Paper towels can be used for more than just mopping up messes in the kitchen!
RELATED: 5 ways to reuse plastic bottles
RELATED: 7 household items you didn’t realise you can repurpose
Check out these totally genius hacks you can use every day.
Perfectly Seared Steak
For that restaurant-quality sear, blot your steaks with a paper towel before you pan-fry it. This will also help your meat develop the most flavour while having a nice crust and a juicy, tender interior we oh-so-love!
Soft, fluffy brown sugar
Have you ever tried to scoop out some brown sugar only to find that its started to form into tiny rocks? We feel you!
Bring back the glory of hardened brown sugar by placing a moist paper towel over it. Pop in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to soften it.
Say goodbye to oil drips
Anyone who uses oil when cooking is familiar with the pain of having to deal with a greasy bottle due to the stuff spilling down the sides. This can cause your bottle to become oily and hard to hold and even stain your kitchen furniture with the oil spill.
To prevent this, wrap a paper towel around the neck of the bottle and secure with a rubber band.
Microwave cooking hack
Microwaves heat up food by causing friction between the water molecules in them. This water turns into steam, and if it’s released too early or the food is cooked too long, can result in soggy vegetables or rubbery spaghetti.
To avoid this, place a damp paper towel over your plate of food. This will not only help distribute the heat evenly but will keep your microwave clean as it heats up.
For perfectly-done veggies: wrap a moist paper towel around it or place on top of a heat-proof bowl before popping in the microwave.
DIY Salad Spinner
Don’t have a salad spinner at home? No problem!
Keep your salad greens fresh and crisp with this nifty trick:
After washing your veggies, line a kitchen table/colander with paper towels. Give your veggies a good shake to get rid of any excess water, before placing on top of the paper towels. This will absorb the moisture from your salad greens keeping them fresh and ready from some dressing!
The secret to crispy bacon
We have American chef and TV personality, Alton Brown, to thank for this next tip!
For perfectly crispy bacon (minus the grease), chef Brown uses paper towels to line the bottom of the pan instead of parchment paper or tin foil. The paper towels absorb the grease as the bacon cooks, allowing it to crisp evenly in the oven all while cutting back on the smoke!
You can even save the used paper towels in a zip lock bag and store in the fridge to grease pans in the future.
Keep salad greens fresh longer in the fridge
Avoid wilted greens by wrapping your veggies in paper towel after you’ve washed and dried them. From there, place in a sealed bag to keep air from circulating in and out as it speeds up the wilting process. This method helps keep your salad greens fresh for up to one week.
DIY coffee filter
Out of coffee filters? Don’t fret! Paper towels also double as a DIY strainer, catching all the bits and pieces you don’t want in your cup of joe.
Check out this step-by-step tutorial by Stock Piling Moms to start making your own!
Photo by Bianca Gonzalez
What paper towel trick will you be trying? Let us know in the comments below!
Totally trying the crispy bacon tip! thanks Al Brown.