Dorms are getting smaller, kitchen equipment is getting more expensive, and kitchen tools that only serve one purpose are not worth your time or money. Coffee pots are one of those one trick pony appliances — you’ve probably literally only ever used it to brew coffee.
But your coffee pot has the potential to do so much more. If you find yourself with no other working appliance, as it turns out, a coffee maker can cook up all your meals with ease.
If you’re in a dorm or hotel room with no other appliance, you can easily hack the coffee pot to make some quick, delicious meals. Just think: practically no cleanup, the machine does most everything for you, and if cooking everything in your coffee maker doesn’t scream college living, then I don’t know what does.
Some of these will work with your Keurig, but most are best suited for that cheap old style coffee pot everyone has laying around their house.
#SpoonTip: Make sure you thoroughly clean your coffee maker after running anything but water through it and storing anything but coffee in the pot.
Breakfast
It’s time to rise and shine and heat up your coffee pot. But after brewing up a pot of your favorite blend, leave the coffee pot on to prepare for a well-balanced breakfast.
If oats are your thing, add a third a cup of instant oatmeal to your clean pot. Run a half cup of water through the machine, stir, cover, and let sit on the burner for a few minutes. This also works with a single cup brewer. Just cover your mug of oats once the water is done.
For a heartier breakfast, you can actually boil eggs in your coffee pot. All you need to do is load up the pot with as many eggs as you’d like then fill the reservoir about two-thirds of the way full. Once all of the water drips out, let the eggs sit in the pot. Wait five minutes if you want them soft-boiled or ten to fifteen if you prefer hard-boiled.
For those seeking a more adventurous hack, try to fry some breakfast sausage on the hot plate. If you start with raw sausages it may take some time, but then you can brag to your friends that you cooked sausage with a coffee maker — worth it. Just spray the heated plate with non-stick spray and toss them around until thoroughly cooked.
Lunch
Another way too easy meal to make with your coffee pot is a pack of ramen noodles. Just load up the noodles in your pot and let them sit in hot water to steep, pretty much the same procedure as your morning oats. And just like the oats, this hack also works with a single cup brewer.
The only other lunch that could be more of a college classic is grilled cheese and tomato soup. Both are super easy to make with a coffee pot. The soup could be sent through the machine to really heat it up, but be warned, most coffee makers warn against running anything but water through it. Letting it sit in the pot with the hot burner will probably do.
For the sandwich, prep your favorite cheese and bread combo and pam up that bottom burner. You can cook the sandwich just as you would normally on the stove. Just keep in mind it may take a little more time. If you don’t want to dirty up the burner, invest in a really small pan.
Dinner
It’s time to go all out and prepare a multi-faceted meal. How does salmon, rice, and steamed vegetables sound? It’s all possible with the power of your coffee pot.
To steam vegetables, load up your goods of choice in the basket. All you need to do is run a few cups of water through the machine a couple of times until they’re done to your liking. Use the same water each time to speed up the process.
Make instant rice a la the oatmeal and ramen method. Put your rice in the pot, load up the coffee maker with the amount of water called for on the box, and let the pot it sit for five to ten minutes, turned on until the rice is done.
Finally, it’s time to cook up your protein. Place your salmon in the pot and add any seasonings and sauces you desire. Run three cups of water through the machine and let sit until done. The time really depends on how well your pot stays warm, so check it every five minutes.
This method supposedly works with salmon and chicken. You just need to adjust the time that the protein sits in the pot. It’s essentially a really creative way to poach meat. Remember to clean your pot and utensils really well after handling raw meat.
Dessert
If there’s one new coffee pot recipe you take up, it should be this one. Make chocolate fondue by first heating up a cup of cream or milk in the pot for 15 minutes. You can run it through the machine in a single cup brewer if you’re willing to do the work to clean it up.
Add any kind of chocolate — milk, dark, white, vegan, whatever suits your fancy. Add one or two broken up bars depending on how chocolatey you like it. That needs to sit in your heated cream or milk for another ten minutes. Slice up strawberries, bananas, and cake pieces and you’ve got a gourmet-style dessert in your coffee pot.
Will you ever really have to cook all your meals in a coffee pot? Maybe not. But these recipes are a heck of a lot of fun and it’s only right that the one appliance that supplies us with so much joy every morning reaches its full potential.