My mother kept a large jar under the sink to store rendered fat or used oil from bacon, burgers, fried chicken and the like; its distinct layers represented the geologic eras of family dinners from previous months. Once full, we would presumably discard it in the trash.

This was before we recycled everything, and before we knew food waste was one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Surely large jars of cooking grease set out on the curb with other refuse isn’t exactly a winning move on either the recycling or food-waste front.  

While we have vastly improved how we dispose of many things, excess cooking grease still presents a regular quandary. It’s not exactly cooperative to slither inside biodegradable food-waste bags, if you’re fortunate enough to live somewhere that collects food waste. You also can’t toss it into your countertop composter without disrupting its yuck-free operation.

Should you ever pour excess oil down the sink?

Ask a plumber; oil is one of the worst things you can pour down the drain.Alina Bradford/CNET

So, is it ever OK to pour excess grease or used cooking oil down the sink? Even if you run the hot water tap at the same time? Short answer: no. Long answer? Here’s an expert for the “no.” “When grease cools, it solidifies, coating the interior of the pipe,” says Jacylyn Basilone, chief operating officer of Brooks Plumbing. Even if you’re running hot water, the grease will eventually cool further down the line and cause future problems. “Over time, the solidified grease in the pipes can catch debris, thus making a partial clog grow larger and larger,” she says, reducing the pipe’s circumference little by little if you do this repeatedly.

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Unlike a clogged shower drain, which you can usually clear easily, “a normal sewer machine or ‘snake’ can’t alleviate this type of stoppage,” says Basilone. “While grease solidifies, it can’t be captured by the claw head. Grease removal is best remediated with a hydrojetter, which tends to be more expensive than the traditional drain-cleaning services.” 

This excess grease hack is the best thing since sliced bread

There isn’t an obvious way to discard a pan full of hot grease.Pamela Vachon/CNET

Bread is the real answer, and I can’t believe I haven’t been doing this all along. (*Hangs head in shame as someone fully guilty of relying on the obviously very sketchy hot water method.*)

Bread has always been a superb grease-mopping tool; we usually think of it in a culinary context rather than for waste removal. Just as you’d drag a crusty baguette or hunk of ciabatta across the drippings on your plate, bread is an excellent sponge for all manner of oil, whether or not it is appealing to consume. Using bread to soak up excess oil essentially turns liquid food waste into a solid, making disposal much easier.

How and when to use the bread method for soaking up grease

A piece of bread that’s past its prime makes an excellent oil sponge.Pamela Vachon/CNET

If it’s not obvious, this is also an excellent way to use bread that might otherwise go to waste: the ends of the loaf you can’t bring yourself to eat, or bread that’s gone stale or starting to show the first mold spores. If you’re going to discard the bread anyway, at least put it to good use.

The bread trick comes in handy in almost endless ways. If there’s a pool of oil, it’s the mop for the job. I initially tried it after cooking bacon. A single, small slice of bread was enough to absorb what was easily four to six ounces of liquid grease left in the pan. I dragged the slice around the pan like a mop, but even after letting it sit a few extra moments, it kept working and eventually soaked up all the liquid grease. (If you’re feeling indulgent and used a fresh bread slice for this purpose, the temptation to make pretty epic croutons here is quite strong — another upside.)

An oily sauce or stew benefits from being sopped gently with a slice of bread.Pamela Vachon/CNET

If your air fryer has space between the drawer and the basket, you can place the bread there to soak up grease while cooking. Even for oily, slow-cooked proteins like pork shoulder, you can press the bread onto the meat to soak up grease before serving.

Oil-soaked bread can be composted, but with caution

Oil-soaked bread can go in the compost bin under certain conditions.Jenny Dettrick/Getty Images

Once the bread has absorbed the oil and needs discarding, responsible food-waste methods are much easier to manage. Depending on how much oil the bread has absorbed, you can safely put the soaked bread in the compost bin or countertop composter without risking a major oil spill and a mess to clean up later. Oil can slow decomposition, so composting large amounts isn’t recommended. Small amounts, such as a few tablespoons at a time, are safe.

Even if you have no other option but to throw it away — and if that is the case, please consider getting a small composting appliance — at the very least, you’re not involving an easily recyclable glass container.

For more home tips, learn this neat trick for reusing frying oil and learn the 10 worst things to pour down your drain.

Pamela Vachon

Contributor

Pamela is a freelance food and travel writer based in Astoria, Queens. While she writes about most things edible and potable (and accessories dedicated to those topics,) her real areas of expertise are cheese, chocolate, cooking and wine. She's a culinary school grad, certified sommelier, former bartender and fine dining captain with 10 years in the industry. When not sitting at the keys, she leads in-home cheese classes, wine tastings and cocktail demonstrations. See full bio