Re-using vegetable/sunflower oil

SaLoGo

I usually have an egg butty every day and often use the same oil for 4 or 5 days!

Didn't really think of it as being minging til now...

southernscouser

Just buy the one calorie per spray olive oil if you have a non-stick pan. Half a dozen sprays and job done. Nice healthy fried eggs.

JulieGeorgiana

Yes you can... it's like deep fat frying... they say 3/4 times is fine... I use mines a bit more then that(it only starts to taste good by number 4)

meritaten

er - i only use a smidgeon of sunflower oil in my new non stick pan (the old one required at least a tablespoon or I got a pretty black lace edging to my fried egg). I dont baste the egg with oil, I just use the american method and as i am taking the frying pan to the plate with my soft fried egg i flip it - eggs over easy- then just tip it onto the plate the right side up! perfect egg every time!

oops didnt answer original question! no I dont re-use the oil, never have as the pan is ALWAYS washed up after the meal.
my mum used to though - I can remember that whenever she cooked bacon or sausages the fat would be left in the pan (the pan would be left under the grill or in the oven - until she wanted to fry again - luckily my dad loved fried foods so it wasnt more than a couple of days before it was used again! may have had something to do with the fact he had heart trouble and died of a heart attack?).

Football_Widow_2

Can I re use vegetable oil that we have cooked roast potatoes in?

Thank you in anticipation ...

MaggieBaking

I know a few people who strain it and reuse it - it's supposed to make them even better next time.

Although it's not something I personally do.

MsBlonde

I know after so many uses it actually becomes dangerous, some vegetable oil's cannot be reused. i.e. crisp and dry. But I've cooled mine down today and put it in a container and stuck it in the fridge until next use (in fridge because food particles in it. even if strained )

Just googled searched

Reusing cooking oil has been done for ages. There really isn't a problem, if done properly. The greatest hazard is allowing the fat to become rancid (spoiled) and deteriorated to the point it produces undesirable flavors and odors. Besides ruining what would have been a perfectly good meal, rancid oils also contain free radicals that are potentially carcinogenic. Rancid oil has fewer antioxidants but is not poisonous.

To re-use oil safely, use these tips:

Strain it through a few layers of cheesecloth to catch any food particles. Be careful with hot oil, though, because you can easily get burned.

Shake off excess batter from food before frying it.
Use a good thermometer to fry foods at 190°C.
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 also accelerate rancidity.

Signs of Deteriorated Oil:

Oil darkens with use because the oil and food molecules burn when subjected to high/prolonged heat.
The more you use an oil, the more slowly it will pour. Its viscosity changes because of changes to the oil's molecular structure.
Loose absorbent particles accumulate as sediment at the bottom of the storage container or are suspended in the oil.
When smoke appears on the oils' surface before the temperature reaches 190 degrees C (375 degrees F), your oil will no longer deep-fry effectively.
If the oil has a rancid or "off" smell or if it smells like the foods you've cooked in it, it should be discarded.

poppy-glos

.. effectively it's like fryer fat (having had potatoes in and heated once) so there is no reason why not to, when i worked in a household with a fryer it was used throughtout the week, for non smelly things earlier in the week and for frying fish on friday, after which it was emptied and new oil put in, and from what i know pubs replace their fat weekly, so i guess it would be ok for at least a week.

i also remember something years ago about heated oil having different composition, so there may be a healthy eating reason not to reuse too many times (but then if you steamed the pots and didn't use oil at all that would make it even heathier!!:rotfl::rotfl: ... says the lady who eats fat a little too often:beer:

Pink.

Hi Football Widow,

This existing thread may help:

Cooking Oil

I'll add this thread to that one later.

Pink

Flibsey

also oil is fine for a few uses, but bear in mind cholesterol increases each time you use it.
and if you cook pork in it, bin it 'cos it will ming lol.