by Texas Homesteader ~
Repurposing a plastic lid as a cutting board has a couple of benefits – using something I’ve already got handy and keeping those veggie juices corralled.
You know my battle cry: “Use Whatcha Got!”. Check it out, y’all!
Today I was chopping a fresh tomato to include with my egg salad. (Oh yeah, those chickens are laying lots of eggs so I’m making homemade egg salad often!)
Anyway as I chopped the tomato it occurred to me: Although I’ve done this for years, perhaps others would benefit from this little homestead hack.
Repurposing Plastic Lids As Cutting Boards
I’ve got various plastic lids from coffee cans, raisins, even larger ones from those big honkin’ ice cream tubs that my sister saves me from her hub’s late-night ice cream appetite.
The beauty here is that we’re making use of something that would have just been tossed in the recycling bin before.
These lids store compactly, they’re lightweight, they’re free and they’re plentiful. Depending on what I’m going to be chopping, I chose the lid that will work best for the task at hand.
For this tomato I choose a smaller lid and get to chopping. The raised sides of the lid keep those tomato juices corralled so they’re not spilling over onto my countertop.
One less things to clean up – you know I love that!
And since the lids are flexible I can bend them to be able to funnel the contents into a small bowl. AWESOME!
When one of these lids has done hard duty in my kitchen and is ready for it’s next life I simply toss it into the recycling bin. I feel comfortable with that since it’s already now served two uses. Then I save another lid of similar size to take its place.
So there ya go – inexpensive, environmentally friendly and utilitarian. No more chunking down money to buy commercial cutting boards again & again for me. Bon Appétit!
~TxH~
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Thanks for sharing your brilliant idea at Simply Natural Saturdays!
This is a great idea – I totally do this with certain lids! For some reason I just avoid getting out the big cutting boards at all costs. If there is something on hand that will do the job, I go for it 🙂 Thanks for sharing your hack on Simply Natural Saturdays with us. It is my dream to have a homestead one day, so I know I will learn lots from the things you post!!
Me too Melissa! Those big cutting boards are there if I ever want ’em but these are so much easier to use & clean. Plus my big cutting boards don’t contain the juices quite like these lids do. ~TxH~
This is so smart! Definitely not where I thought this was going! Super cool.
LOL Morgan! I’ve been using various lids for years, just thought I’d share in case anyone else could use the same tip. I remember my smacks-forehead moment when I first started keeping them for various uses in the kitchen. I remember thinking “Now WHY didn’t I think of this earlier??!!” 🙂 ~TxH~
Great idea! I also use them upside down as a spoon rest while cooking. They not only keep the liquid contained but they are wider than the store bought ones so really good for ladles, spatulas, etc .
🙂 I have a small one tucked in my pots-n-pans drawer for just the same reason Lori, it takes up no room at all & it’s convenient there. (great minds thinking alike and all… LOL) I don’t like countertop clutter so a cutesy spoon rest permanently residing on my counters is just not my cup o tea. This way I can minimize the mess on the countertop while I’m cooking, wash it up in the dishwasher and replace it in the drawer to grab & go next time. ~TxH~
Ok this is brilliant – and totally something I would have never thought to do, so thank you so much for sharing! We end up with those lids from so many different things, but I think most people consider saving the whole container, to use as a container (ha!) but not to do anything like this!
I love those big ole ice cream lids Jessica, I can cut a cantaloupe on that thing and the rim contains the juice for me. I hope my BIL’s ice cream appetite continues for the foreseeable future! LOL ~TxH~
This is genius! Thanks so much for sharing this hack!
…especially when slicing something really juicy like a cantaloupe or something like that. I’ve used this hack for so many years, I figure someone else might really find it helpful too. ~TxH~