Break Out The Muffin Tin To Create An Organized Array Of Condiments

Since first appearing on the baking scene in the mid-1800s, the muffin tin has become a household staple, unquestionably changing the game by making baking easier and more convenient. Now an essential baking tool for both home and professional bakers, a muffin tin is a tray that typically houses six or twelve individual round molds for uniform muffin and cupcake shape and size. It comes in many varieties, including cast iron and non-stick pans, making it the picture of versatility. Many people have discovered all sorts of non-traditional uses for the muffin tin, ranging from using its cups to make cookie bars to filling its cups with sewing accessories.

But perhaps one of its most practical tricks is its ability to moonlight as a sauce and toppings holder for your favorite meals. Yes, using your empty muffin tin as a makeshift condiment tray is a genius entertaining hack that promises to be simple and mess-free.

Whether you're preparing to entertain guests at a barbecue and need an easy hot dog bar or you simply want to organize toppings for a dinner dish, utilizing your muffin tin as a serving tray for a wide array of condiments is a convenient space-saver that will change your game. But first, you'll want to choose a suitable muffin tin. A six-cup jumbo-size muffin tin is recommended, as it can hold more of any given condiment or topping. Then, you're free to fill it to the brim with your chosen condiments — host a mess-free hot dog bar by filling the cups with ketchup, mustard, homemade barbecue sauce, relish, and diced onions. You can also transform your tin into an easy taco bar by adding some cheese, olives, green onions, pico de gallo, and tortilla strips. And if you're making fully loaded baked potatoes, put your cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits in your tray and pass it around the table for easy topping.

To keep your condiments or toppings cold and fresh, fill another same-sized pan with ice and place your muffin tin on top. Are you concerned about washing out all those muffin cups after you've wrapped everything up? Line each cup with foil — or even use paper muffin cups — before adding your condiments for a stress-free clean-up.

In addition to making muffins, there are many other seriously brilliant ways to use your muffin tin. You can freeze leftover soup, stew, or oatmeal in your tin for easily accessible individual portions you can consume or serve later (for appropriate portion sizing, jumbo-size tins again work best). Filling your muffin tins with water is also an excellent way to make super-sized ice cubes, which work great for entertaining. You can elevate some chopped-up lemons, limes, or other fruit by freezing your fruit inside. But if you do, be sure to only fill your cups halfway with water so your fruit stays put at the bottom. After freezing the half-full cups, add more water to the top, then freeze them until they are fully frozen.

Muffin tins also make a fantastic tool for baking delicious egg muffin cups for a quick-grab breakfast. Simply grease your muffin tin, add your whisked eggs and whatever meats and veggies you'd like, then bake. You can store your leftover muffin cups in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze them for up to three months. With a little bit of creativity, you can make all sorts of muffin tin magic.