Buzz
I have a bit of a grease collection, a trait I inherited honestly. My grandmother always kept a large jar of bacon grease right next to the stove, regularly topping it off with fat from that morning's bacon. (I’m sure the grease at the bottom wasn’t great, but we never used that part.)
I store my bacon grease in small Pyrex containers in the fridge, yet I still hoard it. It’s the only grease I’m so particular about—I don’t save or clean vegetable, canola, or olive oil. Usually, if I have a lot left in the pan, I’ll let it cool slightly and then pour it into a plastic bottle I’ve set aside for that purpose. This works fine, but there are times when you need to get the hot grease out fast, and pouring it into a plastic bottle is definitely not the solution.
Fortunately, your kitchen already has everything you need to quickly deal with a pool of hot grease, all you need is some sodium bicarbonate, also known as “baking soda.” The powder absorbs the grease and even helps prevent grease fires as an added benefit. (When heated, baking soda releases carbon dioxide, which, unlike oxygen, doesn’t support combustion.) Additionally, while baking soda has some texture, it’s fine enough to avoid scratching your cookware, even nonstick ones coated with Teflon or similar materials.
The method is straightforward: Sprinkle baking soda onto the grease spill, let it sit for a few minutes, then mix and scrape it up. (The grease paste will still be warm, so avoid transferring it into a plastic container.) While you could directly pour the hot grease into a heat-resistant container, the baking soda provides the added benefit of extinguishing any remaining smoky bits, while turning the grease into a more manageable paste that reduces the risk of splashing hot grease on yourself or your kitchen. Once it’s cooled, discard the grease paste in the trash. Then, wash or wipe your pan or pot as you normally would.
