By KHYATI DAND
The Staple Pantry Ingredients You Can Use To Wipe Cooking Oil Spills
Since water doesn’t mix well with oil, a damp paper towel alone cannot clean up oil spills. Flour and salt, however, can absorb oil, while baking soda can take care of the rest.
If you throw some salt or flour (regular salt or all-purpose flour will do) on a fresh oil spill, it will quickly absorb the oil and stop the running grease from spreading further.
Scoop out a generous mountain of salt or flour over the oil spill and leave it for a few minutes while also gently pressing down on it so it can absorb as much oil as possible.
Once the salt crisps up or the flour turns into a clump, scrape it all off and wipe the surface. Salt can be mildly abrasive, so it's best to stick to flour when in doubt.
Baking soda, on the other hand, can break down dried, stubborn grease stuck to hard-to-clean surfaces. To start, roughly mix 1 cup of water with every 3 tablespoons of baking soda.
Then, dip a sponge in the mixture and gently rub the grease off. You can also spread the paste over the spill and leave it overnight before wiping it with the help of some vinegar.
However, baking soda can damage certain surfaces. It's best to keep it away from glass, mirrors, gold-plated utensils, marble countertops, aluminum cookware, and ceramic stovetops.