You can find a waffle iron in just about every household in America, but in most cases, they’re only pulled out every so often for their titular dish: waffles. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a nice waffle in the morning (or in the evening, who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner?), but an appliance that spends most of its time taking up space, to be used once in a while for one thing and one thing only? Seems a little strange.

But there’s plenty more to do with waffle irons than just waffles. It may sound odd, but I use my waffle iron to make grilled cheese sandwiches. Instead of standing at the stove for ages waiting for cheese to melt and trying to flip the sandwich at just the right time, I get a fully cooked sandwich in just a few minutes, no flipping required (and as a bonus, the little waffle pockets do a great job of holding tomato soup).

For a sweet treat, Tahoma High School Senior Emily Roberts suggests cooking brownie batter in your waffle iron. It doesn’t take as long as baking brownies, and it gives them a nice crispy outer texture in addition to the chewy brownie middle. For this though, it’s important to use a brownie batter that has eggs in it, as they’re imperative to holding the brownie waffles together.

For that matter, you can put just about anything made with batter in a waffle iron. Mix up your favorite cake mix and make cake waffles. With the amount of fun flavors on the market today, it’s ridiculous to only use your waffle iron for waffles. 

For a more savory option, Tahoma High School Senior Evey Lexander likes the idea of cooking potatoes in your waffle iron. Lexander admits she’s yet to try this, but is eager about the idea. It would be similar to pan fried potatoes (or maybe you’d rather use pre-made mashed potatoes), but once again quicker and easier. 

There’s a wide array of uses for these simple appliances, so don’t waste your valuable kitchen space only using them for one dish. Get creative with it. Try making bacon and eggs in your waffle iron, or maybe some cornbread to serve with chili, heck, you might even cook up some leftover mac-n-cheese in there, just for fun. Just don’t forget the nonstick spray, without it, you’re in for quite a mess.