You had guests who came over for dinner, so you cooked your famous crispy fried chicken. But now you’re left with a big pot of oil and you’re asking yourself what to do with it. Do you throw it down the sink? Unless you want to call the plumber, it’s really not a good idea. Do you put it in plastic then throw it in the trash? No, wait just a minute!
You can still reuse your oil. But for how many times, you may ask? There is no definite answer, but you do need to look out for signs of when the oil has reached its limit.
Here’s a guide on how to reuse your oil.
1. Clean the oil.
First, clean the oil. Let it cool down then filter it to remove food particles, like breading for example. If you do not filter the oil, chances are the oil will smell rancid once you use it again.Place the oil in an air tight glass container or bottle.
2. Label the bottle and separate the oils.
Label the bottle and make sure you separate the oils. If you used the oil for frying chicken, reuse it for chicken only. Same goes with fish or any other meat. You do not want to mix the taste of fish with chicken or vice versa.
3. Store in a cool, dry place.
Some recommend storing the oil at the back of the pantry or in the refrigerator. Exposure to air and light hastens the oil’s rate of oxidation and the creation of off-flavors and odors, while cold temperature slows down the oxidation and production of peroxide. For short-term storage, you may place the oil in the pantry. But for long-term storage, the refrigerator (or the freezer) is your best bet.
4. Check for degradation.
Before you reuse the oil, check for these signs of degradation: foam on the surface, rancid odor, thick texture, and dark and murky appearance. Also, another sign to look out for is whether the oil smokes before it reaches the desired frying temperature, because this indicates that the oil is unusable already.
Wow! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and
design. Outstanding choice of colors!