After the hamburgers were done, and the rounds and everyone had their fill, it was time to do the dishes, and low and behold, there was always hamburger grease left in the pan or grease trap of the grill or griddle. Throwing it down the drain or toilet is not an option since too much fat will clog the pipes. So, what can I do with the old hamburger grease?
Old, rancid hamburger grease is stored in a sealable container, discarded with other trash, smeared on newspaper, and used as a fire kindle or repurposed into biofuel. However, freshly used hamburger grease can be repurposed in diverse ways limiting waste and contamination.
Discarding used hamburger grease is unnecessary since there are ways of repurposing it.
It can be as simple as feeding it to your pets, while others require more effort and creativity to combat unnecessary waste.
Ways To Repurpose Used Hamburger Grease
Repurposing is not a new concept, and finding more ways of doing so seems to be the order of the day. Fortunately, there are great ways to re-use the left-over grease of the ever-popular hamburger!
Following are examples of how to re-use hamburger grease.
- Bird-lovers can mix the grease with bird seed to feed birds during winter. The nutritional value of this mixture is an immense help to birds during wintertime when food is scarce.
- Dogs especially love hamburger grease mixed into their food from time to time. The oil keeps their coats healthy and shiny and their tummies feeling full.
- Tiny amounts of grease can enhance compost. However, too much may cause unpleasant odors and attract rodents and pests alike, so take care of the amounts used.
- Wiping hamburger grease on cast iron pots protects them from rust. In addition, the oil forms a protective layer preventing moisture from damaging the iron pot.
You can use hamburger grease in other food.
- One way of using hamburger grease is to consume it. For example, drizzle over fries or fried potatoes to add a meaty flavor.
- Use the grease as cooking fat.
- Make a vegetable stir fry. Adding the hamburger grease will add rich flavor to the vegetables.
- Spread hamburger grease on your toast instead of butter, add salt, and enjoy a hearty snack.
- Add hamburger grease to shortening savory pie crust for additional flavors.
- Soups and gravies do very well when complemented with hamburger grease.
Except for the above mentioned, which has mostly to do with food, there are other exciting ways of using hamburger grease.
What Else Can Hamburger Grease Be Used For?
If you are into arts and crafts and enjoy creating things yourself, you may be interested in the following.
- Ancient folk used to use vegetable oils to make candles. Used hamburger grease is perfect for making candles. Admittedly, the scent may not be to your liking, and at the price of store-bought candles, the time and effort may not be worth your while, but you may enjoy the process of making your candle.
- Use hamburger grease to whip up some high-calorie bird feed by putting the fat in a mesh bag, then rolling the bag in birdseed and hanging it out for the birds to feed on during winter.
- One can purchase biofuel kits to assist you in making biofuel using old hamburger grease and cooking oil. Biofuel works perfectly in diesel engines.
Interesting Facts Pertaining Biofuel
American restaurants produce 3,8 billion pounds of grease annually.
Unfortunately, companies can only produce 495 gallons of biofuel from the 3,8 billion pounds. The 495 gallons of fuel represent only1% of America’s fuel consumption needs, hence not making financial sense to start producing biofuel on a larger scale. Hopefully, this scenario will change soon.
Companies are working on more cost-effective ways of re-using kitchen oils and grease as biofuel. However, producing biofuel still presents enormous financial challenges to companies, hindering competition with fossil fuels.
A Project Featuring Used Hamburger Grease
They made hamburger grease star in the following fun projects. These projects may even feature at the next school fair or country market. It may even become a small business for the nature conscious among us.
Candle Making With Hamburger Grease
Making your candle from used hamburger grease is pretty easy and inexpensive.
You will need a container to make the candle; a glass container could work fine.
Next, you will need a cotton wick for the flame, a heat source to melt the gathered hamburger grease, and essential oils to mix into the melted fat if you want to mask the hamburger smell.
After centering the wick in the container, slowly fill the container with melted grease, clip the wick and then wait for the fat to harden. Once the fat solidifies, you can light the candle.
These super affordable hamburger grease candles burn for hours.
Responsible Recycling And Disposal Of Old Hamburger Grease
As the world becomes more populated, finding ways to dispose of or recycle things like used hamburger grease becomes more necessary.
Pouring used grease down the toilet or sink is not advisable because it clogs the pipes.
Following are five ways to dispose of used hamburger grease and cooking oils.
- Mix the grease and oils with sawdust, flour, sand, or cat litter. These dry agents absorb the oils and grease, making disposal less messy.
- Restaurants need to dispose of oils and grease and use waste disposal systems. Therefore, ask if you could add your old oil and grease to their disposal systems. It will ensure the proper disposal thereof.
- Store grease and oils in sealable containers and dispose along with other waste on garbage day.
- Old grease and oil in small quantities can benefit compost. However, remember that too much animal grease may attract unwanted small animals and insects.
- Finally, locate and contact local recycling centers to collect old hamburger grease and cooking oil. These centers can clean and recycle the oil into products like biofuel.
Final Word
Before pouring old hamburger grease down the drain, consider all the things you can do with it. If you need to dispose thereof, do it responsibly.
Related Articles
- How to Dispose of Hamburger Grease From A Grill
- 7 Reasons Why Your Pit Boss Is Leaking Grease
- Why Do Hamburger Buns Fall Apart?
Sources
https://www.recipelion.com/Cooking-Tips/How-to-drain-ground-beef
https://www.thriftyfun.com/Uses-for-Leftover-Hamburger-Fat-1.html