Sìlly Qùéstion, I have one

[thyme4change]

I use a bean can, and I rotate it often. I keep it in the fridge, and whenever we eat beans I switch it out - so sometimes I have an empty, open can just sitting in the door of my fridge. Visitors probably think I'm nutty - but hey, what are they doing in my fridge?

[regina24601]

We use empty aluminum cans (green beans, corn, etc.) I guess they don't have the lids like the coffee cans used to, but we make it work.

[busymom]

I sometimes use the cans from vegetables. (Good ol' green giant!) They're not big, but I don't get a lot of grease out of my cooking, so they're big enough.

[Deleted]

How much hot grease do you guys generate?

[Sam_2.0]

Depends on what the grease is from. Bacon grease and the like get left in the skillet to firm up & cool. Then I scrape it all into an old plastic bag and toss in the trash. Oil from frying up chicken gets poured into a glass jar & set in the fridge to re-use a few times, then tossed after it absorbs too much "flavor".

Glass jars should work just as well as the metal ones. Keep pickle jars if you need bigger ones. You can easily get them from the recycling center if you don't have enough of your own.

[thyme4change]

I don't make much grease.

Maybe you could go on freecycle and ask people to donate their cans to you. Then you wouldn't have to drink the coffee.

[Deleted]

I save my bacon grease and fry eggs in it. Cowboy up!

[bluecluessubtlety]

I either let it cool and scrape into trash or pour it down the sink hot.

[Sam_2.0]

Blues - make sure to follow it down the drain with some hot water & dishsoap!! I remember my mom clogging up the drains several times just pouring the grease down (always a good way to annoy my dad - )

[mizbear]

Be VERY VERY careful pouring hot gease into a glass jar. Please be careful! My aunt was pouring hot grease in a glass jar once (over 25 years ago) and it exploded. She was burned and my cousin was delivered prematurely because of the trauma. Both of them are fine now, but it scared the you know what out of everyone. I'm sure everyone probably lets their grease cool sufficiently, but that always sticks in my mind.
My store has a nice medium-dark blend store brand coffee that comes in a metal can still. I can often get it on sale- I then it all into my ginormous maxwell house plastic tub- keeps it fresh- and I can use the cans as needed.

[thyme4change]

pour it down the sink hot

If it is solid at room temp, it will be solid in the pipes at some point. If you are lucky, it will get all the way to the city's pipes before it hardens - but why take the chance.

I have also waited until it cools and scraped it into the trash.

[Clever Username]

May 24, 2011 10:24:06 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

I’ve always stored a coffee can under the kitchen sink, poured the hot grease in, let it cool, and put back under the sink. Rinse and repeat until it’s full then throw away.

I get that you're using this as a colloquialism.
But why not use it in fact.

Pour the grease into your favorite coffee can.
Let it cool.
Throw away the grease.
Keep the can.

I usually just glance casually around the kitchen.
Pout it into the least meltable bit of rubbish around.
I'll usually Costanza something out of the garbage.
Disposable coffee cup is best, if it's meant to hold hot coffee, it'll probably survive hot grease.

I have very few recipes that require me to pour off the grease immediately.

[Tiny]

The pet store sells plastic 'covers' for cans of pet food. I suspect that the covers would fit on the top of a Green Bean or other canned veggie can... I think I got 3 covers for about $1.50. That would give you a cover for your can of grease. When the can is full toss it out and use the lid on the next can.

(yes, I'm a 'bad' cat mom and give my cats 1/3rd of a can of cat food at a time and then refridgerate the leftovers. I even serve them cold cat food from the fridge)

You could also search around the local resale/antique/estate/garage sales and see if you can find an old fashion grease jar (from the '50's and earlier). These were made out of Ovensafe Glass (think Pyrex) so you could let the grease cool down some and then pour it into the 'jar'. Anchor Hocking, FireKing, Pyrex, and Glasbake made about 200 gazillion of these things so there should be plenty around if you look... you do have to scrape them out occassionally...


ADDED: I've used a churchkey to open up the top of an aluminum soda can so I could pour grease into it. I've pulled steel veggie cans and cat food cats out of the recycle bin when I needed something to pour hot grease into, too.

[steph08]

I use an empty glass pickle jar or jelly jar. Pour the grease into it, let it cool a little, and I stick it in the freezer.

[vacaquilts]

We use an empty plastic icing container thingy. I save all plastic containers to recycle.

