Uncommon Kitchen Appliances and Tools That Add Unexpected Convenience

When thinking about kitchen appliances, you might imagine the typical suspects: a stove, microwave, or refrigerator. However, there are plenty of unconventional tools and appliances that can add unexpected convenience to your cooking routine. Let's explore a few of them and discover how they can transform your cooking experience.

1. The Bulldozer/Truck Manifold

Imagine cooking in the most unlikely places! One user suggests using a bulldozer or truck manifold to warm up your lunch or even cook eggs in the summer heat. While this is certainly not something you'd find in your home kitchen, the ingenuity behind repurposing everyday items to create food is quite impressive:

"Summer time heat cooks eggs sunny side up on the hood of the truck any time warm your lunch on the bulldozer/truck manifold, cool your beverage can with a blast of LP gas, and make sure nobody is smoking while doing so. Use the top end of a 50-gallon drum as a skillet over the campfire."

2. Kitchen Scissors

Did you know that you can use a regular pair of scissors in the kitchen? These tools are often overlooked as versatile kitchen items. One person using scissors for tasks like cutting canned tomatoes, slicing pizza, and chopping bacon into bits:

"I use scissors a lot. Not cooking shears for cutting through bones just a plain pair of scissors that I keep in the kitchen and only use on food. Cutting up canned tomatoes, slicing pizza, cutting bacon into bits, etc."

Here’s an example:

"Mine are similar to these: [Here you can insert an image or a link to the type of scissors the author is using]."

3. Using a Strainer as a Steamer

Every kitchen has a strainer, but have you ever used it to steam vegetables? While it might not be a dedicated steamer, a strainer can work just as well in a pinch:

"I needed to steam some green beans. Since I do not have a dedicated steamer, I just pulled out my strainer and set it within a pot with a small amount of boiling water and covered the green beans with the lid. It is not very efficient but it works like any other steamer."

Interestingly, this method was so effective that even someone who is not allergic to working in a kitchen was initially surprised:

"I never really thought it was strange, but my brother-in-law who works in a kitchen was completely dumbfounded on how well it worked."

4. The Chopping Board

In the world of knives, often the focus is on the knife itself, but don't overlook the chopping board. For someone who is not particularly tall, a properly designed chopping board can make a significant difference:

"I am not particularly tall at 6 feet but find long stints more than 4 onions or 4 things chopping or fiddling at the counter hurts the lower back a bit. But a thick board that adds 3 inches to the height of what I am working on makes a huge difference. I can chop for a couple of hours without even noticing."

Considering the expense, investing in a high-quality butcher block board can pay off long-term:

"So I highly recommend spending the money on a big thick slab of butcher block. It makes a huge difference. Whilst not cheap, they last forever if treated right."

In conclusion, these unconventional appliances and tools can bring unexpected convenience to your kitchen routine. From a bulldozer to kitchen scissors, every tool can be repurposed or used in a unique way to simplify and enrich your cooking experience.