Earlier this week, we talked about coffee made in a French press and on the stovetop, as opposed to running it through a drip machine or cone with a paper filter.

While coffee filters inhibit some richness and flavor, they also reduce the fat and acid content of your coffee and prevent the cholesterol-stimulating substances cafestol and kahweol from getting through to your cup.

And they’ve got a ton of other uses in and outside the kitchen—great to know if you’ve bought a pack of the wrong size or shape.

The type of paper used to make coffee filters is a lot like that used for women’s blotting paper—in fact, they’re rumored to have been originated from a woman lining the bottom of a punctured brass pot with some of her blotting paper.

Along with using them to pat oil from your face, you can also take them to the gym or on the run as disposable kerchiefs.

They also make great mini-paper towels. You can use them instead to line a plate of French fries or bacon, as they’ll quickly absorb extra grease.

Since they don’t leave behind any lint, they make great cleaning cloths, as well.

Here are a few other uses I found:

• Use them to keep cover your dish and keep it from splattering in the microwave

• Poke a hole through the middle and stick your Popsicle stick through it to catch any drips—a great idea for kids!

• If you’ve accidentally plopped the cork into your wine bottle, pour it through a coffee filter to strain the bits out

• Place them on top of your kitchen scale to weigh chopped or moist ingredients

• Gather up loose tea leaves and fasten with string in lieu of a tea ball

• Make a bouquet garni—tie whole spices or bay leaves up in a coffee filter when making soup or sauce and you can snatch them out quick-and-easy at the end.

Sources:
Chrisjob. (n.d.). 15 Alternative uses for coffee filters. Curbly. Retrieved from http://www.curbly.com/chrisjob/posts/2261-15-alternative-uses-for-coffee-filters

Mike. (n.d.). 24 Uses for coffee filters. Daily Shot of Coffee. Retrieved from http://dailyshotofcoffee.com/24-uses-for-coffee-filters/