How should I get rid of a can of bacon grease?

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Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
It's quite liquid at room temperature.

The only answer I'm seeing is put it in a sealed container for the trash.
 

squirrel dog

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
5,564
48
91
Brlycreem
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Stopsignhank

Platinum Member
Mar 1, 2014
2,721
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Do you have dogs? Put the bowl on the floor, maybe on some newspaper and in 10 seconds your problem will be solved.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,884
526
126
Do you have dogs? Put the bowl on the floor, maybe on some newspaper and in 10 seconds your problem will be solved.
That reminds me, one time we were fostering a dog (momma with puppies) that had belonged to a homeless person who surrendered them. She used to jump on the counters, lick every dish and plate or pan, steal any food that was left on the counter. One night she found the can of bacon grease we had forgotten to put back in the fridge. Probably an entire cup of bacon grease, she ate it. And then returned to her puppies which were medium coat length. All the puppies looked as though they had been groomed with an oily brill cream and reeked of bacon.
 

Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,391
1,780
126
I usually end up letting it solidify somewhat, then I pour it into the trash. Wait until the grease starts to turn white and solid...then just let it slide off the pan into the trash. If you're worried about the mess, immediately empty the trash. I use a Panini pan to fry bacon since it has a metal plate to keep the bacon flat. I then leave it on the stove until solid...then hit it with a few seconds of heat if I need to dislodge it later.

In the summer months, I usually save some of it in a glass pyrex dish and use a tablespoon or so to flavor beans and collard greens. (especially since those cook for 20+ minutes stovetop)
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
89
91
Even if you put it down the drain with a ton of dish soap? I'm constantly using a ton of dish soap. Never had an issue putting grease down the drain. I would've just hand cleaned the frying pan with a ton of dawn.

Grease residue from the plate you ate it on is constantly going down the drain from the dishwasher. I don't get it. You're supposed to make sure you are using enough soap. Most people don't bother to hand wash many dishes anymore is the problem.
 
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momeNt

Diamond Member
Jan 26, 2011
9,290
352
126
Even if you put it down the drain with a ton of dish soap? I'm constantly using a ton of dish soap. Never had an issue putting grease down the drain. I would've just hand cleaned the frying pan with a ton of dawn.

Grease residue from the plate you ate it on is constantly going down the drain from the dishwasher. I don't get it. You're supposed to make sure you are using enough soap. Most people don't bother to hand wash many dishes anymore is the problem.

In this thread people would have you wipe everything down with paper towels then discard the paper towel in the trash, then rinse the dish in the sink so minimal grease goes down the drain.

It's all pretty absurd the amount of hysteria that grease brings out in people.
 

Stopsignhank

Platinum Member
Mar 1, 2014
2,721
2,195
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That reminds me, one time we were fostering a dog (momma with puppies) that had belonged to a homeless person who surrendered them. She used to jump on the counters, lick every dish and plate or pan, steal any food that was left on the counter. One night she found the can of bacon grease we had forgotten to put back in the fridge. Probably an entire cup of bacon grease, she ate it. And then returned to her puppies which were medium coat length. All the puppies looked as though they had been groomed with an oily brill cream and reeked of bacon.
As someone who has fostered my share of dogs, I can appreciate this story.

One of the fosters we kept would jump on tables and counters. When we would say something to her she would look at us with this "What?" expression on her face. She does not do that anymore. ():)
 

FeuerFrei

Diamond Member
Mar 30, 2005
9,144
929
126
Axle grease for your wagon. Don't be that annoying neighbor with a squeaky wagon.

Or ... make soap? Candles?
 

NetWareHead

THAT guy
Aug 10, 2002
5,847
154
106
Even if you put it down the drain with a ton of dish soap? I'm constantly using a ton of dish soap. Never had an issue putting grease down the drain. I would've just hand cleaned the frying pan with a ton of dawn.

Grease residue from the plate you ate it on is constantly going down the drain from the dishwasher. I don't get it. You're supposed to make sure you are using enough soap. Most people don't bother to hand wash many dishes anymore is the problem.

