The Aluminum Foil Hack For Disposing Of Hot Cooking Oils

Love it or hate it, you can't deny that TikTok has a lot of great helpful cooking, cleaning, and organization tips, often filed under "life hacks." Yeah, you could probably Google a lot of it, but to see it in action on a platform like TikTok really helps to understand how to perform these hacks, showing things like simple morning hacks that get you up and moving, tips for cleaning baby bottles, the best way to boil eggs, and ways to know your pasta is done cooking.

If you are always looking for tricks to make your time in the kitchen easier, and your cleaning tasks faster, you can find many on TikTok. One that is garnering a ton of attention is how to get rid of hot cooking oils with a simple aluminum foil trick. So, how does TikTok suggest you use aluminum foil to safely and easily get rid of cooking grease and oil — and why?

One reason to use this trick is so that you can clean your kitchen as you go. You won't have to wait for the cooking grease to cool to begin cleaning. Another reason is to keep grease out of your sink drains. According to Mike Counsil plumbing, grease should never go down a sink drain, even if it's hot, because it will cool and solidify at some point and it will become stuck in your plumbing, which traps other debris in your pipes and leads to clogs. This wreaks havoc on your plumbing and can cost you thousands of dollars to fix. 

The East Palo Alto Sanitary District says the best way to dispose of cooking grease and grease from cooked foods is to put it in a container and throw it away. And that is how this aluminum foil life hack comes into play — it helps you dispose of cooking grease without pouring it down the drain.

One clever TikTok user, Val DeFoe (@icevee), lines the sink with aluminum foil, making an indention in the center without piercing it. This will allow the grease to drain to the center. As shown in the video, they place a colander in the sink. After that, they take the pan of hot beef off the stove and strain it into the colander. The fat drips into the foil lining and the beef is drained of excess grease and fat. The grease is contained in the aluminum foil, which you can be thrown away immediately, or you can let it cool some and then toss it out.

This trick isn't just good for your plumbing, though. According to a study published by North Dakota State University, draining and rinsing cooked meat can reduce its fat content by up to 50%. This significantly reduces calorie and fat counts, making them healthier. It can also improve the flavor of your dishes made with ground beef, as it gets rid of the greasy taste and texture. Who knew?