Unless you live in total isolation, you’ve likely noticed an influx in colorful vessels in the hands of people nationwide. The seemingly unassuming cups are making a mark on social media, forcing “Stanley cup” to be more synonymous with trendy drinkware than with playoff hockey. These massive vacuum-insulated bottles are Stanley tumblers, and since 2023, everyone wants to get their hands on one. The company’s tumbler, known as the Quencher, is only one of a slew of products offered by Stanley, a brand with roots stretching back over a century. In the past, Stanley products were favored only among avid campers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts, but today, Stanley basks in the glory of a well-deserved comeback.
Along with the chic and stylish Quencher, Stanley offers a variety of vacuum-insulated drinkware designed for the outdoors and lives in motion. Its products are famous for their ability to keep beverages either piping hot or icy cold for hours on end. Their durability also makes them a popular choice, promising a lifetime of use, which couldn’t be more appealing in a time when low-quality products flood the consumer market. Like most trendy gadgets, Stanley cups offer a variety of uses that go far beyond keeping coffee steamy. In this list, we’ll explore applications for your Stanley products to make cumbersome tasks simpler, so you can turn a mere drinking vessel into a handy tool with uses in the home, outdoors, at work, and anywhere life steers you.
Keep cooked hot dogs warm in a Stanley
Stanley’s renowned temperature-regulating technology doesn’t have to be reserved for beverages. Tumblers and thermoses are the perfect vessel for bringing pre-cooked meals along for a picnic or beach day, especially hot dogs. Few containers are the ideal shape to store hot dogs while keeping them warm, but Stanley hosts multiple products that make packing a fun snack for the kids easy. Your sausages stay hot for hours, so you can pack your thermos and forget about them until the kid’s stomachs start rumbling.
To transport cooked hot dogs in your Stanley, simply boil your sausages ahead of time — avoid microwaving them to reduce the risk of undercooked dogs — and then immediately add them, along with some of the steamy brine, into your Stanley. Toss a bag of buns and your favorite hot dog toppings and condiments into your picnic basket or beach bag, and now you have a quick, hot, and delicious lunch to enjoy on a beautiful summer day. Just be sure to carefully clean your thermos or tumbler, especially the gunk that often collects on a Stanley cup’s lid, to prevent future beverages from taking on a hot dog-esque aftertaste. Yuck.
Transport chilled wine for a picnic or party
One of the many reasons those looking for intense hydration flock to Stanley cups are their massive size. The Quencher, maxing out at 40 ounces, holds enough water to keep you hydrated for most of the day, depending on your level of activity and water needs. But this convenient size offers more than just top-tier hydration. Stanley’s Quenchers can hold the liquid in most standard bottles of wine. Their vacuum-insulted technology, regulating temperature for almost an entire day, keeps your favorite bottles of chilled summer wines crisp and fresh to enjoy at a picnic, outdoor party, or anywhere ice isn’t readily available or accessible.
To transport wine in a Stanley, open the bottle and pour it’s contents inside your Quencher or thermos. Chill the wine ahead of time to avoid having to add ice and watering down your tipple. To ensure your wine stays extra crisp and cool in your Stanley, freeze grapes and drop them into the cup along with the wine. The frozen grapes add a nice aesthetic touch and an extra hint of grape flavor while keeping your wine chilled and refreshing for a hot summer day. Don’t forget to pack plastic wine cups so you can share; you’ll be the savior of an otherwise drab picnic.
Fill your Stanley with hot water when working outside for easy hand-warming
If you’re a contractor, landscaper, or just have leaves to rake on a particularly chilly autumn day, an insulated cup full of steaming hot water is your best friend. Frozen cold fingers are painful and make accomplishing cumbersome chores and work nearly impossible, so, before setting outside to tend to the tasks at hand, fill your Stanley with near-boiling water and take it along. Every so often, hold your cup with bare hands to give your chilly fingers a moment of relief. This prevents them from freezing up and causing stiffness and pain later. This method of hand-warming is safer than putting disposable hand warmers in your gloves, as this can cause chemical burns if use is prolonged.
If you don’t tend to work outside in the colder months of the year, bring the Stanley brand back to its roots and use this hack when camping. When the nights get chilly, a Stanley flask or thermos doubles as the perfect hot water bottle for bedtime. Heat up water on your camp stove and then add it to the vessel and snug up when it’s time to hit the hay. You’ll stay toasty warm through the night without the need for a heater, which can be dangerous when used in tents and small spaces.
