Kitchen Tips: favorite uses for paper towels

 

Favorite uses for paper towels: There are so many essentials to have in the kitchen. One I really have trouble living without is paper towels. If the paper towel holder is left EMPTY, I will just about scream. Inevitably I will go to it a dozen times in the minutes before it’s filled in desperate need of one.

I use them for everything from cleaning up spills and messes in my kitchen to drying my hands and trying to keep the germs away.

Here are my top 10 (and more) uses for paper towels:

1. Vegetables: I wrap lettuce in a damp paper towel to keep the lettuce extra crisp in the refrigerator; this also works for bags of carrots and cut vegetables like peppers and celery. Just think: no more dried out vegetables. Place the damp paper towel around the vegetables and place them in a plastic bag.

2. Strawberries: Line a ¼” baking sheet with a paper towel and place strawberries in a single layer on it to keep the strawberries from getting mushy and squished, and they last longer since they are not stacked on top of each other.

3. Cans: I use a paper towel when I’m opening a can with the can opener. I rinse the can, wipe it down, place the paper towel on the counter so the can doesn’t scratch it or make that chalkboard scraping sound while I open it. If anything in the can spill over, it’s easy to clean up and also wipe off the can opener when I’m finished. I have the can opener type that does not go inside the rim; if you have one of these wash it first so there is no food on it before wiping.

4. Reducing the fat in cooking: When I’m boiling chicken or beef for stock or preparing soup, I use a paper towel to skim the fat off the top of the broth.

5. Pasta: I love pasta and make it so it’s at the ready in the fridge. I place a paper towel under the lid so the moisture that forms in the container doesn’t make the pasta mushy.

For pasta salads: When I drain my pasta and soak it in cold water, I then line the strainer with a paper towel to be sure all the excess water is off of the pasta before tossing it with the rest of the ingredients. Looking for a new pasta salad? Here are three of my favorites: BLT Pasta Salad, Mexican Pasta Salad, and Pesto Pasta Salad.

6. Paper Filter: I have used paper towels as coffee filters, and it’s great to use a strainer if you have a tea bag explosion or to reduce the pulp in lemonade or orange juice.

7. Microwave use: Place a paper towel in the microwave to catch crumbs, spills, and messes to make for easy cleanup. I have even wrapped hot dogs in buns in paper towels to heat them in the microwave and steam the buns.

8. Straining: If you need to strain the liquid from yogurt, sour cream, pickles etc. place a paper towel in a fine strainer and then pour in the wet items to help the liquid drain more easily.

9. Meats: I don’t know how I would get the moisture off of chicken, beef, or fish without paper towels. Dry rubs, breading and seasonings stick better to dry meats.

10. Fried foods: and yes I use them for fried foods: Draining the excess oil from bacon, French fries, funnel cakes, fried oreos and taquitos.

  • Place a roll of paper towels on a paper towel holder at a picnic, party or BBQ; they don’t go flying off the table as easily as napkins when the wind blows. They are a needed item with sticky grilled items like chicken and ribs and really drippy items like watermelon and melting ice cream.

  • They are also great for wrapping plastic ware for parties as they are larger than napkins and don’t rip as easily. Just roll the plastic ware and tie with your favorite ribbon or twine.
  • You also don’t want to be with a roll of paper towels at a lemonade stand or on long car trips.

  • Roll a paper towel to absorb remaining water in an item you are not able to get a dish towel into.

  • Use a damp paper towel in a tall glass when icing cookies so the piping dip doesn’t dry out and clog.
  • You can use paper towels to store your cast iron skillets to keep them dry when you take it out of the cabinet. Just add a little oil to the paper towel and will help keep your skillet seasoned and ready to use.

  • Placing a paper towel under the milk and orange juice containers helps keep your refrigerator clean, too.

 

And don’t forget — don’t leave the paper towel holder empty; it really drives me nuts!

great kitchen tips favorite uses for paper towels

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Comments

  2. I spray them with air freshners and put them in closets and smelly boots and shoes and even in my car. I put them in zipper glad bags so you can open them a little or a lot. I even hang one on my cat’s litter box !

    Reply

  3. We use Bounty for so many things…cleaning up after kid messes, cleaning the dog’s paws, and even as napkins at the dinner table.

    Reply

  11. I like using paper towels to lightly dry my meat products for breading for frying and such I have to use bounty for it’s strength

    Reply

  12. These are great tips! Rachael Ray always does #1 on her show. The pasta tip is a great idea; never thought of that! Thanks!

    Reply

  14. I use Bounty for EVERYTHING — microwave, cleaning up the kitchen, wiping my cats off when they come inside all wet from the rain 🙂

    Reply

  20. I use paper towels to smooth out my buttercream after I frost my cake. Just wait a few minutes until your buttercream crusts then gently press the paper towel onto the cake and smooth with your hand. It instantly smooths the wrinkles and air bubbles and you will have a professional looking cake!

    Reply

    • Oh Loren that is a great tip, I heard about it before….but have never tried it. Guess it’s time to bake a cake and give it a go!

  21. I use them to make sure my herbs are completely dry before mincing them. I just wash the herbs, then lay them between two paper towels while I prep the rest of the ingredients. Just before I need them, I can gently press down on my herbs to get the rest of the water off.

