Avoid Cooking Oil Leaks In Your Trash Can With This Bag Tip

When frying food at home, you just have to embrace the mess, from the grease splatters on your stove to the big potful of oil left over after cooking. Accepting this becomes easier if you use the right tools to clean up afterwards. For instance, if you're sick of leftover oils leaking into your trash bin, use an extra plastic bag or two to keep the oil at bay.

While you can certainly reuse fry oil, it has to be disposed of eventually, and pouring it in the garbage right after cooking is a huge no-no. Slippery oil naturally drips to the bottom of trash bags, and if it's hot, it will melt holes in the plastic, creating the Niagara Falls of grease inside the bin. Sharp or bulky items like cardboard boxes and the tops of tin cans can also cause sneaky, leaky tears in waste bags. To be safe, allow leftover oil to cool. Then, place two plastic grocery bags inside of each other and pour the extra fat inside the inner bag. Tie the top tightly and toss it in the trash. After that, you shouldn't have to worry about leaks.

A similar way to dispose of used cooking oils involves pouring the cooled grease into a disposable container like a plastic milk jug. Wrap the receptacle inside one or two extra grocery bags for additional insurance before disposing. Alternatively, you can simply double-line your can using two waste bags, but grocery bags and single-use plastics usually come to you for free, making them a bit more cost-effective.

If you have a lot of oil to get rid of or some thin, flimsy trash bags on your hands, a few additional techniques can prevent garbage can leaks. Got room in your freezer? Try carefully pouring the cooled oil into a plastic container and then freezing it. Right before taking out the garbage, remove the frozen-solid oil from the container and toss it in the waste bag. This way, it won't have a chance to fully melt and potentially drip out of any holes.

For the cook in a rush, the simple way Martha Stewart disposes of used cooking oils involves using paper towels to soak up the grease. As long as you take care not to touch the hot pan, this can even be done while the oil is still warm. Just make sure to let the towels cool before disposing of them, or put them in a grocery bag first.

Even with all the caution in the world, sometimes you might find a nasty grease spill at the bottom of your waste bin. To tackle it, use the easy trick for quickly cleaning up spilled oil and sprinkle on flour, cornstarch, or baking soda to soak it up before washing out the can. And if you'd rather reuse oil as much as possible before dealing with disposal, cornstarch is also one pantry staple that easily cleans used frying oil.