2m read

11,285

The Best Matchstick Alternative Is Hiding in Your Pantry

Safety is the most important consideration when lighting a candle. While matches may be the quickest way to ignite the wick, they can burn your fingers if you don’t act fast. Lighters — especially wand lighters — are a great alternative but aren’t always effective when lighting a hard-to-reach wick. The solution to this problem is hiding somewhere you’d probably never expect: your pantry.

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Safety is the most important consideration when lighting a candle. While matches may be the quickest way to ignite the wick, they can burn your fingers if you don’t act fast. Lighters — especially wand lighters — are a great alternative but aren’t always effective when lighting a hard-to-reach wick. The solution to this problem…

Spaghetti as a Matchstick Alternative

If a candle wick is hard to reach with a match or lighter, you can use a dried spaghetti noodle to light it. Spaghetti noodles are almost as thin as a match, and they ignite quickly and burn steadily. This is because they are low in moisture and contain combustible starches.

Simply touch the tip of the noodle to a flame source, then use it to light the candle wick. The length of a spaghetti noodle makes it great not just for deep-seated and hard-to-reach candles (looking at you, hurricanes), but also for lighting birthday candles in one go, since it burns much longer than a traditional matchstick.

In Case of Emergency

Dried spaghetti noodles are also worth adding to your home’s emergency kit. Beyond lighting candles during a power outage, they can be used to safely ignite a gas stove burner or get a fire going in your fireplace. To create a DIY fire starter, bundle 10 to 15 dried spaghetti noodles with a piece of string. Carefully ignite one end of the bundle and place it directly under your tinder. The flames should spread as the spaghetti slowly burns. While this isn’t the most effective fire starter — dryer lint and petroleum jelly-soaked cotton balls are much better options — it might work in a pinch.

Cleaning

3m read

21,371

Stop Using the Quick Wash Cycle for This Type of Laundry

The advent and evolution of washing machines has revolutionized housework by saving us valuable time. But many machines have an even bigger time-saver built right into their settings: the quick wash cycle. It can save you hours on washing — and a bit of money on your water bill — but its effectiveness depends on what you toss inside the drum.

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The advent and evolution of washing machines has revolutionized housework by saving us valuable time. But many machines have an even bigger time-saver built right into their settings: the quick wash cycle. It can save you hours on washing — and a bit of money on your water bill — but its effectiveness depends on what…

Why Quick Wash Doesn’t Work for Heavily Soiled Clothing

The quick wash cycle shouldn’t be used for every load of laundry because it isn’t designed to clean heavily soiled clothes as thoroughly as longer cycles. It uses less water, often at a colder temperature, and features a shorter soak time. If you have set-in stains or odors you need to remove, it’s best to launder these items on a longer setting.

The quick wash cycle also agitates clothing less due to its shorter running time. This makes it ineffective for cleaning bulky items, which require more time for water and detergent to penetrate their thick fabrics. The quick wash cycle uses faster spin speeds to extract more water, but this can damage delicate or embellished fabrics and cause wrinkling or pilling.

What Can I Safely Clean Using Quick Wash?

The quick wash cycle is best used to clean small, lightly soiled loads — think items you wear only around the house, the sweatshirt you throw on occasionally to keep warm in the evenings, or hand towels from the guest bathroom. Sticking to small loads is key. Because of the reduced water, agitation, and time, a quick wash cycle can’t thoroughly clean large loads and may leave detergent residue behind.

How To Clean Clothes Quickly

If you are going to quickly wash something that could use a little more care, you can pretreat stains and odors to make the cycle more successful. OxiClean Max Force stain remover spray is enzyme-based and can be applied to stains up to seven days before laundering. To combat stubborn odors, use a product like OxiClean Odor Blasters as a presoak before washing.

You can also purchase low-sudsing or fast-dissolving laundry detergents that are recommended for shorter cycles. Heritage Park makes several detergents formulated for quick wash cycles, and ARM & HAMMER Power Sheets are designed to fully dissolve in two to five minutes, regardless of the water temperature.

