How Leftover Oil Can Transform Your Fried Eggs

One of the side effects of the ongoing war in Ukraine hits the kitchen: there's been a global shortage of cooking oil due to supply chain disruptions. As reported by Business Insider, countries around the world, from Indonesia to the UK, have been impacted, triggering sanctions on how many bottles customers can buy or inflating prices. Repurposing oil has never been more pertinent, and it's also a way to up your cooking game without any additional skills needed.

Perhaps you are already familiar with one leftover oil cooking hack if you're a fan of bacon. If so, you would never make one of the common mistakes of throwing out the leftover grease because you're well aware that frying your eggs in the flavor-packed oil is a "truly next-level breakfast experience," according to The Takeout. However, one food writer took the leftover fat idea and ran with it for the best-fried eggs ever.

If you're out of cooking oil or just want to boost instant flavor into your eggs with the added bonus of being waste-free, look no further than your pantry for jarred goods soaking in oil, like artichokes, sardines, or roasted red pepper. 

Bon Appétit writer Maggie Lange's favorite oil to use is the infused olive oil that is left behind after finishing a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, which she reports is "the greatest crowd-pleaser." This technique is simple and requires only the effort of opening a jar and dumping the leftover flavor-infused oil into a frying pan — adding salt may even be unnecessary. Lange advises being liberal with the oil. In other words, use every last drop and don't hold back. After the egg is fried simply dump everything onto a slice of bread or heap of salad to really ensure no drop of oil goes to waste.