How to Dry Greasy Food When You Run Out of Paper Towels
Fried food is comfort food. But holding on to that freshly fried crunch is a precarious dance as the oil evaporates and lets the food cool on the wire rack without getting soggy before dinner. The usual method is to use half a roll of paper towels to absorb excess oil, but what if your roll just ran out? If you have one of the following trash items, you don’t need paper towels to keep your fried food crispy.
But first: a good material for oiling is something slightly porous, strong enough not to stick to food or break under its weight, and something you’re not afraid to cover with oil. That’s why paper towels are perfect for frying. If you don’t, any unfinished paper products (unwaxed or glossy) that are disposable or used for something else are great candidates for the job. Not only will you not put off your deep-fried food plan, you will also reuse something and cut down on paper towel waste.
Household items that are great for drying fried food
I’m the kind of weirdo who doesn’t use paper towels anymore (except at holiday parties, because a few bottles of wine can ruin us all), but I still fry food. Here’s what I use instead. Paper egg cartons are one of my favorite materials for soaking up excess oil for several reasons. Eggs are my favorite food, and I eat about a dozen eggs a week, so for the occasional apple fritters, I can always reach into the trash can and haul out a couple of boxes. Since it is made from untreated porous paper, the air carton is an ideal impregnation material. Finally, holes! Unlike most other paper products, egg cartons are shaped like little pockets, so these cartons can do double duty depending on what you’re frying. They can soak up dripping oil from multiple points of contact and also serve as a makeshift dryer if you put food across the combs. To make the most of your egg rack, open it up or separate the top from the bottom to use both sides. (Just to be clear: plastic or styrofoam won’t work; discard them.)
Paper grocery bags are often designed to last several lives, like everything from potato planting aids to textbook covers (why was that? Draw?). They are also great for fried food because you can get a lot of healthy surface from one bag. I like to cut the bag at the seams into five boards and use the inside to dry the freshly roasted pieces. Newspapers are just as effective (see: traditional fish and chips ), although they are less commonly used today than in the past.
Cardboard is another member of your degreasing team. The modern day reliance on online ordering means you are no doubt well stocked with cardboard boxes. Other cardboard holders such as pizza boxes and some other takeaway food boxes are also made from paper. As with the paper bag, I cut the box open at the seams and use the inside to drain the oil from the fried food. This is my last choice of the above options as the cardboard isn’t as absorbent as the others and I’m leery of where the boxes were. Obviously don’t use boxes that look visibly worn, use the inside and try not to think too much about it. Pizza boxes are ideal because they’ve already been used for food you trusted, and most cities still won’t let you recycle cardboard that has butter on it (although some will let you compost them). Give it a second life by making it soak up more oil, as they are no longer recyclable anyway.
Tea towels are the best material for drying fried food and can be reused many times. Over the years I’ve acquired a large collection of kitchen and dish towels (my mom obsessively gives them to me), so it’s wise to dedicate two or three to the oil recovery service. (However, if you live in an apartment and the only washing machine is down the street, this isn’t the most practical option.) It’s easy enough: use kitchen towels to soak up excess grease, then wash them with a good amount of soap and white vinegar in the hottest setting. water that you can get, as well as only equally soiled fabrics. Note that kitchen towels are different from kitchen towels – they are usually made from a tight weave, fine cotton, and have no lint, while kitchen towels have looped pile threads and loose fluff. It’s nice and soaks up your hands and utensils well, but may stick to food. Nobody wants fluff on french fries.