Nominal amounts of oils when reacted with soap (as found in normal dishwashing) are what the sewer lines are designed for. Pouring straight grease down the drain is outside the design specs of normal sewer piping and is asking for trouble.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,374
9,901
126
In this thread people would have you wipe everything down with paper towels then discard the paper towel in the trash, then rinse the dish in the sink so minimal grease goes down the drain.

It's all pretty absurd the amount of hysteria that grease brings out in people.

First off, I wouldn't waste good bacon grease. Second, try your "wash down the drain" with a septic system. With public sewer, you're making someone else's life worse, even if it doesn't affect you. With septic, you're likely to get an unpleasant, and expensive surprise.
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
89
91
This. If you put it down the drain this is eventually what happens down the line, and everyone suffers:

iu


Imagine what it does to your arteries if you eat too much. :eek: Moderation is key though. Bacon is good. :D

Thats like a community of homes that don't use enough dish soap.

The soap in dishwashers is different. Mostly abrasives to increase the power washing effect. There is no way the tiny amount of soap and water used by dishwashers is able to fully envelop fats into micelles.

I actually use alot of dish soap because I assume my neighbors aren't. The stuff is cheap. Like $1.27 for a huge bottle.

Water facilities have been having increased problems with fat bergs. Yet people are cooking less at home. Its because of the lack of detergents, soaps, and surfactants going down the drain.
 
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MongGrel

Lifer
Dec 3, 2013
38,466
3,067
121
Even if you put it down the drain with a ton of dish soap? I'm constantly using a ton of dish soap. Never had an issue putting grease down the drain. I would've just hand cleaned the frying pan with a ton of dawn.

Grease residue from the plate you ate it on is constantly going down the drain from the dishwasher. I don't get it. You're supposed to make sure you are using enough soap. Most people don't bother to hand wash many dishes anymore is the problem.

Knock yourself out if you want to pour it down your drain and won't listen I guess.

It's your sewer pipe.
 

OverVolt

Lifer
Aug 31, 2002
14,278
89
91
Knock yourself out if you want to pour it down your drain and won't listen I guess.

It's your sewer pipe.

Most of what I cook with is liquid at room temperature & goes down in a deluge of dawn. I'm probably cleaning other people's pipes. We're talking 2-3 Tbsp used for cooking and 2-3 Tbsp of dawn to wash the frying pan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micelle

Individual surfactant molecules that are in the system but are not part of a micelle are called "monomers". Micelles represent a molecular assembly, in which the individual components are thermodynamically in equilibrium with monomers of the same species in the surrounding medium. In water, the hydrophilic "heads" of surfactant molecules are always in contact with the solvent, regardless of whether the surfactants exist as monomers or as part of a micelle. However, the lipophilic "tails" of surfactant molecules have less contact with water when they are part of a micelle—this being the basis for the energetic drive for micelle formation. In a micelle, the hydrophobic tails of several surfactant molecules assemble into an oil-like core, the most stable form of which having no contact with water.

When surfactants are present above the critical micelle concentration (CMC), they can act as emulsifiers that will allow a compound that is normally insoluble (in the solvent being used) to dissolve. This occurs because the insoluble species can be incorporated into the micelle core, which is itself solubilized in the bulk solvent by virtue of the head groups' favorable interactions with solvent species. The most common example of this phenomenon is detergents, which clean poorly soluble lipophilic material (such as oils and waxes) that cannot be removed by water alone.

TLDR people cook with too heavy of fats and not enough detergents.
 
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elitejp

Golden Member
Jan 2, 2010
1,080
20
81
Sending it down a garbage disposal might work if the grease is cold and the water you're running is cold too. But the trash is usually the way to go.
do not do this ! :eek:
We normally would freeze it and then dump it the the garbage.

But like others say use it for cooking.
 

elitejp

Golden Member
Jan 2, 2010
1,080
20
81
Really you dont even need to wash the pan.
More times than not I would pour the extra grease into the garbage can while it was still liquid and then put the pan back on the burner for whatever I cook next, whether its todays next meal or tomorrows.

Recently I have been rendering lard and keeping it for biscuits, pies whatever.