Do This With Parmesan Cheese Lids Instead Of Tossing Them In The Trash

Honestly, whoever invented shelf-stable Parmesan has already given us a lot. First, that cheese doesn't even need to be refrigerated. It's already grated for you. And, though it's got some haters, pre-grated Parm also has tons of fans, many of whom remember it from childhood as the garnish for spaghetti and meatballs. But did you know that, even after the cheese is gone, those plastic Parm containers still have more to offer?

They do — or, at least, the lids do. It turns out those lids screw tightly onto the top of yet another invaluable component of the modern kitchen: the mason jar. Originally invented for canning fruits and vegetables, this beloved workhorse became a trendy piece of tableware in recent decades, when restaurants started using mason jars as drinking glasses — and as a way to connote a certain vibe of rustic authenticity. The Parm-container lid makes them even more useful. (While avoiding the biggest problem with metal jar lids: their tendency to rust.)

With a repurposed plastic topper, your mason jar can function as a to-go cup. The lid's larger hole is a perfect size to sip from, and the three smaller holes are ideally sized for a straw — like a DIY Stanley cup. That means a vessel that you can easily take in the car, to the beach, or on a picnic — anywhere you need a sturdy but spill-resistant container. And drinking isn't the only thing you can do with this repurposed vessel-and-lid combo.

First, though, a couple things to know. One is that, while the shapes and sizes of the vessels vary, most mason jars are designed to match with one of two lid sizes: regular and wide-mouthed. The Parm-lid hack pertains to the regular size. (Don't get rid of that original metal ring, though — use it to poach eggs.) Second, and at the risk of stating the obvious: Before doing anything else with it, make sure to wash that lid with hot, soapy water. If you're planning on putting something other than liquid in it, make sure it dries completely.

Something other than liquid? As it turns out, the lidded mason jar can be used for much more than just drinking. It makes a perfect container for storing kitchen ingredients like grains, beans, nuts, chocolate chips, even extra amounts of spices — anything where it would be convenient to pop a lid and pour out the contents, or take advantage of that wider opening to stick a measuring spoon into. This applies outside of the kitchen, too, by the way: You could use this little device in an office or arts-and-crafts room, for instance, to store supplies like paper clips, buttons, thumb tacks, and the like. After its invention in the 1850s, the mason jar enabled more people to eat more nutritious produce year-round; nearly 175 years later, we're still coming up with new ways to make use of it.