Whether you're stuck in a hotel for an extended stay or your dorm room just doesn't have any other options, your coffee maker is a surprisingly reasonable place to cook a meal or two. You actually have a bunch of options for meals in those coffee makers, but NPR breaks down the three basic cooking types that anyone can use a coffee maker to cook with.


Cooking in your coffee maker doesn't sound like the greatest idea, but you can get away with cooking meals in three different ways:

Steam: The basket at the top is a great place to steam vegetables. You can throw in broccoli, cauliflower or any vegetable that cooks in about the same time as those. Poach: The carafe at the bottom serves as a simple vessel for poaching fish and chicken. You can also use it to hard-boil eggs or make couscous and oatmeal. Grill: This technique is a bit more advanced — and time-consuming. But if you're really itching for a grilled cheese sandwich or a cinnamon bun in a motel room, the coffee maker's burner can serve as a miniature grill.


We've walked you through a few of these before, including poaching a chicken, cooking breakfast, and making oatmeal. Head over to NPR for a few recipes and cooking tricks.

Coffee Maker Cooking: Brew Up Your Next Dinner | NPR

Photo by kaeru.my .