Home Improvement

3m read

23,472

Prevent Pooling Water on Mugs in the Dishwasher

Aside from the wheel and the printing press, the dishwasher may be humankind’s most wondrous invention. But for all its time-saving benefits, this appliance has one major drawback: the little water puddles that form inside the curved bottoms of cups and other concave dishware. However, there’s an easy way to overcome this problem, and all you have to do is make a slight adjustment to the appliance itself.

Aside from the wheel and the printing press, the dishwasher may be humankind’s most wondrous invention. But for all its time-saving benefits, this appliance has one major drawback: the little water puddles that form inside the curved bottoms of cups and other concave dishware. However, there’s an easy way to overcome this problem, and all…

What’s the Angle?

Water pools in the bottoms of cups and other dishes when the dishwasher rack is completely flat. But if you were to tilt the top rack, the water would stream off, leaving your dishes puddle-free. Thankfully, there’s an easy way to do just that.

Many modern dishwashers allow you to adjust the height of the top rack to fit taller items, such as wine glasses and water bottles. Conveniently, this feature doubles as an effective way to create a slope for drainage. While you can lower or raise the entire top rack to keep it flat, some models let you adjust just one side to form an angle.

On most dishwashers with this capability, there are adjustment levers on either side of the top rack. If you press those levers inward, it unlocks the rack and allows you to adjust its height.

Move the entire top rack into the highest position that still accommodates your tallest dishware. Then, press just one of the levers and lower that side to create the slope needed for water to drain.

No Adjustment Levers? No Problem

If your dishwasher lacks this capability, you can prevent puddles by positioning your items on a slant. In most dishwasher models, the outer edges of the top rack feature a gentle slope specifically designed to hold glasses and mugs. For other items, use the tines to your advantage so they rest on an angle, rather than lying flat.

Another tip is to avoid unloading the dishes immediately after the wash cycle finishes. Instead, open up the door so steam can escape and condensation can start to evaporate. While this won’t necessarily help with large puddles of water, it gives smaller amounts more time to evaporate before you empty the dishwasher hours later.

Organizing

5m read

36,252

What Thrift Stores Wish You’d Stop Donating

Donating your gently used belongings to a thrift store is a win-win: You clear out clutter from your home while helping people in your community access affordable essentials. However, not everything sitting in your closet or garage belongs in the donation pile. Some items create more work, more expenses, and more headaches for the store than they’re worth. Before your next donation drop-off, make sure to leave these items at home.

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Donating your gently used belongings to a thrift store is a win-win: You clear out clutter from your home while helping people in your community access affordable essentials. However, not everything sitting in your closet or garage belongs in the donation pile. Some items create more work, more expenses, and more headaches for the store…

1. Worn-Out, Stained, or Damaged Clothing

Thrift stores receive mountains of clothing, and a surprising amount never makes it to the sales floor. Stained shirts and jeans with blown-out knees end up being discarded, and so do pilled sweaters and anything with a jammed zipper. Odors are just as problematic:. Clothing that smells strongly of cigarette smoke, mildew, or pets is a no-go for reselling. Staff members still have to inspect all of these items, though, which takes valuable time and resources.

“One of the most common misconceptions is that any clothing item can have a second life simply because it’s being donated,” says Chad Olson, chief operating officer of Clothes Mentor, a franchise business selling secondhand women’s clothing. “In reality, garments with significant stains, excessive pilling, stretched fabrics, broken zippers, or other major damage often have little demand and can create additional sorting and disposal costs.”

If you’re looking to part with clothing that can’t be donated, consider bringing your items to a local clothing recycling program. H&M has recycling boxes in all of its retail locations, and there are many mail-in recycling services, such as Trashie and Retold Recycling, that will accept not only clothing but sheets, towels, curtains, shoes, fabric scraps, and more.

