The Best Way to Discard Frying Oil? Don’t
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By Pamela Vachon • September 20, 2026
CNET turned to Melanie Underwood, cookbook author, culinary instructor and founder of Nourish & Gather, for a practical guide to reusing frying oil safely and effectively instead of treating it as a one-time ingredient.
The big idea
“Oil used for frying is not one and done.”
Melanie explains that frying oil can often be reused when it has not been overheated and has not picked up especially strong flavors. Seafood is one example where she recommends being more cautious about reuse.
Before and during frying
Choose an oil that can tolerate frying temperatures well. Melanie points to neutral vegetable oils such as canola, peanut and sunflower as practical choices.
Use a thermometer rather than guessing. Her working frying range is 350°F to 400°F, which helps avoid smoking and protects the oil from unnecessary degradation.
Skim out loose crumbs and burned particles as you cook. The longer those stay in the oil, the faster the oil quality declines.
Olive oil can be used in some frying situations, but Melanie emphasizes understanding the oil, the temperature and the food rather than treating every oil as interchangeable.
After frying: cool, strain and store
Let the oil cool naturally to room temperature before handling or storing it.
Strain out food particles with a fine-mesh strainer, cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
Transfer the strained oil to a clean, completely dry container. Residual water is the enemy here.
Seal the container tightly and keep it away from heat and light. Refrigeration is an option when the oil will not be reused soon.
Label it—and think about what was fried in it
One of Melanie’s most practical habits is to label stored oil with the date, number of uses and what was cooked in it. That makes it easier to track both flavor carryover and allergens.
“Always label and date it.”
That matters especially when cooking for other people. Oil can carry allergens from previously fried foods, and strongly flavored foods can affect whatever you fry next.
Melanie also separates savory and sweet uses when the flavor carryover would be noticeable. In other words, the oil from schnitzel is not necessarily the oil you want for doughnuts.
How to tell when the oil is finished
Smell is one of the most useful cues. Melanie suggests comparing used oil with fresh oil of the same type if you are unsure what you are detecting. Oil that was handled well can often be reused two or three times, sometimes more, depending on the food, temperature and amount of debris left behind.
Why reuse it at all?
For Melanie, the benefit is bigger than saving a few dollars. Reusing something you already have also reduces the demand tied to producing, packaging and transporting more of it.
“I don’t think that we think about that big picture very much.”
That is the same practical sustainability lens Melanie brings to her teaching at Nourish & Gather: use what you have well, understand how ingredients behave and make informed decisions before throwing something away.
CNET • Kitchen & Household • Frying oil, reuse and sustainable cooking
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