Perhaps you're giving up eating vegetable oils for gastronomic purposes. Instead of using rancid tasting cooking oil, try these healthier and more delicious options.
Alternatively, you may have recently discovered that seed oils are among the worst foods for the environment, contain a lot of inflammatory omega 6 fats, and can even be toxic when consumed.
Or perhaps you've always known, in your heart, that there was a problem with vegetable oils.
In relation to that, how long has that old canola, sunflower, or soybean oil bottle been in your cabinet? Probably best not to check.
Not so quickly, though! Read these entertaining and practical ideas before throwing away your vegetable oil (none of them include eating it, and your body will thank you for that).
Put Some Seasoning in Your Cast Iron Pan
The concept of seasoning may already be familiar to you if you own a cast iron pan. You can use cooking oil to coat a new pan or to restore the natural "non stick" surface whenever necessary.
Then, heat the pan for approximately 20 minutes at 350 to 400°F.
The polymerization process is how this seasoning method operates. Unstable unsaturated fatty acids become polymers when they heat up and create cross linked molecular bonds.
The iron surface of the pan and the newly formed polymers form a molecular bond that makes cleaning the pan easier and keeps food from sticking while it cooks.
They can stay for a long time as long as you don't burn food onto the surface or scrub it too vigorously.
For the same reason, most people use very little, if any, soap when cleaning their cast iron cookware.
Oddly enough, the same qualities that render regular vegetable oils unfit for human consumption also make them perfect for seasoning cast iron.
The least stable type of fat is called polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as omega 6 linoleic acid, which naturally forms polymers when heated.
Food fried in seed oils is harmful to your health because it contains polymers and other oxidation byproducts.
However, the polymers in seed oils create a fairly stable bond with the cast iron, preventing the seasoning from sticking to your food after you've finished seasoning it.
Remove Unwanted Garden Weeds
If you're an enthusiastic gardener, you are aware of the problems weeds can cause. Your kitchen is the perfect place to find a more affordable and natural way to get rid of them.
Vegetable oil, both new and old, works well to kill weeds. Simply pour it into a reusable spray bottle and use it to completely cover the weeds in your garden, including the leaves and stems.
Then, bide your time until they withdraw, allowing your plants more space to flourish.
Improve Animal and Bird Feed
Many people make chunks of food for their feathered friends in their yard by combining suet, solid fats, coconut oil, and a mix of birdseeds.
The kids can make this project in the spring or fall and hang the finished item from the foliage on your property.
Additionally, some pet owners give their furry friends the same treatment as farmers do by mixing spent cooking oil into their animal feed. The oil gives a hint of flavor and could encourage smoother coats and softer skin.
Control The agricultural sector Insects
The oil from the neem tree, Azadirachta indica Juss., which is native to India, is known as "biopesticide" or organic insecticide.
Neem prevents damage to plants and interferes with pests' reproductive cycles by inhibiting the growth of fungus, mites, and eggs when sprayed on affected areas. It smells strongly of sulfur, almost like garlic. It's not too cheap either.
For pest control, if you don't have neem on hand, you can use sesame or canola oil instead, which is less expensive.
As it suppresses powdery mildew on many ornamental, vegetable, fruit, and nut crops both in the field and greenhouse, as well as on Cannabis (marihuana) produced commercially indoors for medical purposes, canola oil has properties of an insecticide, miticide, and fungicide.
Canola oil primarily works as an insecticide/miticide by suffocating plants; as a fungicide, it forms a physical barrier that keeps fungi from infecting plants.
As an insecticide, fungicide, and antimicrobial, sesame oil functions similarly. Do you want to create your own all natural, all purpose pesticide?
It only takes a few simple steps: fill a bucket or pump sprayer with one gallon of water, and add one tablespoon each of liquid soap, detergent, and sesame oil.
Apply to plants after fully mixing to emulsify and distribute the oil evenly throughout the mixture.
In order to kill nematodes (roundworms), you can also add essential oils like thyme oil, combine it with other vegetable oils like corn, soybean, or cottonseed oil, emulsify it with lecithin, or combine oils with diatomaceous earth as a soil dressing.
Emergency Use of Lamp Oil
Vegetable oil can be used in place of kerosene or lamp oil (paraffin) in an emergency.
Vegetable oil can be used to refill hurricane lamps if you have any. Moreover, you can blend it 50/50 with your regular lamp fuel.
If you have a survivalist streak, you could also try creating your own vegetable oil burning lamps out of shallow jars with a hole cut in the lid and cotton swab wicks.
As always, be cautious and test your oil-burning lamp beforehand using vegetable oil. Keep an eye on it at all times, and avoid dozing off while it's burning.
Control Mosquitoes in Outdoor Water
A major risk following most significant storms is standing water, which serves as a mosquito breeding ground.
