Cooking & Baking

Good News A: You don't have to throw out used oil. Often you can reuse it many, many times!

Bad News: There's no hard and fast rule for how many time you can reuse that oil. Distrust any
source that gives a firm answer on the number times you can reuse oil.

Good News B: It's easy to tell when you'll need to replace your oil, and more importantly, there
are some great steps you can take to increase the useful lifespan of your oil!

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How to Clean Oil

So you've cooked off that batch of fries, now you want to store the oil for future use. How do you do that?

Start by using a skimmer to skim off any floaters and large pieces of debris that might be lurking in the pot and discard them. Next, pour the oil through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean, dry pot. If you were cooking flour-dredged foods, you may find a large layer of dirty, flour-filled oil at the bottom of the pot. Stop pouring before you pour this stuff through and discard it separately. Cover the pot with the strained oil to prevent dust from falling in, and let it cool completely. Finally, use a funnel to pour the oil back into its original container (you did save it, right?). Seal it tightly, and store the oil in a cool, dry place.

UPDATE: If you have some gelatin on hand, you can also give this gelatin-clarification technique a shot. It works like a charm and gives you crystal clear oil overnight.