The Absolute Best Uses For Your Muffin Tin
When thinking about a muffin tin, we know what comes to mind: the obvious. Look, we love using this baking pan to make muffins like anyone else — blueberry muffins, in fact. But, while we appreciate a warm, straight-from-the-oven muffin, we know these tins are made for much more than we give them credit for. If you have an old muffin tin stored away, it may be time to take it out, and see what you can do. Trust us, you may even be surprised at just how much more use you will actually get out of this incredible, versatile pan that you once only associated with baking muffins.
Between creating fun appetizers to making floating candles, these muffin tins can get a lot of good use that may, or may not, just be suited for the kitchen. Here are the absolute best uses for your muffin tins that don't include the obvious.
Bake your eggs in a muffin tin
There are so many ways you can make your eggs: scrambled, fried, sunny-sided up. But, did you know you can make eggs right in your muffin tin? Making hard-boiled eggs isn't difficult by any means, but it can take some time for the water to heat up and boil. Making hard-boiled eggs in your muffin tin is easy and has them coming out perfect every time. We suggest adding an egg to each cup, then pour some water on top, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Voila!
But, if you fancy a poached egg instead, no worries. You can poach eggs in a muffin tin all at once, making it a snap for the hangry brunch crowd waiting in your pad. Crack an egg in each holder, pour a tablespoon of water over top, then bake in the oven at 350 for around 9 minutes or up to 15 minutes.
Freeze individual servings of soup
Who doesn't love a warm, hearty soup on a rainy day? We know we do, especially when it comes to homemade chicken noodle soup. The only thing is that making a big pot can leave a lot of leftovers. It's fine if you have a hungry household to share it all with, but if you live alone (or your family is tired of eating leftovers), you'll likely need to freeze what's left behind. If only there was a way to freeze individualized portions of the soup or stew to make for easy reheating. Oh wait, there is!
Muffin tins make for the most convenient way to freeze your favorite soups and stews then defrost just enough for you. CNET.com says all you need to do is pour the soup into the individual muffin tin holders and freeze it for a few hours before taking them out and placing them in a ziplock bag. Put them back in the freezer, and the individual portions will be ready to enjoy whenever you need a little extra comfort on a chilly day.
Carry condiments to summer barbecues
Oh, summer. We look forward to your warm weather and outdoor barbecues. And while we love grilling up some hamburgers and hot dogs in the backyard, we tend to notice how many trips it can take to and from the kitchen to ensure we have everything we need. Condiments — we're looking at you. There are so many bottles and jars to bring out. Who has that many arms? Sure, you could purchase a fancy tray just for your ketchup, mayo, relish, and the world's best hot sauce, or you can use what you already have: a muffin tin.
Simply place a few squirts of your mustard and ketchup in the muffin tin cups to can help arrange your condiments easily while decluttering the table. When it comes to outdoor barbecues, you need all the room you can get for that good food (and those stragglers who show up late).
Set the mood with floating candles
When it comes to the absolute best uses for your muffin tins, we have to say it includes making floating candles. Sometimes you want to set the mood for a nice dinner or festive soiree but all of your candles are burned down to the wick. Sure, you can go out to the store and pick up more, or, you can simply make your own right in the comfort of your home and give your friends something to admire as they arrive.
The Seattle Times says a variety of muffin tin sizes works well for longevity and presentation. This way, you can make both small and large candles to float. But really, any size will do. Be sure to keep in mind that the candles made from mini muffin tins will burn for about an hour while the larger ones can last until up to three.
Master the art of homemade tortilla bowls
We love Mexican food like it's going out of style. And we're not just in it for the Avocado-Cilantro Frozen Margaritas either. Well, maybe. But, we also really enjoy an overstuffed taco salad served in a crispy tortilla shell. And while we don't mind going to our favorite Mexican joint to devour it, we sometimes wish it was easier to fill that craving at home. Luckily, now it is thanks to our muffin tin hack used to bake corn tortillas into bowls.
