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Slick Ways to Handle Used Cooking Oil

Grease disposal doesn’t have to be a pain in the pan.

We know it’s tempting, but don’t flush that pan full of oil down your sink. Grease sticks to pipe walls, and the results can be gross, if not downright dangerous. Check out these alternatives for dealing with grease when you’re done with it.

Reuse It

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Congrats: you successfully deep-fried a turkey without burning down the house! But what about that 5 gallons of leftover peanut oil? In the immortal words of the Colonel, “Fry and Fry Again.”

1)     Allow oil to cool down to handling temperature. It can do that while you’re eating what you fried in the oil in the first place. Mmmm.

2)     Use a rubber band to attach a coffee filter or a cheesecloth or a very fine sieve to the opening of a storage container. Our friends at glad.com can help.

3)     Slowly pour your cooled oil into the container through the filter. Feel free to make vroom vroom noises.

4)     Throw out that filter and seal the container and store in the fridge or freezer for later. Some chefs swear cooking oil is better the second time around.

Trash It

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Only toss small amounts of cooking grease into the trash. Big jugs of oil can leak and make waste facilities despise you and your greasy ways.

1)   Allow the oil to cool down post-meal.

2)   Then, pour it into an unbreakable, sealable container.

3)    Seal the lid tightly and throw it away with the rest of your trash.

4)    A post-cooking oil disposal dance is optional.

Recycle It

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That’s right. Recyclers can turn your grease into biofuel to power vehicles that make your city smell like French fries. You’ll have to bring your own ketchup.

1)   Allow the oil to cool down, and then put it in leak-proof containers.

2)   Check out 1800recycling.com to find a recycling center in your area.

3)   Drop off the containers, or, depending on local regulations, you might be able to leave the containers next to your waste bins for pick-up on recycling day.