I used to be scared to death to fry food. Which is sad because no KY girl should be afraid to fry food. It wasn’t because I thought the frying was difficult, though.
The truth is, I had no idea how to dispose of the oil after I was done frying.
Apparently, I’m not alone – a friend texted me not long ago to ask me this exact question. And I thought if she doesn’t know, and I didn’t know, then obviously this needs a blog post.
Before we go any further, I’m talking about oils like vegetable oil, canola oil, or olive oil, as an example. If you are thinking about getting rid of your bacon grease – stop right now! Don’t dispose of that precious stuff! You save that bacon grease and use it next time. (Just put it in a mason jar and stick it in your fridge.) And never look back.
Ok, now that I’ve made that clarification, on to disposing of vegetable or canola oils.
Disposing of Vegetable Oil After Frying
This is the easiest way I have found:
- Let the oil cool down completely. NEVER pour hot oil, that is very dangerous.
- Pour the completely cooled oil into a container you plan to throw out.
- Once the container is full of old oil or grease, throw it in the garbage. Sometimes I’ll place it in a smaller plastic bag before I throw it into the garbage to prevent leakage. Used grocery bags are good for this.
NEVER EVER pour any type of oil or grease down your drain. It will solidify and block up your pipes!! (This includes DO NOT pour it in your toilet!)
In fact, when you empty it out of your pots and pans, you’ll want to wipe those down with a towel even before you rinse them!
You Can Reuse Your Cooking Oil
I mentioned that I reuse my bacon grease (that’s the KY girl way), but you can also reuse oil as well. I wouldn’t reuse it more than twice.
Give it the sniff test. If it smells bad, it’s bad – throw it out. (It’ll smell rotten or rancid.)
In order to reuse it, you’ll strain the cooled used oil through cheesecloth or a coffee filter. You are going to get all the little brown bits, etc, out of it. Then, put it in a sealed container and store it in a cool dark spot.
Just note, if you do reuse the oil, it breaks down and the smoke point lowers with each reuse. This means it will burn easier.
More Cooking 101 Posts You May Enjoy:
How and Why To Make an Egg Wash
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