Credit: © Анатолий Тушенцов—iStock/Getty Images

2. Used Car Seats and Strollers

Your intention may be pure in donating a car seat or stroller. After all, these items are expensive to buy new, so donating them could help a family save money. Unfortunately, most thrift stores won’t accept used car seats or strollers — and for good reason.

According to Samantha Rich, Goodwill’s executive vice president of donated goods and retail, safety concerns are the biggest issue. A thrift store has no way of knowing whether a car seat has been involved in an accident, has missing parts, or has been recalled by the manufacturer. Many people don’t realize that car seats also have expiration dates. If you need to get rid of one, check for manufacturer recycling programs, trade-in events, or local organizations that specifically assist families with children’s equipment.

Credit: © Dreamer Company–iStock/Getty Images

3. Mattresses

Used mattresses are a hard no at most thrift stores, regardless of condition. The reasons are straightforward: hygiene concerns, the risk of bed bugs, and state regulations that often prohibit the resale of used mattresses altogether. Instead, look for local mattress recycling programs, bulk-item pickup services, or manufacturer take-back options.

4. Out-of-Season Items

Timing matters more than you might think. Donating a pile of winter coats in July or a bunch of swimsuits in December creates storage challenges for already-crowded donation centers. “Seasonal items tend to have the greatest impact when they’re donated ahead of or during the season when demand is highest,” Olson says.

5. Large, Broken Furniture

Furniture in good condition is often highly sought after. Furniture that is damaged or requires significant repairs is another story. Rich explains that such items take up significant floor space, are expensive and labor-intensive to move, and are simply unsellable. Upholstered items also carry a bed bug risk similar to mattresses.

6. Hazardous Materials

Paint, cleaning products, automotive fluids, propane tanks, and ammunition should never be dropped at a thrift store. These items require special handling and disposal, none of which a donation center is equipped to provide, and can create safety risks for employees. Check with your municipality for hazardous waste drop-off events or disposal guidelines.

7. Opened Cosmetics and Personal Care Products

That half-empty bottle of foundation or a barely used tube of lipstick may seem too good to throw away, but it shouldn’t be donated. Once cosmetics and personal care products have been opened, they can harbor bacteria and become unsanitary for the next user, Rich says. Most thrift stores cannot legally or safely resell them, which means they’ll likely end up in the trash.

8. Fast Fashion That’s Already Faded

Not all clothes are built to last. Low-quality pieces that have lost their shape or fabric integrity after only a season or two don’t have much of a resale future. Olson notes that shoppers are increasingly seeking out quality brands and well-maintained pieces that retain their value, rather than bargain-bin items already past their prime.

A good rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t buy it at a thrift store, don’t donate it. A little extra scrutiny goes a long way for the stores that have to sort through it all.

Cleaning

5m read

10,948

Your Grandparents’ Best Cleaning Hacks

Long before there were color-coded cleaning supplies, robot vacuums, and TikTok videos explaining how to deep-clean your grout with a toothbrush, people kept their homes spotless with whatever they had on hand. Fortunately, many of their cleaning tricks still hold up today.

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Long before there were color-coded cleaning supplies, robot vacuums, and TikTok videos explaining how to deep-clean your grout with a toothbrush, people kept their homes spotless with whatever they had on hand. Fortunately, many of their cleaning tricks still hold up today.

Sure, some old-school advice belongs firmly in the past — we’re looking at you, carpet-raking contraptions and questionable uses for kerosene — but many of your grandparents’ favorite cleaning methods are still surprisingly effective, affordable, and invitingly simple.

It turns out, you don’t always need a cabinet full of specialty products to make your house feel clean. Sometimes all you need is vinegar, baking soda, a little patience, and the kind of practical wisdom that came from cleaning houses before the internet age.

Here are some of the best old-fashioned cleaning hacks that still work today.

Baking Soda for Almost Everything

If your grandmother had a box of baking soda in the fridge, another under the sink, and possibly one floating around the laundry room, she knew what she was doing.

