Bacon and other grease

[aja8888]

I don't know what DW does with it.

 

[ls99]

DW does not do it. Yet when I was a kid, fat from anything was saved, it is lard. Lard was spread on bread, added some raw onions, or sliced peppers, scallions, anotherwords it was food. That no longer happened once I arrived in the US.

Here in the US nowadays I dump the grease and cooking oil on the outdoor fire pit. Works well as fire starter even after weeks, unless some critter comes by and laps it up.

 

[braumeister]

I have noticed that my drains flow more freely if I pour boiling water in them now and then.

I once had a plumber tell me this was the best possible thing to do for your drains; it would keep them from ever clogging.

 

[RonBoyd]

I once had a plumber tell me this was the best possible thing to do for your drains; it would keep them from ever clogging.

This is probably one of those "commonsense" things that doesn't end up to be very accurate. Water, no matter how hot initially, would cool down quite rapidly and be, at the very least (most?) "room" temperature, before reaching the main line.

I would have to fall into line with the "just don't put it in your drain" group.

 

[ls99]

For those of us who spent assigned duty time as KP in army. Fondly remember cleaning out the grease traps. NOT

KP=Kitchen Patrol

 

[aja8888]

For those of us who spent assigned duty time as KP in army AND AIR FORCE. Fondly remember cleaning out the grease traps. NOT

KP=Kitchen Patrol

The army has no monopoly on kitchen grease. My un-fondest memory was the week I spent in the "grease rack" where 50 or more garbage cans came to me daily for steam cleaning out the grease and other smelly crap in them.

 

[SumDay]

I mop mine up with paper towels (using tongs) and throw the towels into the trash. That pan is almost clean by the time it gets into the sink. Sometimes we just let the dog lick it and pop that sucker right back into the cabinet.

 

[Walt34]

We save cans that once held soup or beans or something and pour any grease in those, put it in the freezer for a while, and it goes out with the next trash pickup. That's what we've been doing with it but after reading this thread I'll have to reconsider. We don't have dogs to feed it to though.

 

[DAYDREAMER]

I had friends (married couple) that used to fry up 3 packages of bacon, then take all the grease and mix it in with potatoes and eggs hobbo breakfast. OMG it was good when they cooked in camp. Sadly to say the key word here is "HAD". They both died of heart disease. Both died from heart attack.

 

[Ronstar]

Since we live in the boonies, we throw our leftover grease outside for the wild animals to eat

 

[RonBoyd]

ISadly to say the key word here is "HAD". They both died of heart disease. Both died from heart attack.

Does a set of data make you feel more comfortable? More successful? Then your interpretation of it is likely wrong.

Susan Etlinger: What do we do with all this big data? | Talk Video | TED.com

 

[splitwdw]

I cook bacon in an iron skillet and save some fat for cooking, baking.....great in potato salad (potatoes, celery, hardboil egg, mayo, crumbled bacon, 2 tablespoons bacon fat).
Husband microwaves his bacon on paper plate and paper towels. Grease absorbed by paper towels and thrown in trash.
I can remember a friends father, use to smear bacon fat on baking potatoes then wrap in foil to bake. I can't remember if it added any flavor to the potato.

 

[DAYDREAMER]

Susan Etlinger: What do we do with all this big data? | Talk Video | TED.com

LOL, are you implying that I'm making an incorrect assumption that these people died from their extremely high fatty diet?

I love bacon like everybody else, but the idea of eating bacon fat scares me to death. The fat doesnt only clog house plumbing!

 

[Sunset]

We don't have it often thanks to DW. But when we do, I save the grease in closed lid jar in the freezer.
Once its enough, I put bird seed into a can without ripples on it, or a frozen OJ cardboard 'can' is best.
Then pour in the melted fat.
let it harden and the wild birds love it in the winter.

 

[MichaelB]

If there was a way to brew beer from bacon fat, then that would be ideal. Bacon beer .

Bacon beer? That's a Nobel Prize level discovery, and I bet whoever did it would be richer than Bill Gates.

 

[MichaelB]

So, it seems the options, in order, are reuse, landfill, sewer. Is it fair to say all things considered, landfill has less overall environmental impact than sewer?

 

[braumeister]

Bacon beer? That's a Nobel Prize level discovery, and I bet whoever did it would be richer than Bill Gates.

Not the same flavor, but if you have a good beer store near you, pick up a bottle of this. Most people think it smells like bacon.

(If the German script on the label is hard to read, just ask for "Schlenkerla" which is pronounced as written. A great little brewery in Bamberg that specializes in beer made from smoked malt.)

 

[Lucantes]

There a Bacon Beer called Maple Bacon Ale, made by Rogue in Oregon I think, but everything I have seen says it is not very good....?
I love to eat bacon, but that doesn't mean I want to drink it!

 

[frank]

bacon grease is the best for cooking pork chops, fried potatoes, and numerous other things. I never throw it out;. you can let it cool and put it in the fridge and it will keep for months. but you have to buy good flavored bacon to get the good flavor in your cooking.

 

[imoldernu]

Would guess landfill is better than sewer. See this article:
Preventing Fats, Oil and Grease Discharges Into Sewers

No bacon, but we cool grease and it goes to the landfill. Had forgotten about making suet, but that's now on the to do list.

Sidenote on dishwasher instructions to use cold water when running. I always questioned this, because of the fear of plugging the drain with grease. After looking it up: Cold water will help solidify grease, allowing it to break up and flow through the pipes, rather than accumulate and eventually cause a backup.

 

[Ronstar]

So, it seems the options, in order, are reuse, landfill, sewer. Is it fair to say all things considered, landfill has less overall environmental impact than sewer?

Yes - grease/oil tends to stick to sewer pipes having less slope leading to reduced pipe capacity and flow constrictions causing sewer backups. And I read that 1 gallon of oil can contaminate 1,000,000 gallons of water. Not good - it's better in a landfill.

 

[freebird5825]

I have a septic system, so zero grease goes down the sink drain.
For small amounts of grease or oil, I tilt the pans on the stovetop to let it collect on one side of the pan while it cools, then place it on its side or upside down over the trash can to drain. I wipe all pans out with a paper towel before washing.
For larger amounts of grease or oil, I use plastic or glass jars to collect it, and then dispose in the trash.
I cook my bacon all at once by the pound and freeze it for later use. 15 seconds in the microwave and it's ready to rock on my BLTs.

Here's a great article about feeding birds from the Cornell Lab of Orinthology. Bacon grease does not seem to be on their list of good things to feed to birds for the long term.

Suet and Other Foods, Birding Basics

 

[aja8888]

So, it seems the options, in order, are reuse, landfill, sewer. Is it fair to say all things considered, landfill has less overall environmental impact than sewer?

Landfill biological actions would consume the grease and turn it into methane gas.

 

[Idnar7]

My wife adds bacon grease when making refried beans. My grandmother fried eggs in bacon grease, basting with it to cook the tops. Tasted great and we always looked forward to breakfast. Coffee grounds, egg shells, and table scraps went into our worm pit. Never any problem digging worms for fishing.

 

[REWahoo]

Landfill biological actions would consume the grease and turn it into methane gas.

Which is exactly what happens when I eat bacon...