Short on cookware or want to minimize clean-up time after dinner? Skip the recycling center and use your old bottles to whip up something good!
Just a few days ago we showed you some nifty ways to repurpose your old water bottles into functional everyday items, but did you know that you can even use them in the kitchen?
Here are just some of the simple recipes that Japanese netizens are raving about and sharing, and now you can try your hand at them, too!
Pizza Dough (Single Serving)
- 110 g (a little over a cup) flour
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) butter
- 3 g (3/4 teaspoon) sugar
- 3 g (3/4 teaspoon) dry yeast
- 65 mL (2.3 oz) water
- A little salt
To make the pizza dough, first put all the ingredients above inside the plastic bottle and shake. Place the bottle under your clothes and run around for a little bit, holding the bottle close to your stomach. (If you’ve got kids, delegate this task to them!)
Let the bottle set for 30 minutes. As soon as you open the cap, the dough should come rising out. Add sauce and your favorite toppings, and then bake in the oven. Buon appetito!
Fried Rice Flowers
Cut the end of a plastic bottle off, using a sharp object to make a hole in the bottle and scissors to cut. (For your safety, the original poster discourages using box cutters or a utility knife to cut the end off.)
Pack fried rice inside the bottle end and you should get a cute-looking flower shape, perfect for bento-size lunches or a bite-sized dish. Use scallops to garnish.
No-Mess Takoyaki (Octopus Dumplings)
- 400 g (4 cups) takoyaki mix
- 5 eggs
- 1,400 mL (7 cups) water
- 1 package of dashi no moto soup stock (optional)
Mix together the takoyaki mix, eggs, dashi no moto, and around 1,000 mL (5 cups) of water in a bowl. Use a funnel to pour it inside a 2-liter plastic bottle. Pour the rest of the water in until the bottle is full, put the cap on, and shake!
Pour the mix onto your takoyaki grill and add octopus, fish cakes, or whatever else you want inside! Cook and turn over like regular takoyaki. Not only is it easy, but the bottle gives you a spill-free pour every time!
But what about dessert, you say?
Merengue (Single Serving)
Put an egg white into a plastic bottle, adding a little sugar if desired. Shake for three or four minutes until the contents appears foamy. Open the lid to allow in air, and then close the lid and shake again. After one or two minutes it should be ready to eat or use as a topping!
Orange Gelatin (8 servings)
- 380 mL (2 and 4/5 cup) orange or mikan juice
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of Cointreau (orange-flavored liqueur from France)
- 10 g (2 teaspoons) gelatin
- 100 mL (1/2 cup) of water at 80 degrees Celsius/176 degrees Fahrenheit
- Ice cubes
- A little mint
Put the gelatin mix into a bowl and add the water to melt. In a separate bowl, add the juice and sugar, and mix well until the sugar dissolves. Add the melted gelatin mix to the second bowl and mix well before adding the Cointreau.
Put ice inside the first bowl and stack the second bowl on top to cool the mixture off. Add one cube of ice to mixture and stir until liquid appears runny. Pour the mixture into a 2-liter bottle and shake. Foam should form inside the bottle, and if you let it set for about 30 seconds, the foam will rise to the top. Shake once more and pour into eight serving-size glasses.
When you pour the mixture into each glass, the foam should make up about half of the height, but will gradually diminish. Cool for 30 minutes, add mint for garnish, and enjoy!
Still not full? Cookpad currently has over 500 plastic bottle recipes on their site and counting! We’re sure whatever you’re craving, they have it!
Source: Twitter/@a_bikke (1, 2), Twitter/@amazonoutdoorko, Cookpad (1, 2), Rakuten Recipe
Feature/top image: Brisk, Fotor
Insert images: Cookpad (1, 2), Rakuten Recipe