From making giant ice cubes in a muffin pan to keeping a fry-up’s fat at bay with a colander, here are four clever new uses for old kitchen items.  

Colander as an oil splatter blocker  

Who says you only need to use your colander to strain rice and pasta? A metal colander is a great way to block oil splatters when frying eggs, bacon or chicken in an open skillet. Turn your metal colander upside-down on top of your open pan to block grease spray. Plus, the holes of the colander will still allow steam to escape from your fry-up.  

Meat baster as a pancake shaper 

Put your old meat baster to good use to make perfectly round flapjacks. Fill your baster ⅔ of the way with your delicious flapjack mixture. Then, gently squeeze the mixture in a circular motion in the middle of your pan. Do you have little ones at home? Use it to make different shapes. They’ll look forward to heart, star and animal-shaped flapjacks every time.  

Empty paper towel as linen organisers 

Keep your smaller table linen, like cloth napkins, tea towels and placemats, neatly stored (and without wrinkles) using empty paper towel tubes. After washing and ironing your linen, gently roll your wrinkle-free cloths around the empty tubes. Smooth out any bumps in your rolling process. Then, pack it away in their usual place and unroll with the help of your paper towel holder. A clever tip for larger linens like runners and tablecloths is to use empty wrapping paper tubes instead. 

Silicone muffin tray as an ice tray for jumbo ice blocks 

Want (really) big ice cubes? You don’t have to run to the shop to get a large ice tray, simply head to your baking cupboard. Fill your silicone muffin tray with water and leave in the freezer until completely frozen. To remove the cubes, run warm water over the back of the tray for a couple of seconds to pop them out. And voila! The huge ice cubes are perfect to keep your jugs of water and iced tea cool on a scorching summer day. A great tip is to place different pieces of fruit like cucumber, lemon and berries in the water before freezing it. The fruit will instantly add a touch of grandeur to your drink. 

@house.becomes.home Lemon ice cubes!!! Perfrct fhot summer days!! #healthadepopit #summer #summervibes #summerdrink #lemon #lemonwater ♬ Gold (Remix) – Kiiara

The giant ice blocks are perfect to use in these yummy iced tea recipes.