Are You Reusing Your Cooking Oil? Here’s a List of Reasons to Stop Before It’s Too Late

November 26, 2020

It’s not practical for kitchens to swap out cooking oil for fresh oil every time they need to fry something—but if you’re not closely monitoring how often it was used, when it was changed and what was cooked with it, you could be risking some serious health problems. Keep a detailed list of these items, and work with a local cooking oil recycling service in New Orleans, LA to safely dispose of your used oil. The health of your guests depends on it.

What happens if I reuse my cooking oil too often?

Reusing your cooking oil can create free radicals, which attach themselves to healthy cells. If the body can’t fight them off, they can cause disease and illness. Some free radicals are carcinogenic, meaning they cause cancer, while others can lead to poor cholesterol levels, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and throat irritation. They can block arteries and cause other health problems. That’s on top of the normal risks of eating fried food, like weight gain, increased risk of diabetes and more.

While it’s impractical (and expensive) to use fresh oil every time you deep fry food, it’s important to note what you cooked, how high the oil was heated and how long it was used. There are four ways to tell that your oil needs to be changed. First, it smells burned. Second, the taste is off—it may taste stale or burned. Third, your fried food will look darker than normal and may even have burned spots. Finally, there might be smoke or a haze in your kitchen when you use the oil.

For most commercial kitchens, you’ll need to change your cooking oil at least once or twice per week, depending on cooking volume.

Reusing oil safely

To reuse cooking oil safely, you can do the following:

  • Cool, strain and store: Once you’re finished with cooking for the day, cool the oil down. Use a filter or cheesecloth to strain the oil, removing any stray bits of food that may have come off during frying. Transfer the oil to an airtight container and refrigerate until you use it again.
  • Carefully monitor the oil: Follow the tips in the previous section to determine when it’s time to change your oil. Any smell, visual or textural change means it’s time to swap it out.
  • Remember that all oils are different: All oils have a different smoke point. For example, peanut and grapeseed oil have high smoke points and won’t burn as easily, while more delicate oils like sesame and truffle oil are destroyed at high heat. Plan to change them accordingly.

What to do with old cooking oil

When you’re finished with old cooking oil, contact your local cooking oil recycling service in New Orleans, LA to properly dispose of it. Put the oil in an approved container and wait for pickup.

Do you need to recycle your cooking oil? Get in touch with the team at Safeway Used Oil and Grease today to learn more about our services.

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