A couple of months ago I spent a great deal of time looking into a sustainable alternative to the paper towel. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I wanted to be sure whatever I would use wouldn't end up in a landfill. I used to think that paper towels degraded in the landfill but since it is anaerobic, nothing degrades in a landfill. I learned that anything 100% cotton can be composted. We were already composting our paper towels but it really isn't a sustainable practice and paper towels come wrapped in plastic and cutting out plastic is imperative. On Amazon, I found 100% cotton shop towels (12 x 14 inches) in a 100 pack for only $22.99. I ordered them and I'll be honest, they shrunk and they don't look great BUT they do the job and it's no trouble to toss them in with my whites when I do laundry. I had two big apothecary jars that were not in use, so I rolled up the amazing UN-paper towels and they look pretty good. The kids love them and they have readily embraced this change. I do keep a roll of paper towels for the rare occasions in which we make bacon but then I compost it, even though some people say you can't.
Bacon is a almost daily staple at our house, it is what the DH uses to show new foster dogs that men are ok, despite what they learned in their puppy mill history. I say this because we are a paper towel free bacon obsessed family. Set the oven to 375, lay all the bacon that you can possibly fit onto a baking sheet, bake until your desired crispness. Drain the fat off the pan into the storage device of your choosing and into the fridge it goes! I use bacon fat (or butter) in place of packaged in plastic vegetable oil for just about anything, morning eggs being the best, of course! And it sits in the back of the fridge, unchanged, for who knows how long, waiting patiently for you to use it so nothing goes to waste.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and great idea! We bake our bacon also but I've never thought of using the "drippings" for anything. You have given me some food for thought. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOnce you fry or scramble your eggs in bacon fat, pancakes or waffles too, butter will be dead to you! Bacon fat is the gentrification of butter. :D
Deletehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/cooking-with-bacon-fat
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/collections/slideshow/15-bacon-fat-recipes-cornbread-cabbage-cookies
Dear Crazy Little White Dog Lady, you are cracking me up! I love the word 'gentrification' but so infrequently get to use it. Love your comments 💕
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