All these years later, baking soda is still one of the most versatile cleaning tools you can own. It naturally absorbs odors, gently scrubs surfaces, and helps loosen grime without harsh chemicals. Sprinkle it inside sneakers, trash cans, or musty drawers to help neutralize smells. Mix it with water to form a paste for scrubbing sinks, tubs, pots and pans, and most cooktops.

It’s also one of the easiest ways to soften fabrics and brighten whites on laundry day. The method is simple: Sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda into the wash drum, fill the dispenser with detergent, then add your clothes and launder as usual.

Distilled White Vinegar for Buildup

There’s a reason vinegar has survived every cleaning trend cycle — it works.

Distilled white vinegar cuts through grease, dissolves mineral buildup, and helps clean glass without leaving streaks behind. People have been using it since long before anyone started pouring it into aesthetic glass spray bottles for social media.

A mix of equal parts distilled white vinegar and water makes an excellent all-purpose cleaner for windows, mirrors, and some kitchen surfaces. Vinegar is especially helpful for hard-water stains around faucets and showerheads.

The smell fades quickly, even if it initially makes your kitchen smell like a pickle jar exploded.

Lemon Juice for Brightening

Lemons have long been kept on hand for more than just cooking. Lemon juice contains citric acid, which makes it surprisingly effective at handling soap scum, reducing discoloration on plastic food storage containers, and removing rust rings on nonporous surfaces.

Half a lemon dipped in coarse salt can scrub a wooden or plastic cutting board clean and leave it smelling fresh. You might remember your grandma mixing lemon juice with water to work as a gentle bleaching agent for white fabrics. This still works, especially if they’re left in the sun for a natural brightening effect.

Salt for Scrubbing and Spills

Your grandmother knew salt wasn’t just for cooking — it’s also a handy cleaning tool. Coarse kosher salt works as a mild abrasive for scrubbing stuck-on messes from cast-iron pans, cutting boards, and stained mugs. Combined with lemon juice, it can help tackle discoloration on wooden surfaces and copper cookware.

Another especially useful old-school trick that still holds up today is sprinkling salt on fresh spills. Salt helps absorb liquids before they spread further into carpets or upholstery, and you can just sweep or vacuum it up afterward.

Credit: © Iryna Kharkova—iStock/Getty Images

A Clothesline for Laundry

While many people rely entirely on dryers nowadays, Grandma wasn’t wrong about line-drying clothes whenever possible.

Air-drying helps your garments last longer because it reduces wear from heat and tumbling. It can also preserve elasticity and prevent shrinking, not to mention help save money on electricity. Even hanging clothes indoors on a drying rack can extend the life of your favorite pieces.

Credit: © Oscar Wong—Moment/Getty Images

Boiling Water for Cookware and Gardening

In the past, people frequently used boiling water to clean drains, loosen grime, and sanitize kitchen cloths. While pouring boiling water down drains to clear grease buildup is no longer recommended — it can damage PVC pipes and push clogs deeper into the plumbing — it can be used to clean scorched cookware, remove candle wax from jars, and kill weeds naturally.

The Best Cleaning Hacks Were Always About Simplicity

Many of these old-school cleaning tricks still work because dirt, grease, stains, and odors haven’t changed all that much over the years. The marketing and packaging have evolved, but the fundamentals remain the same.

Food & Drink

3m read

49,650

Why Chefs Put Vinegar in Their Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs are one of the most basic dishes imaginable, and one of the first things many of us learn how to cook. Preparing them is much easier than flipping an omelette, or trying to nail a perfect poached egg. There are various ways to make scrambled eggs, from stirring them directly in the pan to whisking them in a bowl first — with or without a splash of milk or cream. But many chefs add an ingredient to their scrambled eggs that you wouldn’t expect: vinegar. Here’s why you should sprinkle a few drops of this acidic additive into your next batch.

