Use sandwich bags to butter pans.

“To keep hands clean when buttering pans, I put them inside a plastic sandwich bag and grab hold of a stick of butter. After rubbing the pan with butter, just invert the plastic bag and toss. Your pans are perfectly buttered and your hands grease-free.” — Pamela Giusto-Sorrells of Pamela’s Products

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Use a wooden spoon as a "thermometer."

"Use one as a thermometer for deep frying. When the oil is up to the correct temperature for deep frying, the wooden spoon will begin to bubble around its end. Also, if a wine cork gets stuck in the bottle, I use the end of the spoon to pop it into the bottle. —Executive Chef Kolin Vazzoler of California's Simi Winery