9 Surprising Uses for the Muffin Tin You Absolutely Never Use (Beyond Making Muffins)

Let’s be honest: If you own a muffin tin, it’s probably gathering dust on an impossible-to-reach shelf in your pantry right now. But if you've only been using it for muffins (which, really, when was the last time you made muffins?), you're in for a surprise. There are a ton of alternative uses for this underrated cookware item. So dust off your pan and try one of these nine kitchen tricks.

Freezing that leftover chicken soup is like leaving yourself a treat for later. But who wants to thaw an entire quart at a time? (And no, you can’t re-freeze the leftovers.) Instead, portion the soup (or homemade stock) into the cups of a muffin tin, pop it in the freezer and transfer it to a storage bag.

You can’t have a punch bowl without ice, but regular cubes melt so darn fast. Make mega-cubes with your muffin tin, which will keep your big-batch cocktail cool without watering it down so quickly.

One lemon meringue tart is nice, but 12 miniature lemon meringue tarts are even better—no slicing required.

You’re not about to spend breakfast at the stove, making everyone their own omelette. Instead, fill a muffin tin with scrambled eggs (plus whatever toppings you like), bake and voilà: individual frittata bites. They can be frozen too, if you’re into meal prep.

Obviously, a muffin tin doesn’t have any drainage holes, and plants need water to thrive. But you can easily start seedlings in the cups, then transfer them once they’ve outgrown the tin.

If you know you’ll never bake with your muffin tin, remove it from your kitchen once and for all (storage space is precious, people). Instead, fill the cups with otherwise hard-to-store items from your craft bin (like beads and pins) or junk drawer.

Flip your muffin tin upside-down and suddenly it’s the ideal surface for nesting flour tortillas, then baking into crisp bowls. (Is taco salad still a thing?)

Serve pickles, mustard, ketchup and spicy peppers (and whatever else you like on a burger) in each of the cups. Bonus: There’s only one dish to clean.

They’re muffins with icing. Need we say more?