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Scrambled eggs are one of the most basic dishes imaginable, and one of the first things many of us learn how to cook. Preparing them is much easier than flipping an omelette, or trying to nail a perfect poached egg. There are various ways to make scrambled eggs, from stirring them directly in the pan…

It’s All About the Acidity

If you like to bake, you’ve likely whipped eggs at some point to create an airy sponge cake or to top a pie with a mountain of white meringue. When you do, the recipe often prompts you to add a few drops of lemon juice or a pinch of cream of tartar (powdered tartaric acid) to the mixing bowl. The acidity helps the protein molecules in the egg whites unwind, or denature, making it easier to whip them into a light, fluffy consistency. (Bringing the eggs to room temperature speeds up this process as well.)

The same principle comes into play when you use vinegar in your scrambled eggs. A few drops — approximately 1 teaspoon for every two to four eggs — of apple cider vinegar or a mild wine vinegar helps loosen the proteins as you whisk, making the cooked eggs fluffier and softer on your palate. (If you hate rubbery scrambled eggs, this is the tip you’ve been waiting for.) Vinegar gives the finished eggs a creamy texture, but without the added calories and saturated fat that come from cream. Any acidic ingredient will do the trick, including lemon or lime juice, or a smidge of buttermilk or plain yogurt.

There’s a Bonus Benefit

There’s a second reason you might want to add some acidity to your scrambled eggs, apart from improving texture. Eggs are naturally rich due to their fatty yolks, and even more so when cooked with cream or cheese. When they’re fully cooked, adding a few drops of bright acidity helps liven up your scrambled eggs, making them even tastier.

Adding a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to cooked eggs does wonders for them, while a sprinkle of finely grated zest elevates the dish even further. Salsa works similarly — think of huevos rancheros — or you can update the same basic idea by using kimchi instead. However you go about it, it will revolutionize your breakfasts and brunches.

Decorating

3m read

7,777

How To Make Cheap Art Look Expensive Without Spending a Dime

You don’t need an original Slim Aarons photograph to make your home’s art feel special. In fact, one of the easiest ways to elevate an everyday piece — whether it’s a thrift store find, a framed print, or a family photo — costs nothing at all. It comes down to placement and light.

Museums and galleries have used this trick since the late 19th century, when light bulbs were first introduced. Today, their walls are rigged with carefully aimed track lighting, transforming even a seemingly unremarkable piece into a captivating focal point. You can replicate this effect at home simply by being deliberate about where you hang things.

How To Light Cheap Art So It Looks Expensive

Most people choose art placement based on empty wall space, but designers tend to work the other way around, considering how a piece will be seen throughout the day and after sundown. When art hangs in a poorly lit corner, colors look duller, details disappear, and the piece recedes into the background.

Move it into the path of an existing light source — a table lamp, sconce, or floor lamp — and the opposite happens. The frame catches the light, colors appear richer, and even a $20 print can feel like it was hung by a gallery curator.

How To Find Your Best Hanging Spots

Start by turning on every lamp and overhead light in the room, then switch them off one at a time while watching the walls. Notice which lights cast a warm pool of light and where. Those are your prime hanging spots. A lamp on a console or side table makes the wall directly above it a natural place for art. A sconce creates a ready-made frame. A floor lamp angled toward a corner can turn that space into a focal point.

One more thing worth testing is how the room looks after dark. A picture that appears perfectly positioned at noon may feel camouflaged after dark, so if you spend most of your time in a room during the evening, conduct your placement test at night. Once you’ve found your spot, hang the artwork so its center sits at eye level — generally 57 to 60 inches from the floor — within the light’s range.

Gardening

3m read

22,701

You’re Watering Your Garden Wrong (and Wasting Water)

When you picture someone watering their garden, they’re probably standing among their beds with a garden hose in hand. Watering this way is pretty straightforward, but it’s also time-consuming, so many people opt for a sprinkler system instead. Truthfully, neither of these methods is great for your plants. (There’s a reason it’s called a lawn sprinkler, after all.) Not only is watering from above not the best way to hydrate your delicate plants, but it’s also needlessly wasteful. Here’s what you should be doing instead, and why.

