Put Your Pots and Pans to Work

Catch draining engine oil
No need to run out and buy an oil-collecting pan. When it is time to change the oil in your car engine, just stick an old 5-quart (4.75-liter) or larger pot beneath the drain plug.

Create an instant birdbath
You can quickly provide feathered visitors to your backyard with a place to refresh themselves. Just set an old pan atop a flowerpot and keep it filled with water.

Use as a large scoop
Leave those 50-pound (20-kilogram) sacks of fertilizer and grass seed in the garden shed and use a pot to carry what you need to the place you’re tending. A small pot with a handle also makes a terrific boat bailer or dog-food scoop.

Make an extra grill
You’ve got a big barbecue planned, and your grill is not big enough to handle all those burgers and dogs. Improvise an auxiliary grill by building a fire in an old, large pot. Cook on a cake rack placed over the pot. After you are finished, put the pot’s cover on to choke out the fire and save the charcoal for another cookout.