[singlemomky]

(yes, I'm a 'bad' cat mom and give my cats 1/3rd of a can of cat food at a time and then refridgerate the leftovers. I even serve them cold cat food from the fridge)

I'm guilty of this too - mine gets 1/2 can in the morning and 1/2 a can in the evening. I usually just leave the lid partially on and stick it in the fridge. Thanks for letting me know I can find lids at the pet store.

[mizbear]

not a bad cat mom. bad cat moms have either under fed or severely overweight cats.

btw- don't pour extremely hot grease into a plastic grease separator- they are not really made for hot grease and will melt all over your counter (Yes I did it!)

[myrrh]

Please please please don't grease down the sink. A tablespoon every once in awhile probably won't hurt but grease is a huge problem at many many wastewater treatment plants. Grease is very difficult to treat and can cause unwanted organisms to proliferate which causes bad effects. Please don't make the operators' jobs harder (and smellier, and more disgusting) than they have to be.

[mizbear]

for those who still smoke or allow outdoor smokers at their homes... cheap coffee is great in ashtrays. I do not smoke and prefer that my guests do not (I am asthmatic and buried my grandfather from lung cancer) but do sometimes keep a small coffee can with grounds in it for smokers on my balcony. It seems to help absorb the odor. Coffee used to be good for nightcrawlers also.
Just some suggestions what to do with that cheap joe.

[dancinmama]

May 24, 2011 10:31:56 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

May 24, 2011 10:26:36 GMT -5 regina24601 said:

We use empty aluminum cans (green beans, corn, etc.) I guess they don't have the lids like the coffee cans used to, but we make it work.

That's my problem, A) no lid and B) I'm kinda messy so I like the big can.

I'll probably break down and buy cheap coffee in a real can and then try to drink the coffee. Last time I did that I made it about a week before I realized life is too short to drink bad coffee and threw it out.

It just seems expensive and wasteful to me to do that.

Here's an idea: when you grease can is getting full, stick it in the freezer just long enough for the goop to solidify. Then use a spatula and scoop the goo into your trash bag. Dispose of the trash bag and reuse the can.

Oops, I see several different variations of this were suggested. I guess it must be a good idea. ;D

[Timberwolf]

Maybe you could let the grease cool enough (in some other container) so its not hot enough to burn through the plastic, then you could still dispose of it in the plastic container.

[qofcc]

For small amounts of grease when cooking bacon or ground beef, I put a couple of paper towels on top of a dinner plate and pour the grease on top of the paper towels and let it absorb. When it cools, I take the plate over to the trash and the paper towels in, then rinse the plate and put it in the dishwasher.

[shelly527in]

I never have a lot of grease, so I pour mine into the crock that keeps my utensils off the stove. It is as big around as a saucer and about 2 iinches deep. When I feed the dog, I put a little over her food and toss the rest in the trash (cooled or poured into a veggie can).

[lajes]

Lowes sells empty metal paint cans with a lid for a couple of bucks. Mine has two sizes -- quart and gallon.

[DVM gone riding]

I too either wait until it cools and scrap it into the trash or keep the bean can and it into that. That is what My mom always did and it seemed to be the right size to fill and throw away. The problem I have had lately is remembering to save one of the cans!!

[reeneejune]

I'd like to second the pet-food-can lids suggestion. The plastic re-usable lids fit on the top of any standard size can (think veggies or beans or whatever), I use them because I'm single and don't use a full can of anything at a time.

Just because you can't say it often enough DON'T pour hot grease straight from the frying pan into a glass container. Let it cool off as much as possible before you pour it into a glass container. Same goes with plastic. Especially whoever suggested those plastic frosting containers (btw - I want to live at your house if you've got a surplus of empty frosting containers... after all, someone has to eat all that frosting! ;D).

And as a former fast food employee, let me tell any of you that are pouring grease down your drains, you will regret it sooner or later. And the later it is, the more you're going to regret it. Because solidified rancid grease smells gawd-awful to clean up.

[mizbear]

lonewolf- I would take it one of 2 ways- you are either a very healthy cook- or you eat the way I did when I was a 75lb 14 yr old .

[twinmama85]

i just let it cool and poor it in the trash can..never have a problem

[Deleted]

May 30, 2011 23:17:10 GMT -5 @lonewolf said:

I never have leftover grease. Am I doing something wrong?

I'm with you. I don't cook anything in that generates grease or needs grease.

[jitterbug]

I've been putting my grease into the heavy duty plastic Folgers cans that we use at work and have had no problem with the grease melting the plastic. I do throw the can away before it's even close to being full because the can is large and gets nasty.

But I also SAVE all my bacon grease and use it to pop my popcorn in! YUM!!! I will pour it into a custard cup and keep it in the fridge.