PURTI OIL

Using leftover cooking oil; healthy or not?

Reusing cooking oil can be economical, but improper use may lead to health risks like rancidity and harmful compounds. To reuse oil safely, strain it well, avoid high temperatures, don’t mix oils, and store it in a cool, dark place. Following proper practices helps maintain food quality while reducing potential health hazards.

Using fresh oil every time you cook is the healthiest option but it is a common practice to re-use cooking oil in households and it can turn out to be pretty economic. Though re-using leftover cooking oil is not harmful but it can turn out to be, if certain points are not kept in mind. At times it can pose some serious health hazards and the most common point to be kept in mind while recycling cooking oil is that after a while the oil becomes rancid or spoiled in addition to having strange flavors and odors.

Follow these points to re-use leftover cooking oil properly:

• Strain it thoroughly to eliminate any food particles before storing
• Be careful while dealing with hot oil, since you can easily get burned.
• Shake off excess batter from food before frying it if you want to re-use the oil.
• Try not to fry food items at a higher temperature (more than 190°C).
• Do not use the oil to fry food items for too long since prolonged heat accelerates rancidity.
• Never mix different types of oils.
• Store the leftover oil properly. Always use a tightly sealed container and store it in a cool, dark place.
• Keep the stored oil safe from humidity, light, and heat.
• Avoid certain utensils made of iron or copper for frying food items in oil that is to be reused. These metals accelerate the rancidity.

Keep these points in mind in order to safely re-use leftover cooking oil for a healthy meal!