How can I reuse or recycle tuna cans?
While we’ve covered food cans in general before, Danielle emailed asking tuna cans in particular:
i have so many, what can i do with them?
There’s a wide variety of uses for tuna cans:
I know some people use them to make “buddy burner” candles and you can use them as candle holders too – but make sure you put a bit of sand in the bottom first to absorb the heat from the candle rather than it heating the metal.
Some people clean them up and use them as “cookie cutters” for making large biscuits/cookies, and because everything in this house gets commandeered for the purpose sooner or later, I’ve used them as drip saucers under plant pots (pull the label off and leave them silver for an industrial look, paint them to make them look prettier – shiny white or cream gloss gives a pseudo-vintage enamel look).
Since they’re essentially just a small pot with a low centre of gravity, they’re useful for holding small quantities of paint/glue. Or as students have been known to do – use them as makeshift ashtrays.
Any other suggestions?
(Photo by TanjaS)
Put three under a large pot and use as pot “feet”.
Flower pot, that is :)
Crumpet rings! If you cut both ends off, and ensure they aren’t sharp, they work well for crumpets, English muffins, and similar baked goods. Works just as well for similar cans, like water chestnuts. Got that from Alton Brown’s eggs benedict episode. It works well!
I have a cookbook called Goddess in the kitchen. One recipe is for-I think-something called babycakes. You used the well cleaned cans to bake mini chocolate cakes and stack them. It was very decadent.
I love this idea, chicgeek!
I love these ideas, thank you!!
Screw four of them on a weathered plank – driftwood would be excellent – and you got a lovely rustic advent candle stick for maxi tea lights.
I would have to agree with Cipollina and Bobbie! They will make great maxi tea lights and seedling pots.
Another thing you can use them for is organizers for the craft room, or if you like to refinish furniture and mix your own paints, they will make great reuseable paint cans! ;)
The artful crafter website has pretty pincushions made from tuna cans.
Four tuna cans , 3 inch width will make four delicious small cheesecakes.
“Baby Cakes by Anne Yohn”, has recipes for baked BabyCakes and Refrigerator BabyCakes plus toppings. A great variety of flavors!!
I collected eight cans and doubled the recipes. Yum.
Turn them into storage containers, plus you can get lids they sell for canned cat food, they fit onto tuna cans. Now you have cute storage for anything really.
Turn them into storage containers, plus you can get lids they sell for canned cat food, they fit onto tuna cans. Now you have cute storage for anything really, from food to items.