Although I should have bought a proper set of kitchen funnels by now, there are too many things that can be used instead. More often than not it's the top of a soda pop bottle that's been cut off, but since we've tried to eliminate buying such things we've been on the lookout for something new. How about the junk mail?
Even if we've used envelopes in other ways around the house (we'll still attest that they make better dustpans than the real thing), the kitchen isn't really a place we've thought to put them to use. Though the transferring of dry ingredients is probably one of the best things to use this method with, as long as your process is quick, it will probably work well with wet ingredients too!
How do you put old envelopes to work? Do you cut the corners off and make them into book marks? Put them in the recycling? Let us know in the comments below!
(Image: Martha Stewart)
Things Fall Apart: Living Alone in a Space After a Breakup
Juan's Garage Turned Modern Guest House
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Commercial Flour Sa...
10 Picnic-Ready Salads to Eat Outside
Recipe: Thai Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
Agreed -- this is pretty unsanitary...
Agreed that the hygiene here is pretty questionable.
Agreed that the hygiene here is pretty questionable.
I definitely agree with the hygiene comments, but in addition, the inks used in printing the inside of the envelope aren't always non-toxic either.
I can't say that I'd be too worried about the hygiene. I figure there are dirtier things that food touches...like the great outdoors it was grown in. But then I have a set of funnels. ;)
My number one use for junk mail envelopes is for my grocery shopping list. I don't use many coupons, so the few I keep on hand go into a "fresh" envelope where I jot down my list. When I go to toss the old list, I switch the coupons to another envelope and repeat. A stack of envelopes sits in my pantry just for this purpose.
As long as you're not turning the envelopes inside out to use as funnels, you're probably pretty safe.
please someone take away AOOFOFO's priviledges...very annoying to see blatent advertising where it doesn't belong
I'm sorry, but that is absolutely repugnant. Just think of all the germs, chemicals (going through greasy processing machines, possibly being contaminated with chemicals), saliva (if the envelope was spit-sealed), etc.
I'm all for cutting down, recycling, etc. but what is with the over-the-top, free of common sense, almost militant "green" hippy crap? You can cut down on waste without being a martyr for the cause...
Funny how many posters are up in arms about this idea when it originally comes from Martha Stewart. Did any go to her site and scold her about hygiene issues? :D
I often take a page out of the middle of a magazine to use as a make shift funnel for sugar. My turbinado grains won't filter thru my small funnel and this is the perfect trip. I hadn't much thought of germs but hey, I don't think the mail man was licking page 27 of the Pendleton catalog I never signed up for.
Ha! I wonder if I could repurpose envelopes for my fruit fly traps: http://www.food.com/recipe/fruit-fly-gnat-trap-187531
Funny how many posters are up in arms about this idea when it originally comes from Martha Stewart. Did any go to her site and scold her about hygiene issues? :D
posted by eclectorama
I would, but I'm not exactly a fan of hers. Besides, it doesn't matter who says something, the source doesn't magically change how gross the idea is.
I definitely would not use the envelopes for liquids. Dry ingredients.... eh. I usually use a flexible cutting board for just about everything like this.
I would be less concerned with industrial contamination especially from a company producing envelopes (grease, dirt from processing) vs human contamination (people touching it, laying on the counter, etc). Grease and dirt are just that. No nutritional value but generally won't do anything to you whereas human contamination is more likely to contain harmful bacteria.
Also, there are specific requirements for materials that come in direct contact with food. These do not apply to envelopes that go through the mail. The ink would be my primary concern. Paper is easy to print and this is not a particularly sensitive process so they can use pretty much any ink. It is often an offgrade mix of ink from other, more challenging, printing processes. It's not out of the question for that ink to contain heavy metals as well since this is a non-food grade application.