In part one of our other uses for small appliances blog we looked at alternative uses for common household small appliances. We went over ways to get creative with the coffee maker, the waffle iron, and the toaster oven. In today’s blog Gord’s Appliance would like to visit a few more small appliances and explore alternative uses for them. We would like to acknowledge that we do not repair small appliances and if you try these “creative ideas”, warranties may be voided.
The blender:
While we all know you can make delicious smoothies and milkshakes in the blender, here is a list of some of the lesser known things you can make in the blender:
Salsa:
Fresh salsa is the best salsa. If you’re looking for a fast way to make salsa, you can throw all your ingredients in the blender. This method will create a smooth, less chunky salsa, but will keep all the flavour there. Here’s a good recipe for a large batch of salsa:
8 tomatoes
3 red peppers
3 green peppers
1 large purple onion
1 can of tomato juice
Hot sauce, salt and pepper, and cilantro to taste. Blend.
Ice Cream:
In today’s stores ice cream makers can be very expensive and sometimes they take a long time to work. When you need a quick fix, you can blend a frozen banana with some chocolate and milk to have a smooth and creamy ice cream treat. I haven’t tried this with other fruit but if you have let me know your results in the comments below!
Electric Kettle:
The electric kettle has making tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and instant noodles a breeze. Let’s look at what else can you make with it?
Hard boiled eggs:
Though hard boiling an egg in a pot isn’t necessarily difficult, it is easy to forget about it and hard to know when to take out the eggs. The handy thing about some electric kettles is that once they come to a boil, they will shut themselves off. Simply place the desired amount of eggs in the bottom of the kettle (use extra caution as it will be a pain to clean out broken eggs) and cover eggs with water. Once the kettle is boiled and turns itself off, leave the eggs for 20 minutes before eating and then place in cold water. The amount of time needed for the eggs to sit could change depending on the kettle.
Vegetables:
In a jam for cooked vegetables? They can be chopped into small pieces and added to the kettle. Pour water over top and turn the kettle on. Once the kettle shuts off, leave the veggies in the water for an extra 5-10 minutes. Add these vegetables to any meal or leave as a side dish.
Rice Cooker:
While the rice cooker has improved our rice cooking experiences, this small appliance has many other great uses- here are just a few of them:
Mac and Cheese:
If you’re opposed to the store bought kind, homemade mac and cheese can end up being a lengthy process for those parents on the rush to make something delicious and nutritious for the family. With the rice cooker you can add all your favorite ingredients and have healthy, homemade mac and cheese.
Bread and Cakes:
As the rice cooker is just an enclosed device used to heat up food, many things that can be cooked in the oven can also be cooked in a rice cooker. This includes bread and cake. The internet is full of recipes that can be used for this. Find cheesy jalapeno bread here and apple upside down cake here.
Finally, I want to reiterate that Gord’s Appliance does not repair small appliances. If you try using any appliance for a purpose outside of your manufacturer’s guidelines, warranties may be voided, as well as your homeowner’s insurance in the event of a fire. The need for caution cannot be overstated.
What creative alternative uses for a small appliance have you tried? Let me know in the comments below!