Cookie bowls

Top photo: Thinkstock; bottom photo: Lynn Andriani

Instead of Cupcakes...
Use your muffin pan to make cookie ice cream bowls. Any of the basic drop cookies—chocolate chip, sugar, oatmeal raisin—will work. Follow the recipe, but in place of spooning little balls of dough onto a cookie sheet, turn a muffin pan upside down and form the dough around the cups. Bake the tin with the dough cups facing up. Once the bowls are golden, remove the pan from the oven, let them cool and then fill with fruit, ice cream, chocolate mousse, pudding or other treats.
Chicken in a Bundt pan

Top photo: Williams-Sonoma; bottom photo: Thinkstock

Instead of a Bundt Cake...
Turn the classic baking pan into a MacGyver-esque roaster for chicken. Standing the bird up using the pan's tube produces a rotisserie-like effect, so the skin browns all around. Chunks of potatoes, carrots, turnips and onions can help prop the chicken up if necessary (and all the juices that flow onto the vegetables will make them taste delicious). Roast in a 350-degree oven for an hour or more (the internal temperature should be 165 degrees).
Margarita and ice cream machine

Top photo: Williams-Sonoma; bottom photo: Thinkstock

Instead of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream...
Make slushy margaritas in your ice cream machine. The appliance's slow churning motion is perfect for creating frozen drinks. Freeze the bowl ahead of time, just as you would for ice cream, and then pour in the mixed margarita (we're partial to this pomegranate one, which includes habanero tequila). Turn the machine on and let the drink spin; after about 10 to 15 minutes, you should have the perfect consistency. The frozen bowl also keeps any unpoured margaritas from melting too quickly.
Macaroni and cheese waffle

Top photo: Krups; bottom photo: Lynn Andriani

Instead of Waffles...
Change the way you eat mac 'n' cheese by putting it in the waffle iron. A waffled square of the cheesy pasta is a thing to behold, as Dan Shumski, who wrote the short-lived blog Waffleizer, discovered. Through trial and error, he found that the key is breading cold blocks of mac 'n' cheese (like this mixed-cheese version) in flour, egg and bread crumbs; they hold up well to the machine's heat and weight. Even if yours don't come out perfectly, you'll still get the same glorious result: a gooey inside with a crispy, crusty exterior.
Ravioli Lasagna

Top photo: Williams-Sonoma; bottom photo: Fred Minnick

Instead of Corn Muffins...
Make Ravioli Lasagna, hand-held spins on the classic, where every bite includes browned and crunchy edges. A muffin tin gives you just the right size, and ravioli are the perfect width. Layer them in between teaspoonfuls of Parmesan, ricotta, mozzarella and marinara sauce.

Get the recipe: Ravioli Lasagna

Next: 5 things you think you need in your kitchen...but don't
Published 07/11/2012