Bacon and other grease

[MichaelB]

Interesting article on the plumbing problems caused by excess grease over the Thanksgiving holiday Thanksgiving grease cooks up plumbing disasters | Reuters

Given our appreciation for all things bacon, this brings to mind a question I've been meaning to ask. What do people do with all the remaining liquid bacon fat? For grease that congesls at room temperature I usually scrape it into the trash, and if it remains liquid I add soapy water and wash it down the pipes.

[WhoDaresWins]

I don't cook bacon at home. I try not to pour anything that might clog down my drain/garbage disposal so I save glass jars from stuff like pickles, olives, etc. for this purpose.

[Senator]

I pour mine on the ground, over the fence...

[steelyman]

I treat my sink once a month with baking soda and vinegar. It keeps it clear. Usually I use that precooked bacon in the zap box.

[ArkTinkerer]

We never throw out bacon fat! We cook with it! Biscuits or cornbread or to brown venison before cooking it in the oven or slow cooker.

[athena53]

From my ex-husband's first wife (yes, it's complicated): soponification. Squirt a little dish detergent in the grease and add water (after it's cooled somewhat or it will spatter). Bring to a boil, then it's safe to pour down the drain.

They were both brilliant inorganic chemists and I'm not, so I figured they knew what they were doing and I've never had drains blocked by grease (although I don't cook much greasy stuff).

[Meadbh]

They really should be more careful in London.....

Fatberg ahead! How London was saved from a 15-tonne ball of grease | Environment | The Guardian

Meanwhile, at home....
I don't have much grease to dispose of. My tabletop grill has a drip container which is easily emptied into the garbage can. Any oil or grease remaining in a pan is emptied into a small container and can be reused or emptied into the garbage.

[braumeister]

We go through nearly a pound of bacon a week, so there's always some around.

After I finish cooking a batch (I normally do two pounds at a time and keep it in a ziplock bag in the frig for microwaving as desired), I pour the grease into a Pyrex bowl.

After the bowl of grease has cooled, it goes in the freezer. I frequently take a spoonful from that bowl for cooking.

Whenever I make suet cakes for the birds in the winter, whatever is in the bowl goes into that mix (along with lard, peanut butter, oatmeal and cornmeal). The birds seem to enjoy it as much as we do.

Bottom line: none of it goes down the drain or in the trash -- it's all consumed either by us or the birds.

[WhoDaresWins]

I said earlier that I don't cook bacon at home. True, but I would if I could get my hands on the cornmeal bacon that I remember from youthful trips to Canada. When I was in Ireland two years ago I did grow quite fond of their bacon and was happy to see it ever-present on the hotel breakfast buffets.

[REWahoo]

We don't cook bacon that often but when we do I cook up a pound or two so we can keep some in the freezer. I fry it in an old baking pan on the gas grill so that it doesn't smell up the house - but it drives our two Labs crazy!

I avoid the disposal problem by allowing the grease to cool a bit, then pouring over their dog food. They've never complained...

[timo2]

Ours gets poured into a disposable container then thrown away. DW is a water & sewer inspector for a local municipality (includes inspecting commercial grease traps). Very little except water goes down our drains. DW is very adamant about that. (In line with this we purposely do not have a garbage disposal).

[pb4uski]

We keep bacon fat in a glass jar near the stove. When DW isn't looking, I use it for cooking instead of oil or butter. We usually accumulate much more than we use cooking and once it gets to a certain point I scoop a bunch of it onto any wood that is awaiting burning in our outdoor fire pit and it gets burned in our next outdoor fire.

I seem to recall that it would usually go into the deep fryer when I was growing up but DW has banished deep fryers from the house so that isn't an option.

It never goes down the drain as I don't think it would be good for our septic system.

[timo2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senator I pour mine on the ground, over the fence...

I've always been concerned about this method attracting unwanted animals into my yard.

[Senator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 I've always been concerned about this method attracting unwanted animals into my yard.

No worries, the animals are there already...

[RetiredAndFree]

Super easy solution - pour it onto a piece of tinfoil laid inside of a bowl. Once it cools, lift out the tin foil, fold it up carefully, and place it into trash can. Done!

If you use paper bags for your trash, possibly place above into a small sandwich zip to ensure no spillage. (We use plastic liners, so no such concern.)

[Chuckanut]

I save it. A spoon or two of bacon grease in a meat loaf works wonders for the taste. Or, cook up you pancakes in bacon grease instead of some oil or spray. Delicious. However, I usually don't use all of it, so eventually, some works its way to the trash can. I would never pour it down a drain.

[MRG]

When I was a kid, popcorn at my Aunt an Uncle's was a real treat. Better than any I'd ever had. DM explained it to me, they rationed cooking oil like in WWII. The popcorn was cooked in bacon grease. Best popcorn ever.

[RonBoyd]

Several times a week, I cook two slices of thick-sliced bacon simply for the rendered fat to fry with. (The bacon is eaten separately/individually later.)

In addition, I use about 6-7 tablespoons of Lard each week. Also, in diminishing order, is Coconut Oil, Butter (dairy and/or coconut), avocado oil and olive oil.

None of this is ever wasted on plumbing... or even considered.


FWIW, I get my Lard from Tendergrass Farms: Organic Lard | Buy Organic Lard Online

[38Chevy454]

I have septic system, so am very conscious about what goes down the drain. I know the veterinarian and some other "dogs should only eat dog food" people will say not a good idea, but I put on my dogs food and they love it. Not every day, and they typically get some canned veggies with the dog kibble, so a little extra bacon grease makes them happy. I have a microwave bacon plate, so it is easy to just reheat it and pour right on the dogs food bowls. My three dogs are all 80-90 lbs, so the amount of bacon grease is relatively small.

Also going way off topic - my dogs really love a can of chicken soup in their food! Like basic chicken noodle, has the jumping up and down in anticipation.

[W2R]

I hardly ever cook bacon due to my problems with overweight. But if/when I do, I pour the bacon grease in an empty can, and then once it cools I toss the can in the trash. My rationale is that it's cheaper to do that than it is to lose the excess weight that it might cause me to gain. I also drain the bacon on paper towels and try to pat off as much excess bacon grease as I can at that time.

I have noticed that my drains flow more freely if I pour boiling water in them now and then, despite the fact that I stick to a low fat diet. I suspect that even miniscule amounts of fat eventually accumulate and make things sluggish.