Keep popsicles and ice cream cold on the go
james benjamin/Shutterstock
If you own a large-capacity Stanley cup, like the 40-ounce Quencher, don’t limit yourself by only using it to transport chilled liquids. Larger Stanley’s offer a myriad of possibilities when it comes to keeping food items ice-cold, including the capacity for popsicle storage. Use your insulted drinkware to bring icy treats like fruity popsicles or the best creamy ice cream novelties on any excursion, whether it’s to the beach, a pool party, or just bring them along for a walk so you can enjoy a sweet, cold treat if the mood strikes.
If you have multiple little mouths to feed, slim popsicles, like freeze pops, are the best option, since you can fit a handful easily into a Stanley tumbler. On the other hand, if kids aren’t involved in your popsicle-fueled escapade, spike your freeze pops for a little boozy fun before freezing and transporting. Open the room temperature pops and dump some of the juice out, replacing it with your liquor of choice. Seal with a hair iron and freeze completely before stuffing in your Stanley. Busting out an impromptu frozen cocktail for you and your friends to enjoy on a hot day will undoubtedly dub you the ultimate bestie.
Make your Stanley cup the perfect sundae companion
askinem / Instagram
Recently, sleuths on TikTok made the ultimate discovery: A pint of ice cream sits perfectly inside a Stanley tumbler. Those with a sweet tooth (and a Stanley) delight in this discovery, allowing them to indulge in their creamy, cold confection without having to touch the pint itself and risk uncomfortable frozen fingertips. But, with a convenient Stanley cup accessory, this ice cream hack is taken a step further to utilities your Stanley for a complete, homemade ice cream sundae extravaganza.
Since 2023, when Stanley’s became a trending product, a slew of accessories for the cups have been unveiled, some more practical than others. Among those accessories is a Quencher snack tray — a circular, silicone, convex compartment that sits atop your cup and holds finger foods designed to be eaten on the go. You can sip from your Stanley while snacking on fries, chicken fingers, or nuggets and wash the tray afterwards for repeated use. Instead of filling your Stanley with water or juice, plop a pint of your favorite ice cream into your Quencher, cardboard cup and all. Then, fill your snack tray with classic ice cream additions, like mini M&M’s, whipped cream, chocolate chips, or maraschino cherries. Or, change things up and try more unique and inventive sundae toppings that fit in the tray, like kettle corn, candied fruit, or chicharrónes.
Use rice and vinegar to clean Stanley flasks and thermoses
Some of Stanley’s larger products — like Quenchers and thermoses and its tiny vessels, like flasks, aren’t easily cleaned by hand with a simple sponge and a little elbow grease. Make sure your cups are cleaned properly and frequently to keep your Stanley in tip-top shape, ready to take on whatever sloppy food or sticky drink you’re apt to put inside it.
A simple hack from the brand itself guarantees that your Stanley products won’t become ruined with caked on grime and will continue to act as your go-to drinkware for years to come. To clean the hard-to-reach spots in your Stanley, vinegar and rice are your unlikely allies. Put about a ¼ cup of uncooked rice into your cup and then top it off with a few ounces of white vinegar. Shake your Stanley vigorously and then let it sit for up to 10 minutes. Give it another fervent shake for about one or two straight minutes, and then discard the rice and vinegar concoction. Rinse your cup with warm water, and then let it rest with the lid off until the inside of your vacuum-insulated vessel is bone dry and clean as a whistle.
Cook dehydrated food to take on hikes
Your Stanley’s double-walled or vacuum-insulted temperature-regulating technology is ideal for cooking meals on the go. Cooking dehydrated food in a Stanley is a no-mess, nutritious way to stay off sugar-laden granola bars while hiking or camping, and it’s as simple as adding a few ingredients and then forgetting all about it until lunchtime rolls around.
To rehydrate nearly any dried meal, all you need is water, either boiling or cold. Simply fill your Stanley with the dried meal mix — use military MREs, food that you dehydrated yourself, or any other nutritious dried food you have on hand, and add the mix to the bottom of your Stanley. Add about 30% more water than food. If adding boiling water, you only need to wait about 30 minutes before you can dig in; just make sure that your food has reached a safe temperature to avoid burns. If using cold water for food rehydration, let the mixture sit for at least an hour and a half, but it can safely rehydrate over the course of most of the day. Use this same method with non-dehydrated foods like dried beans, pasta, and overnight oats, for a hearty and filling meal that will give you the energy to hike for miles.
