Dear Kitchen,
How should one dispose of cooking oil and grease? I know it shouldn't go down the drain, but is it okay to put in the trash or compost?
- Emily
Good Question: How to Get Rid of Grease?
Emily,
You're right. Avoid putting grease and cooking oil down the kitchen sink. Some people think it is okay to put them down the toilet, but that's bad too. The grease can clog pipes in your own apartment or house. The fats can also cause problems down the line as they continue through the system.
If there is a small amount of fat, you can let it cool in the pan. When it hardens, wipe it into the garbage using a paper towel. For larger amounts, pour it into a coffee can. Store the coffee can in the fridge or freezer and re-use it the next time there is more oil or grease to dispose of. These coffee cans should be carefully discarded in the household garbage.
Grease and cooking oil should not be added to compost, says The Backyard Gardener. They could attract animals and create smells.
Thanks for your question,
Comments (12)
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Rather than use a coffe can (since I don't buy coffee in cans) I use a small bowl for grease and oil. For this, I prefer old dinerware because it can tolerate hot, cold and pretty serious abuse. I can pour the hot grease directly into the bowl and store it in the frig to cool. Once set, I can easily scoop it out into the trash and wash the bowl. The bowl is attractive, reusable and can be used for other tasks when not storing grease.
I keep some grease for use later. Duck and goose fat are particular favorites of mine - I render and store them in the frig in glass. They add great flavor to many dishes. It's not so good for my heart, but it is a nice way to spoil friends and family on special occasions.
FYI: Hot, or even warm, grease and oil should never be put in the trash to avoid the chance of a fire.
As a Cub Scout in the 1970's, I made faux suet cakes mixing used kitchen grease (mixed with peanut butter)with bird seed. Was this safe for the birds? If so, this is a great way to reuse your waste. Any comments?
If you live in a city with curbside composting, you may be able to put your grease there. We put ours in old milk cartons (also municipally compostable) per the instructions of the compost program.
Alex's method above also works for when you have no suitable container.
I'd be careful about storing used fats for reuse: once a fat has reached a certain temperature, it changes chemically. I make duck confit semi-regularly and while I don't use fresh (water-rendered, over very low heat for hours) fat for all my batches, I make sure all meat juices/meat bits are strained out (a recipe for some nasty bacteria to form) and I make it a rule to throw out fat that's brown or fat that's been used to brown meat. Grease that's been cooked to a certain temp (I had it explained very generously to me once by a chemist, but ingrate that I am, I forgot certain details) goes rancid very quickly.
biodiesel anyone?
(and if you're reusing for cooking, run it through a coffee filter to get all the bits out)
Matlida and Guido,
As I noted, the duck and goose fat I store has been rendered - which I was taught always includes straining. I assumed it does in most kitchens, however I may be wrong ...... but ick. Rendered duck fat is used in France for preserving duck in the classic duck confit - so if prepared properly it has a good shelf life of several weeks.
Brad,
Suet is a good energy source for birds - particularly in cold weather. Rendering the lard is a good idea as it will go rancid very quickly if it is not.
I line a small bowl with aluminum foil and then put the bowl with the fat in the freezer to harden briefly. Then I remove the hardened grease package and toss in trash. Waxed paper would probably be a more eco-friendly method.
Would some of the above methods work for cooking oil? I doubt if oil would freeze as well.. I use canola oil for deepfrying on occasion... and am never sure how to dispose of the oil.
Some folks i know just reuse the oil for future cooking - but that's bad, right?
Thank you for your advice! nj_gal, I, too, was wondering what to do with excess vegetable oil from occasional deep frying, rather than animal fats.
I don't deep fry much - the smell can be overwhelming in a 550 sf apartment.
And nj_gal, I believe you are correct - it is thought to be bad to reuse oil (but keep in mind that doesn't stop your local diner from using the same oil all week)
When I do fry, I still cool the oil down in the frig overnight in a large bowl. (I typically don't add hot items to my freezer - it isn't big enough to have much extra space and I worry the hot items will defrost what I can squeeze in there. It's barely cold enough as it is) Once the oil is cool, I double or triple bag the leftovers in old grocery bags and toss. I don't know if this is the best thing to do - but it is what I do. I've certainly never come across a better option. Anyone else?
lard doesn't go rancid quickly if refrigerated -- or kept in the cold outdoors with the birds
Love the bird feeder idea and I have to confess I never thought of it. instead of buying those blocks at the grocery store what a great project to make my own.
I don't use a lot of fat in cooking (mostly a bit of olive oil or butter) but when I occasionally make bacon I keep the fat in a container in the fridge like everybody else. So....here's my question--do birds like bacon fat? if I mix it with seeds & peanut butter will it be palatable to them?