Cooking oil that is continuously boiled on high flame starts developing some bad chemicals within itself. But the dishes prepared at home do not have enough ghee and oil to keep cooking continuously. If you want to reuse it safely, then it is important to know the method of its storage.

The festive season is going on, especially Diwali, in which people prepare various types of sweets and other dishes. There are many diet conscious people who look forward to festivals to have a cheat day. Many such dishes are prepared during festivals, like Malpua, Puri, Pakora, Kachori etc. which are deep fried. The oil used for frying them is saved (reuse leftover oil), which people use again. But during festivals, many things are already fried in these oils. After that, if you use them for cooking again after a few days, it can harm your health.

Oily fried foods are already known to be harmful to health and when you repeatedly consume fried oil, it can harm your overall health in many ways, including your digestive system. Now you might be wondering whether to throw away the cooking oil? Not at all, you can use cooking oil in many forms (how to reuse cooking oil). This festival season, we will tell you how to reuse cooking oil (sustainable kitchen).

Dr. Aditi Sharma, Head of Nutrition and Dietetics at Manipal Hospital, Ghaziabad, has given many important information related to reusing cooking oil. He has told how many times you can use cooking oil for deep frying. Besides, methods of reusing it have also been explained (how to reuse cooking oil).

Repeated heating of cooking oil changes its chemical composition. Image: Adobe Stock

Know how many times you can use cooking oil for frying (how to reuse cooking oil)

According to Aditi Sharma, “Cooking oil should be used once for deep frying, you can use it maximum twice. Repeated heating of cooking oil changes its chemical composition, which can harm health. Cooking oil can be reused as an alternative, but if its color has changed in the first place then do not use it for any cooking purpose. Apart from cooking, you also have some options for which you can use the leftover cooking oil.

Know how to store used cooking oil (how to store cooking oil)

1: Let it cool

When you finish frying your dish, immediately turn off the gas flame. Let the oil come to room temperature. Be patient; This may take some time (cooking hacks).

2: Filter the oil

When the oil cools down, filter out the food pieces. Pour the remaining oil into a fine mesh strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth. These small particles can spoil the taste of the oil when reheated, so throw them away!

Due to reheating of oil, the nutritional and chemical properties of cooking oil are significantly affected. Image: Adobe Stock

3: Store Properly

Pour the filtered oil into a tightly closed glass jar or other special oil storage container. To prevent mess, use a funnel. To keep the oil longer, store it in a cool, dark place like a pantry or refrigerator.

Also read: These 5 superfoods are healthy but can increase weight, remember these 5 things before including them in your diet

4: Label the container

Clearly write on the container the type of oil, use by date and what was cooked in it. This helps you keep track of its condition and suitability for future recipes.

Now know how to reuse cooking oil.

1. Can be used to make parathas

If you like parathas and make them occasionally, then you can reuse deep fried oil to make parathas, however, do not use cooking oil that has been stored for a long time.

Apply oil on parathas. Image: Shutterstock

2. Add tadka to vegetables and rice

Rice and vegetables are prepared daily in everyone's house, you can reuse your cooking oil to add tadka to them. Do not use used cooking oil stored for a long time. Or even if the color of your oil has changed, do not use it for food.

3. Manure/Compost

Add a small amount of leftover cooking oil to compost or use it to make compost at home. However, avoid mixing too much as it can create foul odor and attract pests.

4. Use in making soap

You can filter the remaining cooking oil and use it to make homemade soap. Mix the oil with other ingredients used in making soap and prepare the soap. You will find soap making recipes available everywhere.

With the help of baking, tasty food can be prepared with less amount of oil. Image: Adobe Stock

5. Apply for baking and on baking trays

There are many baking items that require oil. Whereas for baking, it is necessary to apply oil on the tray. You can reuse cooking oil in this way. However, keep a few things in mind, like if you want to use fish fried oil, don't use it in sweet baking recipes. Before reusing oil, it is important for you to understand which type of oil is used when and for what.

Also read: If you want to prevent weight gain during the festive season, then try these 5 low calorie breakfast recipes.