitchen shears comes in super handy for cutting ingredients right into a bowl or plate.

Personally, rather than the serrated utility knife, a nonserrated 8″ or longer chef’s knife does most of my cutting tasks.

A steel Wok can be used in place of several other pieces of cookware.

Don’t use soap when you clean steel cookware. You want the oils from your food to get embedded into the metal so it makes a nonstick surface better than Teflon. That’s how they do it in Asia.

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I like to joke that the bread maker could be used as a miniature washing machine. It has an agitator that would be perfect for socks and underwear.

But don’t the bigger pieces of spices just fall below the blades and sit there, not getting ground up? Or does this magical ice crushing setting somehow throw these pieces back up into the air? Or do you have to put quite a lot in there, such as a cup rather than a quarter cup?

For making graham crackers into crumbs, I find it’s best to turn the blender off and on several times rather than just leaving it on (for the very reason of getting more of the material ground up). Is that what the ice crushing setting does?

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I use a fork for most mixing and beating tasks such as scrambling eggs and baking (but I do use beaters for whipped cream and meringue, though those are obviously luxuries). Forks also use no electricity and are easy to clean.

I have used a knife instead of a grater (time consuming) and instead of a can opener (not at all recommended!). Now that I have a grater, I use it instead of a food processor (to grate carrots and zucchini as well as cheese). I actually don’t own a food processor.

A friend had to teach me about using scissors for things like slicing green onions (and also opening food packages), but they don’t have to be special kitchen shears.

I’ve seen people use a bottle with smooth, straight sides (maybe even a glass jar would work) as a rolling pin.

Baking soda and vinegar are both foods and cleaning supplies. And baking soda also is supposed to be an air freshener.

My sister uses the vacuum cleaner to dust (with the attachments).

Some chairs can also be step stools (but not the kinds with wheels and probably not the kinds with thin wicker woven seats).

A swim mask or goggles can help you cut onions without tearing up. Dish gloves can not only keep your hands from drying out or getting burned when you wash dishes but can also protect your hands when you’re cutting hot peppers.

Of course a lot of things can be both decorative and useful, like curtains (blocking heat, light, and/or the view) and plants (cleaning the air). I have fish (in this weird concrete bowl thing that’s in my backyard) to eat the mosquito larvae that grow there.

Some useful things are pretty enough to hang on the wall (or at least I like to pretend they are). I have cookie cutters, scissors, measuring spoons, a cheese slicer, a Christmas tree ornament, and pot lids hanging from nails in my kitchen (I admit the shiny pot lids are reminiscent of a hubcap collection).

I love watching one gender learn about tools stereotypically used by the other gender. But meanwhile I have seen a utility knife used as a seam ripper. I have seen (new, clean) paint brushes used to decorate a cake. A rubber mallet (and tough bag) can help you turn graham crackers into crumbs–so can a rolling pin.

You can use a ruler as a straightedge, and lids of the right size can mean you don’t need a compass.

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I wonder if you can use some soaps interchangeably. What’s the difference between liquid hand soap, bubble bath, dish soap, and shampoo? (I know that laundry soap really is different–it has lower sudsing than other soaps so the suds don’t take over your house.)

An ex-boyfriend used a coffee grinder for grinding coffee, garam masala, and weed – all of the major elements of his diet at the time

@ “the bread maker could be used as a miniature washing machine. It has an agitator that would be perfect for socks and underwear.”

imma gonna try that next!

A wine bottle makes a passable rolling pin.
A heavy glass or mason jar filled with pennies makes a decent mallet.
The top of a plastic soda bottle is a quick funnel.
Cans make good biscuit cutters.
A pyrex bowl on top of a sauce pot makes a good double boiler.

I use plates and a metal pizza sheet as lids for frying pans that didn’t come with one.

But don’t use the same grinder for coffee and for spices, unless you don’t mind funky tasting coffee.

And three knives do everything I need to do: a good quality 8″ chef’s knife, a cheap paring knife, and a cheap bread knife.

I find a coffee grider work best for grinding spices (even small amounts). To clean, use some bread or uncooked rice if don’t want flavoured coffee

A chinese cleaver is about the only knife I use regularly out of my collection of 6 or 7. Cut, Chop, Pick-up etc…

Tongs can be used for just about anything too. Get a good pair of spring loaded ones and don’t look back.

Most of my cooking is done in old cast iron pans and pots. Food never sticks, and when it does, a good soaking cures it. I also have a wok that’s surprisingly great for deep frying (less oil, more surface)