I try to limit the use of paper towels in my kitchen, but sometimes having a paper towel around can be really useful.
Here are my top 7 frugal tips on using my kitchen paper towels.
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1. Cleaning
This one is obvious, you just spray some whipit cleaner and wipe down surfaces. But I don’t normally use paper towels for general cleaning, that would be a bit wasteful. I use paper towels for last minute tidy ups or spillages or something like this.
2. Defrosting Bread
I bake a lot of bread at home and because I usually bake once a week, I freeze most of the bread and then take it out of the fridge when I needed.
To prevent the bread becoming damp or soggy when defrosted, I put a double sheet of paper towel in the freezer bag and then put the bread on top.
I freeze the bread and defrost as usual, but as the bread defrosts any frozen ice particles get absorbed into the kitchen towel and I end up with beautiful fresh bread.
Of course, I reuse these the paper towels for cleaning or something like this as they are only damp and it would be waste to just throw them away.
3. COver your food when heating up in Microwave
Use to cover a dish in the microwave to keep splatters from making a mess. This is particularly useful, if you don’t have a purpose made microwave lid or you have different sizes of microwave dishes.
4. Keep Herbs Fresh
I grow my own herbs in my indoor garden and I store herbs loosely wrapped in a paper towel, placed in a zip top bag in the refrigerator.
The paper towels will help absorb excess moisture to keep herbs fresh longer.
5. Soften Hard Brown Sugar
Place a slightly damp paper towel on top of an open container of brown sugar and leave overnight. The next morning it should be soft again!
6. Protect pans and pots
Line insides of clean pans or pots with paper towels before storing in cabinets. They will help absorb any remaining moisture to prevent rusting and keep surfaces from getting scratched by pans you stack on top.
This is particularly useful if you have those non-scratch hard surface frying pans, which seems to collect any scratch going!
7. Strain Grease from meat
I place several paper towels inside a bowl, and put my small colander on top. I pour all the meat in my frying pan inside the colander and the grease drains through to the paper towels.
Lift the colander, shake remaining drips off, and pour meat back into the frying pan to continue cooking or add seasonings. Let the grease cool (not harden) and then toss the paper towels into the trash. Grease is gone!
How do you use paper towels in your home?
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Magdalena
I love the brown sugar tip! Thanks! I always end up throwing it away. Now I won’t!
I use them in the microwave for less splash and messes. I also use them for cleaning easy messes on counters and people!
I’ve always used a piece of bread to soften my brown sugar, but it’s nice to have a gluten-free option. 🙂
Number 5 and 6 are new to me! That’s great; I’ll be trying that out! Thank you!
My husband prefers them to napkins because they are stronger. So many good tips for using paper towels – my favorite it to use to prevent splatters in the microwave.
I use them to cook hot dogs in the microwave. Roll a hot dog in a damp paper towel. Microwave for 45-60 seconds. You hot dog it heated without exploding open. Yes place on a microwave safe plate
There have been some great ideas shared for the use of this product. Thank you so much
We drain fat from cooked ground meat with paper towels also !!!
My favorite and most common use is cleaning.
I love Viva Vantage , we use these paper towels at my Home …..
I also use my paper towels to wrap my delicate Christmas ornaments in
we get teh towel and thinglike that and i all way look for coupon
I use them for cleaning and to put over food in dishes in the microwave to prevent a mess.
My favorite use is number 6. I hadn’t thought about putting them in between my pans to protect them.
My favorite tip is to use a paper towel to cover items in the microwave that might explode or make a mess. For example, if I do not have a lid to cover spaghetti when I am reheating it in the microwave sometimes I put a towel over a bowl to keep sauce from getting everywhere in the microwave.
I mostly use for cleaning and I wrap my green produce in them slightly damp
My favorite is to use them to soften hard brown sugar. I didn’t realize they could be used this way and will definitely be trying this at home.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
keep fresh herbs! perfect for my basil obsession!
Paper towels are a must in my household, most of these ideas I use already, but never thought to use them to store herbs in the fridge! Thanks!
I’ll have to try the brown sugar softening trick. Thanks.
slehan at juno dot com
I have used paper towels to filter coffee.
I use the cardboard tubes as hamster toys.
I use paper towels to cover dishes in the microwave.
slehan at juno dot com
I usually use paper towels, one wet and one dry to clean up after my kitty’s vomit
I use paper towels between my pots & pans.
slehan at juno dot com
I like to use paper towels with a disenfecting cleaner for the stove top and all countertops
I love using them as microwave covers! Which in turn means I don’t have to wash our plastic one as much lol. I haven’t tried Viva yet.
