Make your waffle iron multitask

A reader once shared that she made omelets, hash browns and even brownies in her waffle maker. I thought it was an interesting idea and one that I hadn’t yet tried, so when I read the first tip, I was excited to see another waffle-maker tip. Have you made anything in your waffle iron besides waffles? Cake batter?

CORNBREAD WAFFLES: I made chili for dinner last night and wanted some cornbread to go with it. But I didn’t want to turn on the oven for a half hour to cook just one thing. I had made waffles for breakfast yesterday, and the maker was still on the counter. I decided that since my cornbread recipe and my waffle recipe are pretty similar, it might just work. It did! We had cornbread waffles with our chili. — Constance, New Jersey

HOMEMADE MAKEUP REMOVER: I make my own facial wipes, and my daughters use them to remove makeup. I use about 1 to 2 tablespoons baby shampoo or baby wash, 1 to 2 tablespoons baby oil and 2 cups of water. Use an old diaper-wipe container or any container that will seal and hold them, such as a plastic zip-enclosure baggie. I buy Bounty paper towels (select a size), as they hold up great when wet. Cheap paper towels seem to fall apart too fast. These work great to remove makeup or as a fast clean up in the car for dirty hands or face. — Patty A., Utah

POTTY TRAINING TIPS: Carry a pad of Post-its with you. If you have to use a public restroom, you can put one over the sensors in the automatic flusher. My son was afraid of them. We bought a potty chair to keep in the bathroom. However, I also bought a potty ring to take with us to use in public restrooms. But this is not needed! If you sit your child sideways across the potty, they are able to go and not be scared of falling in. — Nichole, Iowa

KEEP COOKIES SOFT: I made a batch of cookies last weekend, and my dad mentioned a great tip to me. If your cookies start going a bit hard, or, to prevent them from getting hard, put a piece of bread (or two) with them when you store them and they will stay soft. — KB, e-mail

JOB JAR: Write down chores that you keep meaning to do but don’t for one reason or another, such as clean out a junk drawer, go through old magazines, etc., and put them in a jar. When you have some down time and don’t know what to do with it, randomly draw out a quick chore and do that. This can work great for kids when they claim they’re bored, too. — Kathryn, Tennessee

SHAVING TIP: Instead of using foaming shaving lotions, try cheap hair conditioner. — Lisa C., Texas

EASY CLEAN FOOD PROCESSOR: Stretch plastic wrap over the top before you put the lid on. Now put the lid on and blitz the ingredients. Flour, bits of veggies or whatever ingredients will stay neatly on the plastic wrap, protecting the lid from splatter. Think of it: No flour cloud all around the kitchen for you to breathe in or make the lid all messy. Afterward, add a bit of dish detergent and water inside, and hit pulse to clean it. Rinse clean. — Margery, Canada

Posted by Sara Noel on December 7 2008. Filed under Frugal Tips.
Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook