How to Remove Fishy Odor and Taste From Used Cooking Oil

Ah, the many uses of ginger! Garlic might be my favorite spice but I have to admit that ginger is a more versatile spice. Use it for sautéing to flavor a dish, grind it to paste to make a marinade, simmer sliced fresh ginger with water and you have ginger brew.

But did you know that ginger is also very useful for removing the fishy taste and flavor in cooking oil? It’s a trick I learned from my husband. See, I don’t throw away cooking oil after one use. It’s just too wasteful. So, I reuse. But if I’m reusing the oil for cooking something other than fish, I try to remove as much of the fishy odor and taste first.

Pour the used cooking oil in a wok or pan. Heat gently, keeping the stove on the lowest setting.

Take a piece of ginger (a thumb-sized piece for every cup of cooking oil works fine for me) and slice. No need to peel — just slice.

Drop the ginger slices in the oil and let it soak for 15 minutes. If the temperature of your oil is just right, the ginger slices will not burn but will turn golden brown very, very slowly.