All featured products and deals are selected independently and objectively by the author. House Outlook may receive a share of sales via affiliate links in content.

When you picture someone watering their garden, they’re probably standing among their beds with a garden hose in hand. Watering this way is pretty straightforward, but it’s also time-consuming, so many people opt for a sprinkler system instead. Truthfully, neither of these methods is great for your plants. (There’s a reason it’s called a lawn…

Water the Roots, Not the Leaves

The fact of the matter is that plants drink through their roots, not their leaves, so your watering should take place at the soil level. If you sprinkle water from above like rainfall, it makes the leaves wet and you lose much of that moisture to evaporation. And if you’re not careful with the hose, a direct stream of water can physically damage fragile plants and fruit. Watering at ground level, on the other hand, sends the water directly into the soil, where it’s immediately accessible to your plants’ roots.

Your best bet is to use drip irrigation, which, for home gardeners, typically means a soaker hose. The water seeps into the soil slowly — even when it’s baked-dry — rather than running along the surface and draining away. If you water for long enough, moisture sinks deep into the soil where it encourages root growth. Down there, water is protected from the hot sun and won’t evaporate as quickly. Adding a layer of mulch provides an extra shield against heat and drought.

Wet Leaves Make Unhealthy Plants

Aside from hydrating your plants more effectively and saving on your water bill, soil-level drip irrigation makes for healthier plants. Moisture on the leaves creates a nurturing environment for bacteria and mold spores, especially in closely packed beds or humid climates. Consequently, watering plants from above raises the risk of disease in your garden.

There’s also a modest risk of sunlight refracting through water droplets and scorching fuzzy or hairy leaves, causing burn spots.

More Watering Tips

• Water deeply, but occasionally. A thorough watering once a week is better than light waterings every couple of days, because it encourages deep root growth.

• Water in the evening or early morning. That gives the water plenty of time to soak in and minimizes evaporation from the hot midday sun.

• If you live in an especially dry climate or somewhere water is expensive, consider using an olla every 2 to 3 feet throughout your garden beds to keep the soil moist.

Cleaning

3m read

51,177

The Best Stain Remover Is in Your Bathroom Cabinet

There’s no headache like the one caused by a stubborn stain on your favorite T-shirt. Stains are frustrating not only because most of them refuse to budge, but also because they require specialized removal methods depending on the culprit. If you’ve found yourself face-to-face with a stain that won’t lift, no matter how hard you scrub, your medicine cabinet might hold the solution.

All featured products and deals are selected independently and objectively by the author. House Outlook may receive a share of sales via affiliate links in content.

There’s no headache like the one caused by a stubborn stain on your favorite T-shirt. Stains are frustrating not only because most of them refuse to budge, but also because they require specialized removal methods depending on the culprit. If you’ve found yourself face-to-face with a stain that won’t lift, no matter how hard you…

A Powerful (and Affordable) Stain Remover

You might think to reach for baking soda and vinegar, but as it turns out, hydrogen peroxide is one of the best stain removers for protein- and plant-based blemishes. A bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide costs under $5 and can be used to treat all kinds of pesky stains, including blood, sweat, urine, vomit, tea, grass, and tomato sauce.

Peroxide can also erase stubborn stains from wine and coffee, and it even works on mold, mildew, and mineral deposits (including the unsightly ring that always forms in your toilet bowl), so you can replace expensive bathroom cleaners with it.

In addition to its stain-removing capabilities, hydrogen peroxide is deodorizing. Use it to remove the B.O. stench from athletic gear, treat musty-smelling towels, or get odors out of pet bedding.