I use it for both the microwave and for the herbs.
slehan at juno dot com
I always use a paper towel to cover food in the microwave too. Avoids a mess.
Strain Grease from meat.
I use them for cleaning and in the microwave to reduce mess and splatters. I also use them instead of napkins or even to pat out extra grease on foods.
I like a baking pastry dish with them to absorb the fats.
I like to use paper towels to clean the bathroom instead of a rag due to all the hair and grime. Using your favorite cleaner with paper towels is the best way to clean and disenfect
8/24/14 daily comment: My favorite is ‘Strain Grease from meat’. I don’t know how I would cook bacon without paper towels. Thanks for sharing!
I use them for all of the things on your list. I try to be as green as possible so I try not to waste paper towels , I do use them to catch and drain grease though I found these ones from Ology that are made from plant based materials ( I know awesome right !!!)
My favorite use is using them to clean windows.
I use paper towels in the microwave to reduce messes
My favorite is ‘Strain Grease from meat’. I don’t know how I would cook bacon without paper towels. Thanks for sharing!
I use paper towels under and over things in the microwave all the time, but I love your idea for softening brown sugar.
Damp paper towels in a wet ziplock bag are wonderful to carry in your purse when taking the grandchildren to the zoo or amusement park, never know what kind of mess you will need to spot clean.
I like the Keep Herbs Fresh idea. I also put one in the bottom of boxed organic lettuce to keep the moisture from making it slimy and spoiled. It lasts a long time that way.
I love using them to clean up messes in the kitchen
Soften Hard Brown Sugar is one of my favorite uses
i love the idea of using paper towels to keep herbs fresh
I use them every morning to warm up my breakfast sandwich in the micro…and to clean of course 😉
My favorite use is cleaning. I use paper towels to clean everyday.
We use alot of paper towels too. It amazing how quick the roll goes once you put a new one out! We use paper towels instead of plates for most food items at snack and sometimes lunchtime.
To warm up a roll, honey bun, etc I wrap it in paper towel and put in microwave with a cup of water. The buns come out warm and soft
I like the- Line insides of clean pans or skillets with paper towels before storing in cabinets. They will help absorb any remaining moisture to prevent rusting and keep surfaces from getting scratched by pans you stack on top
Plastic wrap is supposed to be dangerous to use in the microwave since the chemicals get into your food so using a paper towel to cover a dish while microwaving would be my favorite use. I also like to use it to absorb grease from bacon when microwaving bacon.
I’m involved in animal rescue and have five dogs and three cats of my own (all rescues). I use paper towels in a hundred different ways in connection to the animals. I just used one this morning to clean up a furball one of my cats had, and since we had thunderstorms last night and there was water and mud in our yard, I also used them to clean my dogs’ paws as they came in. They track in a lot of mud if I don’t clean their paws at the door.
I like the microwave for cleaning up spills and splatters. It’s also good for picking up messes on floors or other surfaces.
My husband covers everything he heats in the microwave with a paper towel
I also like to use paper towels to help store freshing washed lettuce in the refrigerator. Wrap in wet towel and place in crisper
I use them to keep herbs fresh.
I’ve been using paper towels as splash guards in the microwave for years.
I always put a paper towel in my closed pitchers and storage containers until I am ready to use them, keeps them fresher, and I love to clean the water spots on my sink with paper towels, keeps them shiny
My favorite tip is the tip to Soften Hard Brown Sugar. I had not idea this would work.
Thank you!
I also use paper towels to keep herbs fresh and for cleaning, especially in the bathrooms where I prefer something disposable.
Germinate seeds for planting or keep seed pod moist- dampen a paper towel, carefully place seed on it and fold paper towel over it. Best to plant as soon as seed has sprouted, or if you find a sprouted seed (in an apple), as soon as possible, within a day or two- keep moist.
I use paper towels instead of napkins.
I use them for cleaning, but I also use them to cover a dish in the microwave. I can’t stand getting food everywhere in the microwave, it really grosses me out when I clean it!
The tip about softening brown sugar seems intetesting. Actually, I’ve been using another method to make it soft again – adding a few drops of water and heating shortly like this: http://www.listonic.com/protips/get/gexmqpqwnx. But I think your way is also worth to give it a try 🙂
I love paper towels for cleaning but also for covering dishes in the microwave so they don’t splatter
I like to use them in my drawers in the refrigerator.