Surprising Uses for Your Favourite Kitchen Gadgets

That fancy schmancy gadget you bought for your kitchen a few years ago: are you really getting your money’s worth? Yes, you may dig it out and dust it off a handful of times a year – but did you know it actually has other uses?! In our latest My Appliances blog, we’re sharing some best-kept kitchen appliance secrets. Read on…and be prepared to be amazed!

Make Ice Cream in a Food Processor

Want to impress your Christmas dinner guests this year? Make your own ice cream! And you can do so easily and quickly in a food processor. Yes, you read that right – just head here for all the details. You can also whip up your very own homemade butter, too, or have a go at making pizza dough.

Grind Pepper with a Pan

Say what?! It has to be a cast iron pan, but you can still do the job! The advice comes via Readers’ Digest – take a look, from Chef Johnny Prep, below:

“Fresh ground pepper makes a big difference in flavor, but with pepper grinders it’s hard to get the perfect grind. You can use coffee grinders, but you’ll get pepper that is ground too fine or too many peppers that don’t get ground. With a cast-iron pan, place peppercorns on a cutting board, whack them a few times and then rub the pan over them for a consistent grind. The more you rub, the finer it gets. Try this with any type of peppercorn, coriander and many other seeds.”

No Splashback?

Martha Stewart says a large sieve may be able to stand in, to catch food splatters and whatnot when you’re cooking. Who knew?! Or, you could treat yourself. Up to you.

Make sure you scroll through the rest of Martha’s guide (link above). It contains a handy hint for biscuit cutters that we bet you never knew! We’re pretty certain you’ll be using it on Christmas morning, though…

Juice a Lemon in a Microwave

Okay, so this is a hardly an appliance you use only a few times a year – but you can enjoy even better value from your microwave if you use it for things other than cooking. Did you know you can juice a lemon in one? Simply microwave it for 10 seconds; it breaks down the cells to make the fruit’s juice flow a little bit quicker. Move over, regular lemon juicer…

Craft a Lamp from a Colander

This has got to be the most ‘out there’ tip of the lot – but we love it! That’s right; you can craft a pendant-style lamp shade from a colander – just click the link to find out what you need to do. Or, you could make a clock from a pie tin. The choice is yours, if you have the time and the creativity.

Do you have some top tips of your own when it comes to your most-used kitchen gadgets and appliances? Let us know by commenting below.

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Until next time…

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