The Practical Way To Store Kitchen Towels, According To Martha Stewart

As any kitchen-goer will tell you, trying to store kitchen towels can be an absolute pain. They just never seem to fold right and take up far more than their fair share of space in your kitchen. Trying to tame them usually just results in cluttered, messy drawers that, let's be honest, we're a little scared to even open. Thankfully, there is a better way, and it comes from none other than the queen of the kitchen herself: Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart's towel-folding trick for better storage is simple but shockingly effective. It boils down to three basic steps: First, lay your towel out flat and smooth out any wrinkles. Second, fold it into thirds lengthwise. Finally, fold it in half. With every step, press the towel down flat for maximum effectiveness. Congratulations! You now have compact towels that can fit together in your kitchen drawers with ease. Your only problem now will be figuring out what to do with all your extra storage space.

Even better, this trick isn't just for towels. It works for many textiles in the kitchen and beyond, from oven mitts to the clothes you're wearing. If you apply it elsewhere, you can open up your whole house with storage that you never thought was possible. Just don't forget to thank Ms. Stewart while you're at it.

Martha Stewart has another nugget of design wisdom that can majorly upgrade your kitchen storage, though this one is a bit more involved. Martha Stewart's secret for increasing counter space in small kitchens is additional shelving installed below your cabinets. Shelving like this is typically placed 18 inches above the counters, but to avoid them getting in your way, she recommends 22 inches instead. With these slightly higher shelves, you can keep clutter off your counters and leave them clear and clean.

That's not all. If you love cast iron cookware, you likely know the pain of seasoning it. But that can be a thing of the past thanks to Martha Stewart's lessons on seasoning cast iron with Crisco. Just wash your cast iron pan, rub in the Crisco, and bake in an oven at 350 degrees for two hours on a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Your cast iron will come out of the oven perfectly seasoned.

But of course, Martha Stewart is known for far more than kitchen hacks. She's made her fame with cooking and thus has oodles of tips for turning your meals gourmet within the comfort of your own home. For example, Martha Stewart's secret ingredient for banana bread is sour cream as a substitute for butter. It adds a tangy flavor that works as a fantastic complement to the sweetness of the bananas, and its fats and proteins help the bread form and keep its structure to boot.