Take advantage of your Stanley thermos’s convenient burrito shape
Have you ever noticed how similar in shape your Stanley is to a burrito, and decided you should capitalize on this coincidental (or intentional) design? While we’re pretty sure that the Stanley brand didn’t design its bottles to perfectly fit a burrito, we’d like to think that was the entire idea behind the company. But whether it was done purposefully or not, your Stanley Quencher or thermos is the perfect item to take with you when picking up a take-out order from your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant.
If you’re saving a take-out or frozen burrito from the grocery store for later, delicately shove your lunch into your Stanley to keep it piping hot for hours, from the inside out. Use this method when you’re dining in at a restaurant and you want to order some food to bring home to a loved one. The burrito stays snug and toasty inside your Stanley while you eat lunch, and your family member doesn’t have to be disappointed by a soggy, lukewarm burrito hours later, despite your good intentions.
Stanley cups can keep leftovers warm for hours
While stuffing conveniently-shaped take-out orders into your Stanley is a great way to keep restaurant food warm for hours, you can do the same thing with home cooked meals. This works especially well with meals like soup, pasta, casserole, or anything that doesn’t need to retain a specific shape, such as lasagna or a whole chicken (unless you own the largest Stanley Quencher known to man). If you overdid the portions when using a new recipe, save leftovers in your Stanley and bring them to a friend or neighbor. They’ll likely appreciate your generosity so much that they won’t consider not returning your prized drinking vessel.
This hack offers convenience for a busy schedule. If you’re available time to cook doesn’t often line up with the time of day when you’re most hungry, simply cook your meal during your free time and then keep it in your Stanley to devour come dinnertime. Utilize this method if your spouse or partner is running late from work and you’d like to have a hot dinner waiting for them without resorting to the microwave, which tends to mush-ify most dinners and heat them up unevenly.
Let hot water sit in your cup before adding drinks for extra heat
The feeling of ordering a hot drink to keep you toasty on a cold day only to have it rapidly cool down on you before you get a chance to savor the warmth is devasting. One of the main draws to the Stanley brand is its longstanding reputation for top-tier temperature regulation. All Stanley cups, camping gear, thermoses, and flasks keep beverages hot and cold for hours, but eventually there comes a point where your beverage is no longer the optimal temperature. Sigh.
If you like to slowly sip your hot drinks, don’t live in fear of a lukewarm latte or tepid tea. Pour boiling hot water into your thermos or cup before adding the hot drink. Let the hot water sit for five to 10 minutes before carefully emptying the cup and filling it up with your beverage of choice. Your Stanley will retain heat from the boiling water to keep your coffee or tea piping hot for longer. Use this trick to assist in some of the aforementioned hacks; leftovers and burritos retain their ideal temperature for longer when your Stanley is prepped for the task ahead of time. This hot water trick is also the sure-fire way to keep gravy nice and steamy in an insulated container throughout dinner.
Keep canned or bottled drinks icy cold without pouring them out
Getting dishes done is the most strenuous task when you’re traveling or camping and have limited access to running water. But you don’t necessarily need to wash your Stanley after each use if you enable this ingenuous hack: Instead of pouring a chilled beverage’s contents into your Stanley cup, simply place the can inside and position the accompanying straw into the mouth of the can. Now you have a vessel to hold your canned beverage and keep it cold, while your Stanley prevents your hand’s warmth from turning an icy beer or soda into a flat, warm disappointment.
Take this hack a step further and keep your beverage extra cold by adding ice to the bottom of your Stanley. Carefully position your drink so that the ice sits underneath and along the sides of the can. Now you can sip for hours in the sun without ever compromising the drink’s temperature. The ice will stay intact for hours, even after replacing the beverage multiple times. Your Stanley won’t get sticky if you utilize this trick, so after enjoying a couple of adult beverages or sodas, you can fill your cup with water to stay hydrated without having to scrub it clean. This trick is ideal for concerts, festivals, and crowded parties, too, where protecting your beverage from the elements and other party-goers is even more important than keeping it cold.
