What do you keep your oil in after deep frying chicken? I deep fry in a heavy cast iron dutch oven. After I am finished and the oil is cool I transfer the oil to an empty clean milk jug for keeps. However, trying to lift and hold a heavy cast iron dutch oven while pouring the oil out is beginning to hurt my arms and hands. I didn't know if it was okay to just leave the oil in the dutch oven. Do you have a better way of deep frying and storing the oil?
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I use a turkey baster to draw up the oil and a hand held strainer over the jar as I squirt it into the jar. Any type of jar will work.
Reusing cooking oil has been done throughout the ages and it's safe if you follow the following tips:
Strain it through a few layers of cheesecloth or mesh strainer to catch any food particles before storing.
Shake off excess batter from food before frying it.
Turn off the heat after you are done cooking. Exposing oil to prolonged heat accelerates rancidity.
Don't mix different types of oil.
Store oil in a cool, dark place.
Avoid iron or copper pots or pans for frying oil that is to be reused. These metals accelerate rancidity.
I use coffee filter and a 1 gallon glass jar with a large screw on lid. Binder clips hold the filters in place. I have to use about 3 filters for a gallon of oil. It's not a fast process, but the oil looks good and clean. I don't filter the last 1/4 inch of oil. I only filter oil 1 time, then I use new oil.
You might try using a ladle and dip the oil into the selected container until you get the most of it out and then it would not be so heavy, or take so long to lift and pour the last small amount out. I would hesitate to use the plastic milk jug, as it is not a plastic that is made to hold edibles for an extended period of time (it is even recommended that they not be used to store water for any length of time).
I have arthritis in my hands and shoulders, and it hurts to lift anything heavy. To store the oil, I use shorter containers as tall as my kitchen sink is deep. I put a funnel into the jar/bottle, and pour the oil with the dutch oven supported by the counter at the edge of the sink.
I read it wasn't a good idea to reuse oil that's been heated to high temperatures. The heat damages the molecules in some way (can't remember at the moment) making them toxic to your body. It might be worth it to find out if this traditional practice or habit is actually pretty dangerous to your health.
Once oil is heated, it becomes rancid or poisonous to the human body.
It can cause swollen sore joints, such as arthritis. It also causes the body to become over acid, which is one of the culprits causing swollen sore joints, acid stomach. An over acid body is more susceptible to flu's, colds and many other ailments.
Maybe hubby and I are just lazy, but as long as the skillet (or as in your case, dutch oven) isn't needed for other uses, we simply put a lid on and set it on the back burner for safekeeping. We probably also eat too many fried foods, and we'd probably be healthier if we adopted the tips I just found here.
I used to buy my frying oil in glass bottles & save them. Then I would use a measuring cup with a handle to scoop the oil out, with a strainer in a funnel & do it like 3/4cup or 1cup measure at a time. If you buy it in large containers, i would still buy some in dark, glass bottles, so i could reuse them.
Time to consider yummy oven-frying? Works great for me, delicious!
Add a Vitamin E pill into your cooled used oil to help prevent rancidity. If it tastes rancid when heating, don't use it.
I've reused oil (and shortening) all my adult life and have never suffered any ill effects from it and I'm almost 60. Save your 3# plastic tubs that margarine comes in (or 1# tub although the 1# might not hold all your oil, in that case you'd need a couple of them). Let your oil cool and lift it with both hands (one on each side of the fryer) and pour the oil into a clean 3# tub, pop the plastic lid on it and store in the fridge. It is easy to pour back into the pan and you can stop pouring it when the oil starts to get to the bottom of the tub and that way you don't get the sediments from the previous frying in and you can add new oil along.
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