Cooking oil can be reused multiple times after frying, according to specialists at King Arthur Baking. The exact number of uses depends on the type of food being fried.
How Many Times Can Oil Be Reused?
For fried, breaded items such as chicken, oil can be used two to three times before disposal. For plain vegetables or potatoes, it may remain viable for approximately four to six uses.
However, the oil requires thorough cleaning and straining before it can be reused safely.
Chef's Cleaning Method
Ian Fujimoto, known as @iankyo on TikTok, has over 1.6 million followers and regularly shares culinary advice. In a clip with more than 700,000 likes and over 1,000 comments, he explained his approach to handling used cooking oil.
He said: "I get asked a lot what I do with my used fry oil. Typically, after you fry something, there'll be lots of little bits stuck in the oil, but that doesn't mean your oil is bad. It just means that you can clean it, cool it and store it again to use later."
To clean the oil, Ian passes it through a fine-mesh sieve to eliminate larger particles. He added: "The other method that I find is way more effective is using a cornstarch slurry. That's one part water to one part cornstarch."
Cornstarch Slurry Technique
The chef introduces the slurry into hot oil, and the debris binds to the cornstarch. He said: "It kind of works like gum where it becomes really sticky and it just grabs ahold of everything. Then all we need to do is go ahead and remove it."
The technique works regardless of the oil type, whether sunflower, vegetable, or olive. Ian reuses his oil on multiple occasions before replacing it.
Oil that develops a sour or paint-like smell, or turns particularly dark and thick, should be discarded immediately.
