Ask the expert: Reusing cooking oil

Q. What are the chemical changes that occur in cooking oil when it is continuously used and reused?

A. Each time you reheat cooking oil two things happen. Firstly, there is a build up food particles and silt within the oil. This causes the oil to darken and generally makes everything taste bad. Secondly, every time you use the oil you lower its smoke point – the more you heat oil, the faster it decomposes. If you do want to reuse your oil, it is important to strain it through paper towels once it has cooled and store it in a tightly sealed containers in a cool, dark place.

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