Don't Throw Out An Empty Sriracha Bottle Without Trying This Cooking Trick

Sweet, salty, tangy, umami, and with just the right amount of heat, there is a reason that a bottle of this vibrant-red hot sauce belongs in every kitchen. But while there are tons of creative uses for sriracha itself on the internet, you don't see quite so many ideas for the leftover bottles. Those usually just end up in the recycling bin. There are some really good ways to repurpose the empty bottles though, and we aren't just talking about making your own sriracha from scratch and refilling them. One of the best uses for a leftover sriracha bottle is actually filling it with your favorite cooking oil.

The clear plastic bottles with the twist-open tops are the perfect tool for applying just the right amount of oil to whatever you are cooking. The seal is tight enough that these bottles don't leak when filled, and the same mechanisms that allow you to apply sriracha to your food with the utmost precision also allow you to expertly drizzle olive oil over a salad, or vegetable oil into a hot wok. You have all of the control of a squeeze bottle — a favorite tool in kitchens across the U.S. — but with a top that you can easily close as soon as you are finished.

It's important to note that we're specifically talking about the style of bottles that Huy Fong uses for their sriracha. This is the brand that brought the sauce into the limelight, essentially giving sriracha its name as well as its signature look, with the clear plastic bottle and bright green top. Other brands may use different styles of lids on their bottles, which won't offer the same control.

Given the viscosity of sriracha, you're never going to be able to squeeze every last drop out of a bottle, and this is perfectly alright. If you want things really clean before filling the bottle with cooking oil, all you need to do is fill it halfway with soapy water and give everything a good shake. You can twist open the top and squeeze the soapy water out, cleaning the nozzle while you're at it. A few rinses with warm water, and the bottle is ready to go. But before you go to the effort of cleaning it, there might be one last thing you want to try with that used hot sauce bottle: infusing your oil.

Instead of cleaning the bottle with soapy water, you can make use of that last bit of sriracha stuck to the sides and infuse your cooking oil with a bit of flavor and heat. Frying your eggs in chili oil was all the rage for a while, and this is a quick, zero-waste method to hop on the trend and whip up some spicy frying oil. You can decide how strong to make the chili flavor by regulating how much oil you put in the bottle. If you fill it all the way to the top, you likely won't get much sriracha flavor, but if you add just a bit, you can make a nice, flavorful oil for frying eggs, sauteeing veggies, or drizzling over a bowl of noodles. Whether it's the last bit of sauce or just the vessel itself, a bottle of sriracha clearly never stops being useful in the kitchen.