Every table in an American restaurant will have two or more deep-fried dishes on it. Whether it is fish, chicken, or fries doesn’t matter. The kitchen produces used cooking oil as a byproduct of preparing the food.
In a large restaurant, the kitchen can quickly produce hundreds of gallons of wasted oil.
It is a good time to discuss recycling used cooking oil because so many people are eating out and ordering delivery services.
To ensure that this oil does not end up in landfills, you can at least test out a few ideas. What is garbage to one person may be gold to another.
Top 7 applications for used frying oil
There are thousands of people working in the used cooking oil sector. Plan for recycling and alternative applications if you work in the food industry and produce a lot of the same. Nothing is lost in this manner. Here are some methods you could use to recycle leftover cooking oil:
1. Reuse the cooking oil to cook or bake other foods
You can utilize the discarded frying oil to prepare other foods if its color hasn’t altered. The majority of people bake with used oil. According to them, it improves the flavor of their baked goods.
Go for it if this is something you’d like to attempt. To sort of test the waters, you can cook a small amount of food in a little of the leftover oil. You may use the oil to cook more food if the food turns out well.
The oil must first be cleaned of any potential food residue before it can be used again. To accomplish this, strain the oil through a coffee filter. This should make the poil reusable and remove even the smallest food bits.
It should be noted that not all cooking oils can be utilized again. Only oils with a high smoking point, such avocado or canola, can be reused.
2. Use the oil in animal feed
Animals including pigs, dogs, horses, and cats can consume food flavored with leftover frying oil. To be safe, start by adding a small amount of oil to their meal and observe how they respond. The following time you feed them, you can include all of their food—if they want it—into the oil.
Animals can benefit healthily from used cooking oil. Even the poor feeders will consume more food as a result of the increase in flavor. Additionally, it makes their hair and scalp shinier and healthier.
3. Coating gardening tools
The mud tends to stick to the gardening tools when you are working in wet soil. To make equipment naturally anti-stick, you can coat them in used cooking oil.
The tools will remain clean when you use them in the garden. In addition to making the tools non-stick, the oil shields them from corrosion because they are in contact with water.
Apply cooking oil on your hoe, machete, trowel, and shears.
4. Use the old cooking oil to moisturize your hair
Many individuals are unaware that leftover cooking is excellent for hydrating hair. Let the oil cool to room temperature before using a paper filter, such as the one you use for coffee, to remove the food particles.
Apply the oil to your hair and massage it in. Allow it to sit on your hair for a while—perhaps an hour or so—and then shampoo it to remove the oil.
Positive adjustments will be shown in your hair. Applying old cooking oil to your hair a few times a week will help it regain moisture if it feels dry most of the time.
5. Use it to maintain rattan and wicker furniture
Wicker is a technique for weaving rattan, which is a material used to create stylish furniture. The rattan fiber can shatter over time if it gets too dry.
Take leftover cooking oil and strain out the food particles to avoid this. Use it sparingly on the furniture once it is at room temperature.
To apply this oil to the furniture, use a little brush or a piece of cloth.
6. Apply it on leather products
Although leather naturally contains moisture, this moisture can be lost over time and via exposure to various environments.
Used cooking oil can be sparingly applied to the leather item and left to soak for a while. Use a clean piece of cloth to wipe away any extra oil. Your leather handbag, furniture, or jacket will all appear supple.
7. Use the oil as a lubricant
Even while leftover cooking oil is not a good lubricant for your car, there are still a number of things around the house that you can lubricate with it. Use it on locks and door hinges. It can also be used to lubricate the moving parts on the toys your children play with.