How to Use Fat Around the House

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Cooking fat reduces naturally when preparing meats or can be purchased in a packaged form. Usually tossed out after one use, fat can be recycled and reused in more productive ways around the house. You can easily store used fat in large coffee cans with tight fitting lids, tupperware or other sealed container in your refrigerator and use it whenever you need it.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Reuse old fat for cooking new and delicious dishes, the most obvious way to use it. The oil that reduces from meats can be placed in a sealed container while still warm. Store the fat in your refrigerator and use in place of oil or butter when making vegetables, soups or casseroles.

Step2

Scrub stained dirty hands with a tablespoon or two of fresh packaged fat. The oils will quickly moisturize and cleanse dirty hands. Use fat as a hand cleaner especially after working in the garden to remove dirt from under the cuticles and nails and soothe dry cracking skin.

Step3

Mix one part melted fat, one part bread crumbs and two parts sunflower seeds and pack the mixture firmly into a paper cup. Allow the mixture to harden and peal away the cup for the perfect bird food. Once hard, place the feed in a bird feeder or hang it from a tree inside of a mesh feeder bag. For best results, reuse fat rather than heating fresh packaged shortening.

Step4

Use fat as an emergency lubricant to remove stuck jewelry, loosen a pipe or faucet or remove a sticky nut from the bolt. After use, wash your hands or the fat covered surfaces with hot water and dishwashing soap to remove the excess oil.

Step5

Calm frizzy hair with a bit of fat by applying a very small amount of fat to just the tips of damp hair, reducing flyaway, dry hair. Let the fat set for 5 to 10 minutes before washing and styling as normal. Fat also works great for removing gum or putty from hair. Simply work the fat into the gum and allow to set for 10 to 15 minutes before working the gum out with a fine-toothed comb.