You Probably Didn't Know The Muffin Pan In Your Home Can Do This

Oh, we know the muffin man, but we also know that muffin pans can do far more than make muffins or cupcakes. Adults can use them for clever parenting hacks, and perhaps you can explore using them to repurpose pie dough scraps that would otherwise go to waste. Ultimately, many possibilities exist for muffin pans, though there's nothing wrong with using them for a zany lemon poppyseed muffin or a rich devil's food cupcake.

One usage for old muffin tins you may not have considered before is a freezer vessel. According to Southern Living, muffin tins are excellent for freezing milk, meat/vegetable stocks, and other liquids that are nearing their expiration dates. Once frozen, the cups of frozen liquids can be stored in freezer-safe bags and then thawed when needed. This saves a lot of money and waste, too. Likewise, Southern Living recommends freezing soup in muffin tins as well. Creating small soup cups can save room when freezing them, and popping two or three in a bowl to microwave or in a pot to reheat can make having soup on standby a breeze. Of course, you could also make giant ice cubes in these tins. 

Outside of freezing, All Recipes notes that you can use them to make food "cups." For example, you can melt cheese into a cup or mold tortillas into them for fajita cups. These are perfect food vessels and can be adapted to virtually any recipe.

Still, there are many, many other uses for a muffin tin.

Whether you're getting your kitchen life hacks from TikTok or your favorite magazine, you'll want to start leaning on your muffin tin more. Rather than collecting dust when not being used for muffins or cupcakes, break it out and use it for other kitchen projects or even soap. According to Mother Earth Living, muffin tins make excellent soap molds if you don't have specialty molds, and this reduces waste, making your soap production more eco-friendly.

Outside of soap, you can also use your muffin tin as an herb planter, to make pre-blended smoothies to freeze and store for later, as a method for creating a steamy oven by putting water in its cups, and even to make small bread bowls (via The Kitchn). All of these ideas give the trusty muffin tin new life, but there are even more ways to utilize this piece of kitchen equipment.

According to Southern Living, you can use your handy dandy muffin tin as an organizer for office supplies. Each compartment can hold its own supplies, including paper clips, binder clips, erasers, staples, and more. They can slide easily into drawers, too, for easy storage. Moreover, other kitchen ideas for muffin tins include freezing cooked oatmeal for easily re-heatable breakfasts and making mini meatloafs for individual portions.

So, what are you favorite uses for muffin tins?