The love for fried food is universal, be it at home or in a restaurant. The problem, however, is the leftover oil. Do you use it, do you throw it away, do you put it back in the container – so many questions to answer. Well, to make the answer simple – yes, you can reuse cooking oil. You can also repurpose it and you can sell it to an oil disposal company. Wondering how these things work? Let’s dive in!
Reusing Cooking Oil: What to Know About It?
Cooking oil can be reused. Depending on how you use it, the safe number of reuses can be anywhere between 2 to 8 times (source: King Arthur Baking). Wondering how to reuse your cooking oil, here are a few things to know:
- Always strain your oil before reusing it. Whether you’re frying something breaded, battered or both, some small particles are sure to break away from the food. If you reuse the oil without straining, these particles will heat up, burn and ruin the flavour of the food.
- When you’re filtering oil, remember you should only do it when the oil is cool. You can use a strainer, or use layers of cheesecloth to filter it. You can also use coffee filters.
Always remember, the number of reuses depends on the quality and kind of oil you have. Temperature is also important. If you regulate the temperature you use your cooking oil, it will improve its shelf life.
Note: If the oil smells or tastes foul, it is non-reusable. Additionally, if it is cloudy, consider repurposing it elsewhere or dispose of it.
Repurposing Cooking Oil
Before you go looking for cooking oil disposal, you can use it for some common things, at your home or restaurant, and none of them include cooking in it!
As Lubricant
You can use the cooking oil as a lubricant for doors, locks, and troublesome hinges. Using cooking oil also prevents rust on metal surfaces.
As Polish
Whether you own a restaurant or a house, you always have furniture that needs some polishing. To use cooking oil as polish, you will need some distilled white vinegar. Make a solution by mixing equal parts of white vinegar and cooking oil, and it’s ready to use as polish.
Rattan and Wicker Furniture Protector
Another interesting use of cooking oil is using it as a protector for rattan and wicker furniture. All you have to do is rub some used cooking oil on the surface and that’s it. Wicker and rattan furniture tends to crack and rubbing some oil saves it from doing so.
Apart from these, here are a few more uses:
- You can use non-reusable cooking oil to unstick glasses. Stacks of glasses can sometimes stick together. To unstick them, simply drop some oil between the glasses, and gently move the glasses to separate them.
- It can also be used to remove stuck labels by rubbing some oil on it. Or you could soak the label in used cooking oil for 10 minutes. Doing so leaves no residue.
- Can’t open a jar? Use some used cooking oil, drip it around the lid and screw it open in no time.
Cooking Oil Disposal: Easiest Way to Discard Non-Usable Cooking Oil
For those with a small quantity of used cooking oil, you can follow these steps:
- Wait for the cooking oil to cool.
- Then pour the used cooking oil into a container with a lid.
- Tightly secure the lid of the container.
- Then dispose of it in the rubbish bin.
For commercial outlets and establishments, since the quantity of oil is quite large, it is recommended to use a cooking oil collection service. These services are designed to ensure that your cooking oil is disposed of easily and safely. To choose a good service provider make sure that you do your research and get a representative on call. Before you make a selection, you will have to discuss if the used oil collectors have specific requirements, do they have visitation charges, etc. Once satisfied with the collector and their terms, you can schedule a collection.
Revive Oils: Your Used Cooking Oil Disposal Partner
Revive Oils makes disposing of non-usable oil easy. To make the process easy for businesses, Revive Oils tailors their services to fit your purpose. For oil collection, the organisation sends over trucks with intricate apparatus that allows them to collect the oil safely. Then the used oil is transported to the oil factory, where it is clarified and recycled in an environmentally responsible way.
The company offers its services all over Victoria. Revive Oil’s processes, both recycling and collection, meet the strict criteria of lawful disposal of cooking oil. Want to recycle used oil? Call Revive Oils for cooking oil disposal at 0429 075 558.
