Re-using frying oil after 1 year???

JayWeezie · 11-15-2011, 06:50 PM

I have 5gls of oil from last thanksgiving that only got used once and has been on my
back porch since then. The porch isn't heated or cooled.

Im wondering how long the oil could last and still not impart any off flavors in a turkey fry this year?

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**dataz722** · 11-15-2011, 07:01 PM

If it has just been on the porch I probably wouldn't use it but as long as nothing got into it, it shouldn't be harmful. I would just smell it and if it smells fine then use a small amount to fry up some potatoes and try it.

CHefJohnboyardee · 11-17-2011, 04:09 AM

what dataz said.

oil is expensive. if it was air tight and strained well before being stored you should be fine. if it smells funny or imparts an off flavor, sell it to a grease company or at least give it to a place that has a grease disposal bin.

**Ricand** · 11-17-2011, 04:21 AM

What kind of oil is pretty important here. If it's a saturated fat like lard there isn't a problem at all. If it's unsaturated like olive oil it could be oxydized and impart nasty flavors. Nothing will kill you, but oxidized unsaturated oil is really nasty. DataZ is spot on, if it smells bad recycle it, if it smells OK a taste will give you the answer.

So Cajun turkey is on the menu. Do you pack it in cayenne pepper overnight too?

billtzk · 11-17-2011, 05:04 AM

There is no way I would use year old used oil for frying a turkey, even if it had been kept indoors in a cool and dark place. And definitely not used oil that was kept outside on a back porch in Charlotte. That oil is good for making biodiesel or soap. That's it.

Why would you want to ruin a good bird?

I use fresh lard for frying turkeys. I'll use it more than once if I have more than one bird to fry back to back in one session. I don't save it and reuse it for another fry on another day.

DWhitwell · 11-17-2011, 06:00 AM

So, for years I reused my peanut oil for frying turkeys, sometimes storing it in a spare fridge, somtimes in my 50F basement. I'd just sniff it, and if it wasn't rancid, I'd use it again, straining it when done and storing it in the pot, with the lid on. Then one year, after it passed the sniff test, I started heating the oil, and after a bit it started smelling odd, kinda sour. Then little bits of grey fuzzy mold-like stuff started floating to the top, and as it got hotter, the oil started sizzling like it was cooking something. After poking around in the pot for a bit, eventually a dead rat floated to the top. The pot, an aluminum 6.5 gallon turkey dryer I got back in the early 90's, went straight into the garbage...

Life is Good!
David

lgilmore · 11-17-2011, 07:06 AM

it is funny but we spend more for the stuff we cook turkey in than the turkey itself. I brine my turkey and I spend more to make the brine for the turkey than the turkey. But hey, sure tastes good.