# What can I do with the cooking oil from fried chicken?



## developingtaste (Aug 17, 2011)

Hi,

Just did fried chicken for the first time--I've always baked it in the past--and I've got a quart of oil left over, and thought, 'Maybe I can save this for future fried chicken dinner'.  Is this a good idea?  What is the best way to preserve it?  How long can I keep it?  Thanks.  Oh, and by the way, I used Crisco.


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Please throw it out.

Remember that now that oil has chicken remnants and pieces in it that will spoil if allowed to sit out.

In a restaurant that fries chicken in deep fat fryers, that is a different story, but in a home situation, I'd toss it.

There will be people telling you that you can strain the oil into a receptical and keep it in the fridge for another time, but now that oil has a shortened life because you fried a protein in it. 

Oil is cheap. Throw it out and purchase new when frying again.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

You can fry more chicken and keep it for leftovers?

Keep the chicken in the fridge and put it in the oven to warm and crisp.


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## left4bread (May 8, 2009)

What he said.

As far a it being "cheap"...  well...

That's kinda relative...

And that's probably why you want to hold onto it. 

Chalk it up to the price to pay when frying.

Sucks to throw all that oil away, but there it is.


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## lindaupsoor (Sep 4, 2011)

There really isn't much you can do, it will spoil if you just leave it out. If you're planning on using it again sometime soon, an option might be to store it in the freezer to prevent spoiling. Other than that, maybe just throw it out and get new oil. As other people have mentioned, it's cheap.

- Linda

best deep fryer


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## miccru (Sep 1, 2011)

There is really tro things to do with the oil

If your in a really in a budged use the same oil that you cooked with the chicken it wont kill you lol

if your not in a budged cooking oil is biodegratable its real useful for enviromental people so they can put fuel in their car or you can save the oil and recycle it to earns some more money


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

It could be refrigerated and used again for more chicken or chicken  products only.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I'm confused, I've always kept the oil that I use for deep frying.  I have a container of oil that I use for frying potatoes and another container of oil I use to fry doughnuts.  I strain and place in an air tight container and each time I use it I add a little more fresh oil to it.

About chicken fried oil, I've never kept it, always through it out for the reasons stated.  However, don't you think that the temperature at which the oil has to be heated would kill any bacteria that was thriving in it?

Anyway OP, if you do throw your oil out make sure you do so safely.  Don't pour it into the kitchen sink or any drain.  I fill up either plastic bags or an old container and throw it with the garbage.


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## chef matt (Aug 25, 2011)

If it's within a day or two, it's probably safe to reuse if strained and stored properly. That being said, probably is the key word. Oil will grow dangerous bacteria especially when used to cook a protein like chicken. 

The safest thing to do would be to throw it out. Better safe than sorry.


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## rob w (May 18, 2011)

How are deep fat fryers really all that different from pan frying something? After all, restaurants turn off their fryers at night and change their oil every couple of weeks or so -- with that in mind, it's fine if you strain the fat through a couple of layers of cheese cloth and store it in a cool, dark place. It's fairly common to "cut" new oil with old. New oil takes a bit of breaking down to brown well and adding in used oil helps to get that browning process working more quickly.

Bear in mind the following:

Be aware of the oils' smoke point and don't overheat your oil.
As you use your oil, it will degrade and the smoke point will lower.
If someone in the house has food allergies, label the oil with what was cooked in it.
Keep an eye on the oil and, if it gets too dark or takes on a burnt smell, discard it.
That being said, if you're ever in doubt about a particular ingredient, throw it out. You can always buy more food relatively cheap... hospital stays are expensive.


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