What to do with oil after deep frying?

homeOwner

I tend to shy away from recipes that involve "deep frying", like where the recipe says fry in a few inches of oil (I dont have a deep fat fryer), because I dont know what to do with all the oil when finished. I'm talking things that need to be submerged in the oil, not like a stir fry.

Does it go down the sink? Will it clog up when it goes cold in the pipes? What do other people do? I remember back in the 80s my mum used to empty the fryer into a bowl with newspaper let it go cold and harden and use it to light the fire!!! I am not so adventurous so any suggestions appreciated.

afro man

homeOwner wrote: »

I tend to shy away from recipes that involve "deep frying", like where the recipe says fry in a few inches of oil (I dont have a deep fat fryer), because I dont know what to do with all the oil when finished. I'm talking things that need to be submerged in the oil, not like a stir fry.

Does it go down the sink? Will it clog up when it goes cold in the pipes? What do other people do? I remember back in the 80s my mum used to empty the fryer into a bowl with newspaper let it go cold and harden and use it to light the fire!!! I am not so adventurous so any suggestions appreciated.

Check out your local recycling depot they usual have containers to take this cooking oil.

rubadub

To minimise the oil you need in the first place you can get mini friers. Quicker to heat up and takes up less space.

I got this one in powercity for about €15

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lloytron-Mini-Deep-Fat-Fryer/dp/B000YESW2U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1352460015&sr=8-4

Jawgap

Depends on the oil - what oil are you using?

You can re-cycle / re-use oil if you take a few simple precautions.

Cool the oil after use and filter it (I use clean coffee filter papers) into a clean jar (don't mix with unused oil).

Freeze or refrigerate the oil and use as required for shallow or deep frying.

If the oil smells strange on being re-heated, discard it - it's probably gone rancid.

The second main indicator of a problem is the smokepoint, if it seems the oil is smoking at a low temperature (less than the cooking temperature you're aiming for) discard it - quality wise it has deteriorated too far and will taint your food.

It's not a good idea to put it down the drain for reasons of potential blockage and smell - but if you really must get rid of anything more than a small amount, fire hot water and washing up liquid down with it. Better to put it in a container and take it to your local civic amenity site or recycling centre.

Swiper the fox

homeOwner wrote: »

I tend to shy away from recipes that involve "deep frying", like where the recipe says fry in a few inches of oil (I dont have a deep fat fryer), because I dont know what to do with all the oil when finished. I'm talking things that need to be submerged in the oil, not like a stir fry.

Does it go down the sink? Will it clog up when it goes cold in the pipes? What do other people do? I remember back in the 80s my mum used to empty the fryer into a bowl with newspaper let it go cold and harden and use it to light the fire!!! I am not so adventurous so any suggestions appreciated.

Oil won't go hard like that so its best to pour it into a container and dump it, not sure how ethical that is though, certainly don't put it down the sink though.
Are you sure you're mother used cooking oil to light the fire, sounds unusual to say the least, surely the mess was unreal, not to mention the smell.

homeOwner

It didn't even cross my mind to try the recycling centre. Thanks for the suggestion! I am going to attempt some deep frying over the weekend.

Tar.Aldarion

I have started keeping it and using it to make popcorn. It puts an amazing taste on it.

BailMeOut

I believe it is perfectly ok to bury cooking oil in your garden since it is 100% biodegradable.

Jawgap

BailMeOut wrote: »

I believe it is perfectly ok to bury cooking oil in your garden since it is 100% biodegradable.

You could and in theory it's compostable, but the smell will likely draw vermin

Countdown1982

re cycle centres take used cooking oil, usually just have to pay 3 euro in macroom anyway

McChubbin

My granmother has a novel way of discarding the chip pan fat: get an empty milk carton, wait until the fat/grease/oil has cooled and pour it into the carton. Seal it and then dump it in the nearest trash recepticle.

schemingbohemia

If you were interested in feeding birds, you could mix some seeds into the oil before it hardens and then hang it out the back garden to feed the birds over the winter.

Swiper the fox

schemingbohemia wrote: »

If you were interested in feeding birds, you could mix some seeds into the oil before it hardens and then hang it out the back garden to feed the birds over the winter.

That sounds like a great idea,
problem is that almost everybody deep frys with oil and unless an awful lot of fat has come from whatever has been cooked it's unlikely to solidify, am I right?

Dizzyblonde

Swiper the fox wrote: »

That sounds like a great idea,
problem is that almost everybody deep frys with oil and unless an awful lot of fat has come from whatever has been cooked it's unlikely to solidify, am I right?

I think so. You'd need to be using something like Frytex in order for it to harden enough.

rubadub

Yeah, it usually turns into a murky sludge, rather than solid like frytex or lard/dripping.

If you are having to pay to get rid of it then it might be cheaper in the long run to get the more expensive frytex or lard (many are changing back to lard for health reasons these days by the way). Or very expensive coconut oil, this is why I wanted the mini fryer to minimise oil usage with coconut oil.

Maybe you can mix the sludge in with some other stuff for birds though, and have a tray of semi liquid food. Put up on a bird table to keep away rats.