Hydrogen Peroxide Tips and Tricks

Keep in mind that 3% hydrogen peroxide is a mild oxidizer, so you should always use it with caution. By stealing electrons from other molecules, hydrogen peroxide deftly destroys viruses and bacteria, but it also breaks down dye pigments. This causes certain fabrics treated with the chemical to fade or change color. It should therefore not be used on colorful or delicate fabrics (silk and wool particularly), leather, wood finishes, natural stone, grout, or metal. However, durable, dye-stable fabrics such as cotton, linen, and synthetic blends tend to hold up well to the treatment.

Before applying hydrogen peroxide to a stain, conduct a 15-minute spot test on a hidden area of the fabric or surface. Once you’ve confirmed that it’s OK to proceed, spray or dab 3% hydrogen peroxide onto the stain, wait five to 10 minutes, then rinse the item in cold water before laundering as usual.

While you can safely mix hydrogen peroxide with dish soap and baking soda to concoct a powerful DIY stain remover, combining it with vinegar creates peracetic acid, which can cause serious health issues and even result in fire or explosion. Similarly, you should never mix it with bleach or ammonia; the former causes a dangerous chemical reaction, while the latter produces toxic fumes.

Food & Drink

3m read

32,628

The 5-Second Step You’re Skipping for a Restaurant-Quality Steak

A good steak, cooked just right, is a wonderful thing. Whether you prefer classic cuts such as ribeye, sirloin, or strip steak, or something trendy like skirt steak or picanha, it’s all mouthwateringly delicious. And the internet is teeming with advice on how to cook your own restaurant-quality steaks at home. Admittedly, some of that advice is conflicting or substandard, but with a bit of experimentation you’ll quickly figure out what works for you. One of the most effective ways to refine your steak-making technique takes just five seconds, no special equipment or advance preparation necessary.

A good steak, cooked just right, is a wonderful thing. Whether you prefer classic cuts such as ribeye, sirloin, or strip steak, or something trendy like skirt steak or picanha, it’s all mouthwateringly delicious. And the internet is teeming with advice on how to cook your own restaurant-quality steaks at home. Admittedly, some of that…

Pat Your Way to Perfection

Before you start cooking, remove the steak from its packaging, drain the excess juices, and place it on a clean cutting board lined with a few paper towels. Take a new paper towel and press it firmly into the surface of the meat, targeting the top and edges. Then, flip the steak over and repeat the process on the other side to soak up any moisture.

As deceptively simple as it sounds, this is a powerful technique. What sets restaurant steaks apart is largely the chef’s ability to get a perfect, evenly browned sear on the beef. Steak houses do that on high-powered gas grills, but fine-dining establishments are equally adept at crafting a beautiful steak in just a skillet. Drying the surface of the meat before cooking it isn’t the only thing that goes into a restaurant-quality steak, of course, but it’s a great starting point.

You also need high heat to brown the beef effectively, creating bold, rich new flavors through what’s called the Maillard reaction. During this process, the amino acid molecules in the meat’s protein and the glycogen molecules (these are made of natural sugars and act as fuel for muscle cells) get broken down by the heat and reassembled into hundreds of new aromatic molecules. That’s where browned meat gets much of its flavor, but — this is the key point — it happens at temperatures significantly higher than the boiling point of water. That’s why drying your beef is so important.

Searing, Not Steaming

If the surface of your steak is still damp from its packaging, wet from salt drawing out the juices, or dripping with marinade, it can’t sear when it hits the pan or grate. Searing has to wait until all of that surface moisture has been converted to steam and evaporated, and steamed meat is not very appealing.

If you take five seconds to blot the steak dry with a paper towel before cooking, it will be ready to sear as soon as it hits the heat. This holds true whether you’re working with a gas grill, charcoal grill, cast-iron pan, or grill pan; no matter the cooking method, the Maillard reaction can’t begin until the surface is devoid of moisture. So keep that roll of paper towels handy, and let your friends wonder how you’ve suddenly leveled up your steak game.

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