Unusual Ways to Use a Potato Masher
Potato mashers are one of those kitchen tools that may not seem very versatile but they can actually be used a number of different ways. Here are some unusual but useful uses for potato mashers.
1. Use your potato masher to make perfect ice-cream toppings.
Sometimes it can be hard to chop up ice cream toppings like tiny nuts or pieces of candy, so I use a potato masher instead. I mash them up to make the perfect-sized toppings. This is also a safe way for kids to get involved because they can safely chop up toppings without the use of a knife. Potato mashers are also great for making guacamole. Just smash up an avocado with chopped tomatoes for chunky guacamole treat.
2. Loosen soil and help plants retain moisture.
If you have a old potato masher that's just lying around in your kitchen, you can re-purpose it in the garden. Use the tool to gently loosen soil around plants to help retain the moisture. It may sound weird but potato mashers work better than any other garden tool I've used before.
3. Use masher to make cool stamp cookies.
Instead of using a fork to pattern in the top of your cookies, use a masher to create a unique design before baking. I discover this trick on accident one day and I've been using it ever since. It definitely comes in handy when I cant find the cookie stamps.
4. Safely lift potatoes out of boiling water.
Potato mashers have more than one purpose when it comes to making mashed potatoes. When boiling potatoes, you can use it to lift and drain the spuds out of a pot of the boiling water. Use this technique whenever you have to lift food out of hot water.
5. Turn a potato masher into a unique silverware wind chime.
Potato mashers also make great wind chimes. Just put an old potato masher at the center of the wind chime and tie monofilament to each section. Add utensils to the other end for a unique wind chime that's inexpensive and budget-friendly.
In the kitchen, a potato masher can double as a mixer, crusher or baking stamp. Outdoors, a potato masher can be used as a garden tool or turned into a wind chime. No matter what you use it for, you wont have to worry about it taking up space or requiring any extra work.