You can make tortillas into bowls by turning your muffin pan over and wedging any type of tortilla you prefer between a four of the cups to make the signature wave. Pop that in the oven and bake for around ten minutes, and you'll be enjoying a taco bowl made to your liking in no time. Just be sure to let the tortilla cool before stuffing it with your favorite ingredients.
Create a fun snack tray
A good snack is pretty much everything. Nothing beats eating buttered popcorn on the sofa while streaming your favorite show or chips and dip when you're watching the big game. But when you're serving a variety of snacks in one sitting either for a hangout with friends or a night in with yourself, having all those bowls and plates can make things a bit crowded. Here's where the muffin tin comes in. You can fill that tin with all your favorite snacks and never have to worry about taking up too much space again.
Merrick's Art says serving snacks in a muffin tin allows for the perfect portion size, especially for the kiddos, and is a great way to provide a large variety of options on one platter. The clean-up is also simple as there aren't a ton of extra bowls you'll have to wash out once the snacks are gobbled up.
Plant a succulent garden
We love plants, but, sometimes, you don't always have the right amount of space, whether renting a tiny apartment or lacking a proper ledge, to have as much lush greenery as you really want. But that doesn't mean we can't still try. And thanks to our trusty muffin tin, we can have that indoor garden with minimal effort.
Succulents are the ideal plants for those living in small apartments since they hardly take up any space. So little space, in fact, they can easily fit in a muffin tin. A Few Short Cuts says growing a succulent garden in a muffin tin is easy, and you can even fit up to two plants in one cup if both are small. Plus, they look great in the muffin tin and are ready to be on display once arranged to your liking. Who doesn't love a quick and low-maintenance garden to enjoy at home?
Carry your drinks like a pro
Picture this: It's a warm summer day, and you are planning to have a few people over your place. You're making some thirst-quenching drinks and need to figure out how to carry them all out to your party in the backyard. Bringing just two glasses out at a time is going to take forever. Instead of making a few extra trips, or asking for a bunch of extra hands, we say get out that old muffin tin and put that to good use.
Life Hacker says putting your cups and slender drinks in a muffin tin will help not only carry them out to where they need to be but also do so without any spilling involved. And no one wants to lose half of their rosé wine mojito on a hot summer day (or any day, frankly). This is, by far, one of the absolute best uses for our muffin tins.
Make monster ice cubes for your cocktails
Ice cubes can play a major role in the presentation and taste of a good drink. Consider an old fashioned, for example. That baby needs a big ice cube in order to look and taste the part. But, it's not just the classic sips that need a good ice cube, so do the pitchers of your favorite sangria on a hot, sunny day. We love a good ice cube, and we say the bigger the better, which is why we love using a muffin tin to make these big boys.
Using a muffin tin to make big ice cubes will help keep your drinks colder much longer than the average-sized cubes. Now, if you're looking to add some class to your water glass, it's all about adding slices of lemon, lime, and other fruit in ice cubes. Once they are frozen in the muffin tin, pop them out and place them in a freezer bag until you're ready to add them to a glass or a pitcher.
Transform an entree into a passed app
When it comes to dinner, we love the heartier things in life: pizza, meatloaf, mac and cheese. Well, you get the idea. But, what if we could take these big meals and scale them down to enjoy them all at once with our friends and family? When you make them into passed appetizers you can. And when you use your muffin tin, it's even easier to get the job done.
There are all kinds of delicious recipes that will help transform your dinner into an hors d'oeuvre. Mini mac-and-cheese bites are great for the whole family and can be made with all the same ingredients as you would use in the larger-sized portion. However, sour cream added to the mix can help keep things creamy. Deep dish mini pizzas are great even for the pickiest of eaters and make for a solid appetizer. Scattered Thoughts From a Crafty Mom says baking mini meatloaves not only wins kids over but takes much less time to bake than a traditional-sized meatloaf. No wonder this is one of the best uses for your muffin tin.