Cooking with Grease and Oil

Written by Doris Donnerman (last updated August 25, 2021)

Grease comes in solid or liquid forms, and each is valuable for different types of cooking. You can use different oils to give different tastes to foods or to help fry items a golden brown.

When you heat grease or oil, you need to be careful with how you handle it. Grease and oil can pop and spatter, and may cause serious burns. (Heaven forbid you should spill hot oil on you or someone else in the kitchen!) In addition, if you heat the oil too much, it will start to smoke and may catch on fire.

You can reduce grease spatter by holding back on the salt before frying food. Salt attracts moisture, leading to spattering when you place salted food in hot oil. Shake your salt at the table after the cooking is all done.

Another way to reduce spatter is to place a metal colander over your frying pan. It allows steam to escape, so your fried food won't be soggy; but best of all, it keeps bits of food and grease from flying out.

You can make your cooking oil last longer by storing it in dark-colored plastic bottles made for condiments like ketchup and mustard. They're easy to pour, and the oil will last longer there than in clear plastic or glass. Just make sure that you label the bottles so no one accidentally squirts oil on a hot dog!

Author Bio

Doris Donnerman

Doris is a jack of all trades, writing on a variety of topics. Her articles have helped enlighten and entertain thousands over the years. ...

MORE FROM DORIS

Better Organize Your Kitchen

It surprises many people, but a kitchen can make or break a home. Anyone who has ever bought or sold a home can attest to ...

Discover More

Super Quick Breadsticks

If you're in a crunch for what to make for dinner, try making some breadsticks. They are delicious and will satisfy any ...

Discover More

Yummy Coffee Cake

Coffee cake is one of those cakes that you will want to be able to make whenever you want. Here is a great recipe that ...

Discover More
More Cooking Tips

Cheese Boxes

You may have heard of a breadbox, but have you ever heard of a cheese box? Believe it or not, these quaint cheese storage ...

Discover More

Kitchen Cleaning Supplies

An often overlooked aspect of cooking is the one part that always comes last—the clean up. Cleaning your kitchen ...

Discover More

Storing Uncooked Dough

Don't be intimated by freezing your bread dough. It will still have that same great taste only you are saving yourself ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is four more than 2?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)