I don't know why I didn't think of this before, would've saved a lot of time and energy: say you have a residue in a glass container left over, that just won't crystallize...
add the nonpolar solvent, and place in the ultrasonic bath for a 2-5 minutes. that nonpolar solvent will be cloudy white, ready to freeze precipitate. *edit* actually, I just realized...there will be microemulsions, bubbles containing both phases. it will need a bit of separation in the second container (which more sonication will resolve).
sonication speeds up several processes (which is why it's used in redox rxns too), including migration of molecules between phases.
with a strong enough generator (i.e. a cell disruptor with a probe), you can lyse cells. but a bath is sufficient enough for other extraction processes, and cleaning up the glassware.
aside from glass, there are four pieces of equipment I feel are essential for a serious chem hobbyist: a hotplate/stirrer, a vacuum source, an ultrasonic bath, and a rotary evaporator (optional, but makes life much easier, like a Kitchenaid to a chef). some would argue a centrifuge, but I rarely use mine.
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted." ~ hassan i sabbah
"Experiments are the only means of attaining knowledge at our disposal. The rest is poetry, imagination." -Max Planck