If it has been many years since you first set up house, you probably have an excess of pots and pans in your cupboard. If some are no longer appropriate for cooking or you simply want to clear out the clutter and treat yourself to a new set of pots and pans, don’t just throw the old ones away. This article will offer creative ways that you can recycle those old pots and pans and give them new life.
Use Them For Camping. Most campers would rather not take their best pots and pans with them when they go on a camping trip. If you have some old cookware that is still useful for heating up food, but you ignore it in favor of using newer items, pack the pots and pans away with your camping equipment. Only using them sporadically when your family enjoys a camping adventure will give them many more years of use.
Use An Old Pot As A Halloween Candy Holder. Before you get rid of that old pot, consider painting it in fun Halloween colors and use it this year to hold the candy for the trick or treaters. Get the kids involved in the art project and allow them to use a variety of paintbrushes and plenty of orange and black paint to make a really unique Halloween candy holder.
Work Your Old Pots And Pans Into Your Kitchen Decor. As long as the pots and pans still have a decent appearance to them, you can easily use them in your kitchen to hold items you use on a regular basis and also be cute kitchen decorations. Iron skillets you no longer cook with can be hung over the stove or on a wall to add to your kitchen decor. A large pot placed on a baker’s rack can hold your many spatulas, oven mitts and wooden spoons. The pot can easily be moved to the stove when you begin cooking. A smaller pot with the handle removed can be kept under the sink to hold extra bottles of dish washing liquid and sponges.
Set Up A Play Kitchen For Your Kids. Kids love to use old pots and pans to pretend to cook with. When you restock your kitchen with new cookware, keep the old pots and pans aside in a low cabinet so that you can easily give your little ones some plastic spoons and let them “cook” with their plastic food. Be sure the pots and pans are not too heavy as this may cause an injury to an overzealous chef.
Use An Old Pot To Hold Cooking Themed Gifts For A New Homeowner. Be sure the pot is still in good enough shape to use as a gift holder, before choosing this option. Line the pot with pretty dishtowels and fill it with cookbooks, spices and large kitchen utensils for a fun housewarming gift.
Donate Your Old Pots And Pans To A Women’s Shelter Or Church. Churches and women’s shelters are often low on funds to fully stock their kitchens and replace cookware that is long past their prime. Give the local shelter or church a call and see if they can put your old cookware to use. They will surely appreciate the donation while you will feel good about making their lives a little bit easier.
