Dear Heloise: For years, I’ve been using various kitchen tools to help me in the kitchen and do jobs that they weren’t originally designed for. I thought I’d share some of these with you and your readers:

— I use a tea strainer filled with herbs and spices to flavor soups and stews. You just have to remove the strainer before serving. You can also fill a strainer with powdered sugar and use it to sprinkle sugar over pastries such as cakes and muffins.

— I use an old potato masher to separate ground beef and sausage while it’s cooking.

— I use an egg slicer to cut small, firm tomatoes, eggs and strawberries.

— I use a milk frother to mix other small batches of things. I recently mixed whipping cream with my frother to add on top of a pudding that I made.

— I tenderize chicken and meat by wrapping it in cling wrap, then using my metal rolling pin to pound the meat.

— I’ve known a number of people who use a pastry slicer to blend or chop up eggs for an egg salad, or to chop up potatoes to make hash browns.

— A friend of mine gave me this hint: Take a cast-iron skillet, turn it upside down so that the flat bottom is right side up, and place it in the oven this way to cook a frozen pizza. — D.F., in Pennsylvania

MICROCHIPPED PETS

Dear Heloise: We recently were out on a picnic, and our dog got away from us and went running after a squirrel. We stayed until after dark looking for our beloved dog. Finally, we had to go home.

A day later, a man called to say that he’d found our dog. Our dog had been microchipped, which is what saved him from ending up at a shelter or the city pound, or from wandering off to never be found again. Please urge all your readers to get their pets microchipped. And have them wear a tag that says they are microchipped. — M.Y., in Georgia

DISINFECTING WIPES

Dear Heloise: I use disinfecting wipes that come in a tall, round plastic container. When all the wipes are gone, there is still some liquid in the bottom, so I put a few half-sized paper towels in the bottom and use them after they have soaked up the liquid. I usually do this several times until all the liquid has been used.

With today’s prices, we need to do whatever we can to save money. — A.H., via email

— — —

Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.