How Do I Dispose of Cooking Oil?
Pouring your used cooking oil down the drain in the kitchen sink is certainly tempting. You’ve been cooking and you're just ready to be done and eat. The drain seems like an easy way to get rid of it. However, this is exactly how kitchen pipes and sewage systems can get clogged. The oil will solidify and clog up the pipes eventually.
Even if you are only pouring small amounts of leftover grease down the garbage disposal, the grease collection over days can accumulate and you can get a grease clog.
Here are some tips for proper disposal of kitchen grease so you can stay eco-friendly and effective.
How do I properly dispose of cooking oil and grease safely?
Cooking oil needs to be disposed of properly, and here is how. If you store food grease properly, you can dispose of it with other household garbage.
You need to make sure that the hot grease has had time to cool before you pour it into a plastic container. This way the hot cooking oil doesn’t melt the plastic.
You need to make sure you are storing the grease in a sealed non-breakable container. A plastic bottle that you were going to dispose of with the household trash is a good container for disposal.
Once the household cooking oil has had time to cool off, you can put the disposal container in the trash.
Other Ways to Dispose of Excess Grease Properly
If you are someone who does a lot of deep frying you may look for a better oil disposal method. If you know someone who owns a restaurant or you live close by a restaurant you can take used oil there for correct disposal. Restaurants will have sources for hazardous waste disposal so you know that the cooking fats are being disposed of properly.
You can also contact a household hazardous waste disposal company. These companies often have a door pick-up option and you can get rid of medical waste or any other hazardous waste all at one time. They may have collection containers that they ask you to use but this is a good option for someone who uses a lot of cooking oil or has other waste to get rid of.
Grease Disposal Systems
You can purchase a grease disposal system where the kit includes a plastic container with foil lined bags. You put the bag in the container and pour your cooled grease from dishes into the bag. Then you just seal the bag and dispose of it with food scraps going in the trash.
This way you always have something ready to go for proper kitchen grease disposal. A sealed non-breakable container is not always available so this helps in those most tempting moments to use the drain. You also have less to worry about when pouring the grease because the container holds the bag so well there is less chance to spill.
Add Your Kitchen Grease to the Compost
Most common cooking oils are made from plant-based foods like soy, corn, sunflower, olives, and coconut. These are safe to add to your regular compost pile. You don’t want to do this if you added animal fats or cooked with meat. You may get bugs or small animals into your compost that way.
Reusing Cooking Oil
If you want to reuse your cooking grease you can store it in a glass container. Make sure the container is sealed and then you are good to store it on kitchen shelves.
You won’t want to mix flavors that don’t go well together so keep the oils used for different flavors and dishes separate. For this reason, you are going to want to label your containers. Depending on your cooking temperatures you could get 2-4 uses out of the cooking oil. You also want to keep this information on the label so that you know when it’s time to throw it out.
One tip for storing used cooking oil is to pour the grease through a strainer into the glass container so that you are getting out any food particles.
Reducing the Use of Cooking Oil
You may be interested in reducing the amounts of grease going into the garbage by using less of it while cooking. Cooking with less oil is generally healthier. This way there is less mess to deal with when you are done cooking as well.
An air fryer is a great kitchen appliance to use to cut back on oil use. It uses hot air circulating to brown the food. Some people use air fryers without any oil and others are just able to use much less oil.
Baking is a healthier alternative to frying. There are many dishes that you can bake instead of fry. Sometimes a bit of experimenting can get you onto a recipe that you really love.
Steaming your food is another healthy cooking alternative. A lot of your favorite foods taste great steamed. Sometimes it is just a matter of getting familiar with something new.
When you are frying, if you choose a shallow frying pan you can use less oil. Shallow frying pans also trap moisture and cook your food faster.
Now that you know the ins and outs of kitchen grease disposal, to the kitchen! Cooking is a rewarding experience with lots of experimenting and learning to be done. Prep Kitchen Essentials has many hands-on cooking classes available to make your cooking experiences even more rewarding. We help to awaken the love for cooking and get people excited about mealtime.
