I have a Breadmachine Ultimate (free on Freecycle) that I use to mix and knead my bread (I have never used the “bake” setting, as I prefer to use my oven to bake loaves of bread, for various reasons.

I am guessing that it could easily be used to cook a casserole or a whole chicken. Just put the food in the bread box, program the thing to go right to the bake cycle, and set the temperature.

Pyrex mixing bowls last just about forever as long as you don’t drop them onto a hard surface, and such are good for on the table use, plus double as microwave containers, and oven containers. If I had to have only one set of bowls, it would be Pyrex or other such glass bowls with a very low thermal expansion coefficient.

I use a preheated pyrex bowl like a “bell” or cloche to cover my bread (baked on a pyrex pie plate or a baking sheet with a silpat sheet on it) for the first 25 minutes of baking to allow the crust to develop in a high moisture environment.

I picked up a Tupperware grater at a garage sale years ago (25 cents I think). The grater part snaps onto an elongated bowl to catch the gratings. It takes up very little space in my cupboard, and could even be hung from a peg.

This is perfect for one of my favorite cheap meals, potato pancakes. I grate the potato into the collector bowl, which becomes a mixing bowl when I add the flour and egg. It’s also very easy to add a little grated onion, cheese, sweet potato, etc. for variety.

I agree about the Pyrex bowls and kitchen shears too.

Nice one! Glass jars are great for a multitude of taks, from pen holders to sugar bowls to drinking glasses. The serrated knife is the one that gets all the wrkout in our house too. My husband (who’s worked in restaurants and bars on and off for 20 years, so knows his way around chefs tools) will use nothing else, although brand-name knives can be a bit of a vanity item in many households – the maximum-use imperative at work.

Glass or plastic jars are better for taking lunch to work than tupperware – no chance of the lids popping off while they are jostled around your backpack or bike panniers.

I make toast in a pan. I think it comes out better than in a toaster.

Empty, cylindrical wine bottle makes a good rolling pin.

@Debbie M – I put enough in there to cover the lower blades. Ice crushing is merely the fastest setting. The spices get whirled up like a tornado.

I think shampoo can be used for dishes. I think there’s a problem with using hand soap for the hair (I forget which, something with either pH or residue). The entire purpose of bubble bath is to create bubbles, no?

I like the crockpot. In addition to using it for stews and soups, beans, and chilis, I use mine to roast a whole chicken, roast potatoes, make granola, etc… Last year when the oven heating unit broke down, I used the crockpot to bake cornbread. It all turned out great.

Haha! Very nice tips! I’ll have to use these to save myself some bucks! 🙂

Blenders also make salsa (or Guacamole). Just chop an onion into quarters, drop in garlic, cored tomatoes, salt pepper & hot pepper or sauce as desired, and pulse a few times. Goes well with homemade tortilla chips.

Blenders can also chop onion and garlic for marinara sauce, soup etc.

Blenders can also whip cream, egg whites etc. chill glass blender first, if needed.

Blenders can also mix cake, make fluffy hot chocolate, hot milk/coconut milk for lattes, and mix/chop up scrambled egg/baked egg mixtures.

Bread machines also make jam, mix and bake cakes, knead dough for pizza, Cinnamon rolls, etc. Mix up cookie, pie dough, etc.

Frying pans can be used instead of a rolling pin for pie dough. Place a ball of dough between two large sheets of parchment or wax paper, and press evenly with medium sized frying pan. Also makes tortillas, sugar cookies or any dough that does not need to be fluffy.

Shampoo is not a great dish soap,(and not exactly soap), it is not a strong dissolver of grease, and will leave a residue on dishes that would be more desirable for hair. You would also need a much greater quantity of shampoo to have the same cleaning action as a small amount of liquid dish soap. Also, if you use a dishwasher, do not leave any hand washing dish soap on the dishes that get placed in the dish washer, or they will come out filmy and look like your rinse cycle is broken.
Most bar hand soap will leave a residue on hair.
The amount of lather/foam is unrelated to the cleaning ability.
If you are out of soap, lemon/lime juice or other acid will dissolve grease.

I second the pyrex everything, kitchen shears, chef’s knife, vacuum cleaner dusting, and use large straight sided bottles of soy sauce/wine as a rolling pin.

Baking soda and vinegar are great for cleaning, cheaper and actually better than most commercial cleaners, and do not require extra storage space.

I use my serrated knife as a vegetable peeler. I just scrape along, especially with carrots. No real need for a vegetable peeler.

I use the coffee grinder for spices. As long as you clean it out before and after, it works well and takes up less counter space. I’ve run rice or cheerios through it to absorb the smells and oils. Also a good use of stale cheerios:)

Cheap shampoo works REALLY well as a bathtub cleaner. Cuts right through body oils that build up a “ring”. I find it on sale for .79 a bottle and it takes about a tsp to clean the whole tub. A sprinkle of baking soda will cut anything the shampoo can’t get. I disinfect with vinegar at the end.

Pulling double (even triple)duty is a must in my kitchen. I do almost all of the things mentioned.
My stand mixer shreds chicken super quick.
My steamer pot doubles as a colander.
My roasting pan is my dish pan.
My large (4 & 8) Cup Pyrex lidded measuring cups do everything the pyrex bowls do & more –measuring, mixing bowls, store leftovers, serve as lemonade pitchers, hold the homemade ice cream in the freezer, lettuce crisper–just about anything.
A potato peeler makes super thin potato chips.
Bread machines & crockpots can make yogurt.
I use a glass pie plate as the dome covering lid when microwaving or storing leftovers.
The back side of a cookie sheet can be a peel to slide the pizza/calzones onto a stone.
As for soaps I make my own Dove body wash that I use as a body wash, shampoo, shave cream, laundry detergent for delicates and to refill the hand soap dispenser. Just use a vegetable grater (or cheese grater blade in the food processor) to grate 3 bars of Dove soap. Stir soap into 6 C water and heat until soap is dissolved. Cool several hours to let it thicken before pouring into bottles. I reuse empty conditioner bottles. Best part is it does not leave a soapy residue on shower walls.