Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <frying>
Title: Using a paper towel as a splatter shield: Great idea or terrible accident waiting to happen?
Question: I recently watched a friend cooking, and he used a paper towel as a splatter shield:    This seems like a very convenient solution, since you can just throw away the paper towel afterwards, as opposed to conventional splatter shields, which are a nuisance to clean.  Is it safe to do that, or will the paper catch fire (or are there any other hazards that I did not think of)? I tried to research the burning point of paper towels, but I failed to find a reliable source...

Answers:
sents: text: This definitely falls into the category of an accident waiting to happen.
text: No flammable materials should ever be used in this manner.
text: Not only is there the danger of the paper catching fire from a heating element or flame, there is also the risk of it catching fire from a pan fire (and consequently making that situation worse).
text: However, if you want something disposable, a foil sheet works and won't catch fire.
text: Additionally, if you want it vented so steam can escape, you can poke small holes in the foil.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/26180/Cindy
score: 40
sents: text: I can't see what kind of heater this is.
text: If it is induction, there is no problem.
text: You can even keep the paper between heater and pan.
text: It can char a bit there, but unless you are keeping your pan very hot, it works well and won't catch fire.
text: On top of the pan, it is even safer.
text: If this is a resistive stove, then it is a bad idea.
text: The grease soaked paper might touch the burner like Chris Bergin said, and catch fire.
text: Had it been gas, it would have been even worse.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4638/rumtscho
score: 10
sents: text: I recommend you use the lid instead.
text: I think is way better and safer to use it instead of some paper.
text: The only way to use a paper towel safely could be on an induction oven, but i still consider better to use a lid, maybe shifting it a little if you want to avoid completely closing the pan.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/49579/JustPassingBy
score: 5
sents: text: I believe it is difficult for anyone to accurately quantify what is safe for you .
text: Please allow me to explain my view:
text: I use razor sharp Japanese knives.
text: Most people that I cook for, or that watch me cook, comment on how those can't be safe.
text: I made the switch over 10 years ago, and so far, I still have all my digits.
text: I have shaved some skin off my knuckles ( yum! ), but I haven't made it through enough flesh to seriously bleed or hit bone (yet).
text: And for larger dinners with friends I will drink - a lot - when I cook.
text: Yay me!
text: Still, I think this practice is perfectly safe for me .
text: Just as I find frying with oil in large, open cast iron skillets to be perfectly safe for me .
text: So with that said, I recently (in the past year or so) have started using this method of covering a skillet with paper towel while I fry bacon.
text: I don't get the pan hot enough for the paper to combust, and I typically use a high-wall 10" or 12" skillet, which keeps the paper well away from the burner's flame.
text: I prefer this to the other forms of splatter reduction, including: Using a Standard Lid.
text: Way, way too much steam buildup, which brings water into the pan of grease for a very unhappy tim (even if the lid is left "cracked" on the pan to allow most the steam to escape).
text: Using a Mesh Splatter Guard.
text: These work ok, but have two main drawbacks: 1) if you don't own several sizes to match your pan sizes, they can be cumbersome; and 2)
text: they are more of a pain to clean (especially when compared to just throwing away a paper towel).
text: Microwaving Bacon.
text: It comes out ok, but it's just not the same.
text: I get such a better crunch and variance in consistency when frying bacon (especially in cast iron).
text: Not Eating Bacon .
text: This is just not an option .
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4332/ibcj
score: 3
sents: text: I love combining paper with fire when making a campfire or lighting a fireplace but highly do not recommend using paper as a 'lid' or Splatter Guard when cooking.
text: Besides possibly catching fire, the paper towel could also become 'steam-soaked' and sink into the food being fried.
text: Removing a hot oil-soaked paper towel would not be 'finger friendly' and could also drip onto a heating element or into a gas flame.
text: Because I have several frying pans that don't have lids, I simply tear off a sheet of Aluminum Foil that's large enough to lay fully over the pan...but leaving one or two side edges lifted a little higher so steam can escape without burning you or adding water to the oil.
text: This has worked well for me when frying up bacon and eggs, chicken, seafood, French fries, onion rings, etc.
text: Clean up is a breeze, too, since you just throw the 'lid' out when done. :)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/49927/Muriel Katz
score: 2

Summary of the answers:
This is dangerous as it could catch fire from a heating element, flame or pan fire, and is especially risky with a resistive stove. It could also soak up steam and sink into the food being fried. A lid would be much safer, and an improvised option could be an aluminium foil cover with space for steam to escape.
Paper is not generally considered a suitable material for use as a spatter screen unless you are cooking on an induction hob, even then a lid is a better option. A disposable option is to use aluminum foil.