Put roughly 1/4 tsp vegetable oil per gallon of water into each puddle where mosquitoes are breeding to halt them in their tracks.
You'll notice an immediate, noticeable decrease in the number of mosquitoes around your house if your neighbors follow suit!
Apply Hydration to Your Skin
You can apply high oleic vegetable oils topically, but eating them isn't recommended for skin health.
Your immune system includes the stratum corneum, or skin barrier. In addition to keeping your skin smooth and moisturized, this protective layer of skin shields you from outside dangers.
Eczema like conditions can occasionally be brought on by a breakdown of the skin barrier, which leaves skin dry, cracked, and itchy.
The healthy operation of the skin barrier depends on both omega 3 and omega 6 fats.
Even though the rest of their bodies may not be deficient, patients with conditions like eczema frequently have deficiencies of these important fatty acids in their skin.
Topical omega 6 oil application has been found to be beneficial in restoring barrier function and hydrating skin.
The barrier that protects your skin is what keeps moisture in its proper place. By using oil to moisturize, you can replenish the moisture in your skin's protective layer if it's dry and flaky.
Grease the door hinges
Do your door hinges creak? Try giving them a coat or drizzling vegetable oil on them.
Oils serve to lessen friction between metal surfaces and stop additional corrosion when applied as a lubricant.
The majority of the metal items in your home that creak and squeak are ideal for vegetable oil, but it lacks the high performance lubricating qualities needed for small engines and other applications involving high speed, pressure, or heat.
Clean and Shine Your Wood Furniture
A small amount of routine maintenance goes a long way toward keeping vintage furniture finished in varnish or oil rubbed wood looking good.
Simply use a clean rag to apply vegetable oil to clean wood furniture that appears a little bit dull or dry. Rub the oil in, let it sit for a while, and then wipe it off with another clean, dry rag.
Keep in mind that various oils may have a slight effect on the wood's color, so if you're not sure, it's a good idea to test on a small area first.
There is no rule prohibiting the use of other oils, but the three most widely used oils that are suggested for furniture polish are olive oil, walnut oil, and flaxseed oil (which is nearly identical to linseed oil).
However, if you don't have any Zero Acre oil in your kitchen, you might want to save that olive oil for healthful cooking.
On the other hand, a two in one cleaning polish is what you should use if your furniture is dirty, filmy, or dusty. But you can make it yourself with vegetable oil, so there's no need to buy it!
Here are two simple solutions that are suitable for many different furniture applications:
First vegetable oil furniture polish:
One cup of vegetable oil and half a cup of fresh lemon juice are equal parts of vegetable oil to lemon juice.
Second vegetable oil furniture polish:
One cup or more of white vinegar and one tablespoon or less of vegetable oil is sixteen parts white vinegar to one part vegetable oil.
Before applying, make sure to fully combine both recipes:
Less is more when it comes to oil or cleaning mixture applications on furniture.
Use as little as possible to achieve the desired effect by wiping it on rather than spraying or pouring it directly onto the surface.
Utilize Used Oil in Recipes
You can use cooking oil again and again without ever running out.
It is also possible to combine small amounts with fresh oil, which is perfect for effective frying.
By doing this, you not only conserve resources but also add a little cash to your grocery budget.
Just be careful to keep an eye out for any indications of wear and tear after every use, like foam or bad odors.
How to Clean and Repair Leather Boots
Vegetable oil is a great way to preserve leather accessories like boots.
Vegetable oil also functions well, though saddle soap or mink oil are the best choices, depending on the type of leather product.
What you'll need is as follows:
- If the boots are extremely filthy, add a tiny drop of soap to the warm water.
- A brush with gentle bristles
- A few lint free, spotless rags or paper towels
- Oil made from vegetables
First, unlace the boots and give them a quick wipe down to dampen them with water (you can even use a little soapy water if you want). You do not wish to submerge them. Simply moisten the surface.
To remove the dirt from the surface, you will now gently brush them. Using a fresh rag or paper towel, continue wiping and brushing until no more dirt needs to be removed.
If you didn't use a lot of water, you should be able to wait until the boots are completely dry, which should be overnight.
Now, just use a clean, dry rag or towel to apply tiny amounts of vegetable oil in a circular motion, section by section. After letting it absorb, remove any leftover oil by wiping it.
Produce Personal Hygiene Items
Home cooking oil can be used to make a variety of personal care products. This oil is helpful in making the following commonplace necessities when combined with other ingredients:
- Hand sanitizer
- Remover of makeup
- Conditioner and shampoo for hair
Used oil removes waterproof makeup and softens and moisturizes your skin and hair. When making personal care products, many choose to use almond, coconut, or olive oil for the best results.
Restore the Shingles on the Roof
For this one, keep your mind open. Felt, cellulose (wood fiber), or fiberglass are the most popular base fabric materials for roofing shingles.