    Reply

  22. I would be Lost without my paper towels!
    I also use them for draining the grease off of meat I put 2 on top of a paper plate and then lay the meat( mostly ground Beef) on top and let it soak up the grease then throw the mess away!
    I use them for wrapping around glass items to box up.
    Everything from washing windows to whipping the dogs paws and I buy extra when the grand kids come for a visit 🙂

    Reply

  23. I love using Viva papertowels to smooth frosting on cake. I don’t how it works but it does without sticking.

    Reply

  24. Bounty Paper towels are great for cleaning up spills, separating my tomatoes in my salads for work to keep my lettuce from getting soggy. They are great for everything.

    Reply

  25. I use paper towels for everything. Sometimes I will put a snack in them instead of dirtying a plate or bowl. I also love to use them for my kids. A little cold water on a paper towel provides a refreshing cool off for them on a hot day!

    Reply

  26. I loved this! And yes the empty paper towel roll drives me bananas! I have 2 boys in the house…so I use paper towels like they are going out of style 😉

    Reply

  28. Bounty select a size is my favorite! I use them for everything. I like to keep one under my single cup coffee maker in case it spills over.

    Reply

  33. I line a paper plate with several layers of Bounty paper towels and then place a single layer of bacon on the paper towels and then another layer of paper towels on top of the bacon…microwave for about 3 minutes…yummy crispy bacon and no mess. Love it!

    Reply

  37. I use it mostly to dry meat after washing, and clean really dirty things. Because for other tasks I could use reusable towels. I also use it to clean grease and filter yogurt, I’ll try to use it to suck up cooking grease too. Thanks for the ideas and giveaway.
    songyueyu at gmail

    Reply

  41. I use paper towels to quickly rub my cast iron with oil. I also use them to keep my lettuce (and other CSA goodies from getting too much moisture when I store them in the fridge.

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  45. I use them to soften brown sugar if it hardens, just put damp paper towel on top of container holding sugar and leave overnight.

    Reply

  52. I use them for everything. They’re indispensable with a toddler. Our latest is using them on the counter to put her cup pieces on to dry.

    My most inventive to date was probably using a folded paper towel as a muffler when an electric board when haywire in our fridge and the ice flap kept opening and closing over and over, lol. The paper towel dampened the super loud noise until we could fix it. 🙂

    Reply

  54. We use a lot of paper towels to clean our bathrooms.

    Thanks for the chance to win!
    wildorchid985 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  56. I use them when juicing and canning to prevent liquids from running off of my counters. What would I do without them every day?

    Reply

  57. I use paper towels for quick snack plates, when I am cutting up an apple, or quartering an orange, I place it on a folded paper towel.. instead of digging out a clean plate or bowl to use. Saves on cleaning extra dishes and I just toss away when the kids are done.
    karenmed409 at comcast dot net

    Reply

  60. I WISH I COULD TELL YOU SOMETHING CREATIVE BUT THE GODS TO HONEST TRUTH IS I AM PRETTY BORING WITH PAPER TOWELS… THEY’RE GREAT FOR CLEANING UP MESSES BUT THAT’S ABOUT IT IN MY LIFE =(

    Reply

  66. I love baking with my kids. They are 3 and 5. Of course, we have fun and make a mess in the kitchen all the time! I use and need Bounty more than anyone can imagine. 🙂

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

    Reply

  70. I use a Bounty paper towel under my potatoes when I bake them in the microwave. After I bake the potatoes, I use the damp paper towel to wipe out the inside of my microwave, especially under the top. By the way, Bounty towels are my favorite and Select-A-Size are the best! I’ve tried other paper towels, then I always go back to my Bounty!
    nrfarley6 at yahoo.com

    Reply

  76. Wow, you have tons of wonderful tips…especially the ones for using paper towels as a coffee filter and for your icing in a cup!

    I like to use paper towels to cover my food plate when microwaving, prevents spatter and it’s easier to use than plastic wrap!

    Reply

  77. Great tip for the strawberries! I use the Viva quarter sheets when blotting up stains from clothing – they don’t leave lint behind.

    Reply

  89. Love Bounty paper towel. It’s thick and gets the job done. Great at cleaning spills and the dirty kitchen floor.

    Reply

  93. i use paper towels as wipes, cause its minus all the icky chemicals in commercial wipes! Thanks for a super giveaway!

    Reply

  99. I very rarely use paper towels. I am more of a rag person to prevent the waste of paper. I do use them for draining deep fried foods occasionally and for messes my cats leave me, but I am very conservative in my use. I may go thru a roll of them a year if that.

    Reply

  108. Wow, those are great tips! I never considered using them to strain tea in the event of a tea bag explosion! Nice tips! I find the tip about using it for cast iron pans and the tip to keep the icing tip from drying out really useful!

    Reply

  109. It’s cool that you can use paper towels to keep lettuce crisp. My wife and I would like to keep our lettuce crisp. We’ll be sure to look into our options for getting paper towels to help with this.

    Reply

  110. I use paper towels for EVERYTHING! They keep my microwave clean by covering food, they keep my floor clean by cleaning doggie paws, they make great bibs, they are much better than napkins on the table . .. the list just goes on and on, with a family of 7.

    Reply

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