Frugal Intuition

Okay one of the key questions to ask whenever you’re thinking of purchasing something is:

Do I have something already that works for that purpose?

This is particularly important for me when it comes to kitchen gadgets.  I have a real thing for kitchen gadgets.  This is a problem for budgets, space…

One of my very favorite “this for that” kitchen gadgets is my personal substitution for a panini press.  I love LOVE paninis.  There’s nothing better than a hot toasty sandwich with melty cheese.  But rather than going out and spending $25 to ridiculous on a panini press that wouldn’t fit in my overcrowded kitchen if I wanted it to, I turned to the handy dandy appliance that almost everyone has in their kitchen (and if they don’t, you can pick one up at a garage sale on the cheap)
The George Foreman Grill.  The thing works just like a panini press.  It even does the nifty little grill marks.  Since I never actually use this for it’s intended purpose (I’m a food snob and say it doesn’t taste grilled unless it was done on an actual outdoor grill), this was a great way for me to reuse something I already had.  AND it takes up less space than most panini presses that I’ve seen.

If you don’t have a George Foreman, you can also use a waffle maker.  It’ll press interesting designs into the bread.  I have fond memories of waffle maker grilled cheeses from my grandmother.

This makes the best grilled cheeses.  Two slices of bread, cheese, and some of that fake squirty butter that isn’t really butter but tastes like it (I like Parkay).  It really cuts down on the fat and grease, and it’s fast.  Toasts both sides at once.

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