These materials are then coated with asphalt, which is the same viscous, black tar derived from petroleum that is used to pave roads. Usually, they endure 15 to 20 years.
Because the weather changes every day, these shingles are made to expand and contract to accommodate the heat and cold.
They are able to maintain their insulating and waterproof properties all year round because of the asphalt.
However, the oil in asphalt shingles dries out and turns brittle with time. Your roof will start to leak as it starts to crack, and shingles may come loose.
An average roof replacement costs $8,500, of which 60% is allocated to labor expenses.
Some companies have recently started selling treatments based on soybean oil that can prolong the life of your roof for a significantly lower cost than replacing it.
They contain a derivative derived from soybean oil called synthetic soy methyl ester. (It is not a naturally occurring substance in your used cooking oil.)
Utilize Oil as a Lubricant in the Home
Used cooking oil is useful for preserving household goods in addition to moisturizing your skin. The following are a few typical uses:
Cookware protector: To keep your pots and pans looking brand new, rub some used cooking oil on them.
Locks and hinges: Among other things, squeaky doors and keyed locks can be lubricated with used cooking oil.
Gardening tools: To keep shovels, lawnmower blades, and other tools cleaner for longer, coat them with leftover cooking oil to keep debris from sticking to them.
Furniture protectant: Used cooking oil can aid in the preservation of various materials, such as leather and wicker furniture.
Remove Rust
Cooking oil can be used to remove rust in the same way that it protects against it. However, you must use the appropriate oil for the task.
For cleaning steel, a good penetrating oil like linseed is ideal. Make use of vegetable oil for cast iron.
Any exposed metal will help repel water if you find yourself in an evacuation or bug out situation. Just coat the metal with a little oil. It could also create a mess. but that's preferable to rust!
Wash Your Hands or Prepare Soap
We have previously discussed the benefits of cooking oil for skin hydration (in contrast to eating vegetable oil, the omega 6 fatty acids in cooking oil may have advantages when applied topically).
However, you can incorporate it into your bathing regimen as well. Contrary to popular belief, water plays a major role in cleaning your bath or shower because it is a natural solvent.
Without using soap, you can effectively remove bacteria, oil, dead skin, and dirt from the surface of your skin as long as you scrub vigorously and under running water.
The New Science of Skin, harms your skin's microbiome, causing irritation, opportunistic colonization by harmful microbiomes, and overproduction of oil, all of which lead to imbalanced, oily skin in the long run.
Additionally, at least one study has discovered that giving children a soap free shower may help stop the recurrence of eczema, which is a breakdown of the skin's natural barrier.
There's an important reason to massage oil into your skin before taking a bath, regardless of whether you want to try showering without soap.
There is, in fact, historical precedent for this practice. After engaging in strenuous exercise, Roman athletes would apply oil to their skin before partaking in a steamy bathing ritual.
The oil would then be removed (and possibly exfoliated) using a blade like instrument known as a strigil.
Lastly, you can also use leftover or even used cooking oil to make your own soap. Here are the basic steps, as provided by the journal Nature's website:
The cooking oil should be weighed using a kitchen scale. Note down this number.
If the cooking oil has been used for cooking, strain it through cheesecloth.
You will be handling caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide, or NaOH, so wear long sleeves, shoes, a mask, goggles, and other protective gear.
Using the saponification value of your oil, determine how much lye is required (62 grams of lye for every 16 ounces of soybean, sunflower, corn, or canola oil).
Measure out that amount of hot water by dividing the required amount of lye by 0.3, removing the amount of lye you'll be using from that figure (in the example above, (62/0.3)-62 = 145 ml or grams of water, or roughly 5 ounces of water per 16 ounces of cooking oil and 62 grams of lye).
Combine the lye and hot water in a bowl or other suitable container, stir, and then add the strained cooking oil to the lye to dissolve it.
Add extra ingredients, if desired, like washing powder, fragrance, foaming detergent, or essential oils.
Use a handheld mixer for 5 minutes, or spend 40 minutes thoroughly whisking everything by hand. When mixing, make sure to wear protective gear!
The last step is to pour your blended mixture into a mold of your choosing and let it dry for at least a week. You can wash dishes, clean your home, or take a bath with your homemade bar soap once it has dried.
Conclusion
Common vegetable oils are here to stay, despite the fact that they could be harmful to your health and the environment.
Most people have at least one bottle stashed in the back of a kitchen cabinet that they have forgotten or ignored.
It is not necessary to throw away unused cooking oil; instead, store it. You never know when you might need some skin moisturizer, insecticide for your garden, or emergency lamp oil!
See if you can persuade friends and family to give up inflammatory omega 6 oils and gift you their empty bottles for large projects that require gallons of oil, like restoring asphalt roofing shingles.
You could even ask the owner of the local restaurant if you can have their used fryer oil.