You don't hear very much about innovation in the paper towel space, as they say, but these days a funky new product has been gaining a lot of fans in the Epi Test Kitchen—where thedoor is always opento anything that'llmake clean-up a little easier. (And tomore towels, generally.)Ora Kitchen Towels, already available at the British grocery chain Tesco, hit the U.S. at the end of last year; the towels are available at some Target outlets andat Target.com. What accounts for their devoted following? Here's what you need to know.
Ora paper towels aren't rolled up and separated by tiny perforations like regular paper towels. They're separated altogether: every towel is an island. A pack of Ora towels comprises round sheets of absorbent paper folded into cones and stacked one atop of the other. The idea is that if you've got only one hand free and need to wipe something up in a hurry, you just pluck a towel from the top of the pile. A stack of these towels is freestanding, but Ora also makes cool-lookingcountertop basesfor them too.
One pack of these paper towels gives you the same number of towels as two rolls of the regular kind—and doesn't take up any more space on the counter. And they're well within the price range of other paper towel brands, available for $2.99 a stack at Target, or in packs of three for $6.99. (They've got a five-star rating from Target shoppers, by the way, with rave reviews. For instance: "A very cool and functional product. Space saving, ergonomic, and stylish. Easy to peel one single paper towel at a time, without having to tear. Super thick and absorbent, wipes up spills and spoils.")
Well, I guess that's just something you don't see every day. A round towel!