5 Things You Can Do With Hamburger Grease

Nothing beats the wonderful taste of hamburgers seared to perfection on the dinner table. But whenever you cook hamburger patties, some grease will always be left in the pan. If you have been throwing it away without a single thought like most people. You might just be wasting a precious substance. In this article, I will share 5 things you can do with hamburger grease. 

While it may not be known to many, there are numerous ways hamburger grease can be utilized. If you opt to eat healthily, you can simply get rid of it. But for those who love the taste, hamburger grease can be an amazing flavor booster for many dishes. You can use it as oil to roast vegetables, make fried potatoes, enrich the tastes of your gravy, and much more.

These are just some of the ways you can use your leftover hamburger grease and there are many other uses for it. If you have never bothered to save this amazing substance, you may want to start now. In the rest of the article, I will share the best ways you can drain hamburger grease and ways to utilize it in your future dishes. Without further ado, let’s get right to it. 

What Is the Best Way to Store Hamburger Grease?

Draining the grease from your hamburger and then freezing it is the best way to save it for later use. It also helps to get rid of any excess fat after cooking the meat so you can enjoy the best flavor and texture. 

If you are looking for the best way to drain and store hamburger grease, I have included a step-by-step guide for your convenience:

Removing the Grease Directly from the Pan

Step 1: Cook your hamburger patties on a flat pan over medium-high heat. Cook each side for about 3 to 5 minutes until they are nicely seared on the bottom side. Season generously with some salt and pepper.

Make sure to flip them when you see there’s a nice dark, golden-brown sear on the bottom. Season the other side with salt and pepper as well. Cook this side for another 3 to 5 minutes as well. 

Step 2: When the patties have finished cooking to your desired doneness, transfer them to your container or plate. Only the grease from the burgers should be left on the pan. 

Step 3: Use a large metal spoon to transfer all the grease to a bowl or a container.  

Step 4: Rather than using a spoon, you can use a turkey baster to suck up all the grease with ease. Place the tip of the baster in the grease and squeeze the baster. When you release the bulb, the grease gets sucked in with ease. 

Remember to make sure that the hot grease does not go in the bulb. The grease can be extremely hot and may melt the bulb.

Step 5: The last step is to freeze the grease to store it for the future. Let the bowl or container with the grease cool for about 10-20 minutes and place it in your freezer. It should be frozen within an hour or so. 

Is It Bad to Eat the Grease from Hamburgers?

Although it is not the healthiest fat item out there, you can still consume it. Be it beef fat, tallow, or any other animal fat, it is never the healthiest food out there. The grease has a high-fat content and it’s not good for your health. However, eating it once in a while is fine. The taste of your hamburger will be completely different when you choose not to throw away the grease.

You can also drain the grease and refrigerate it to turn it into coagulated fat. This gelatin-like substance has all the rich flavorful meat juices and protein from the cooked meat. 

You can use it as flavorful stock to make soup, a fortifier for pasta sauce, sauce flavoring, or even spice up some tomato or vegetable soup. 

But moderation is important here. Eating too much fat and oils can cause all sorts of heart disease that can cause deadly consequences. So, please make sure how much fat and oils you are putting into your body before repurposing your hamburger grease for flavoring other dishes.  

5 Things You Can Do With Hamburger Grease 

After cooking your hamburgers to perfection, you are left with some grease on the pan. If you have been throwing this flavor bomb away, you might be shocked to know that you can utilize this precious substance in numerous ways. 

Let’s take a look at the top 5 things you can do with your leftover hamburger grease:

1. Make Beef Fat Fried Potatoes

With some leftover hamburger grease, it’s super easy to make extremely flavorful beef-fat fried potatoes. Take your fat out of the refrigerator and add it over low heat to let it melt. Add some minced garlic, rosemary, and sage to it. Melt the fat until the solids rise to the surface. Then strain the fat using a strainer or a cheesecloth. 

You can use this amazing rendered fat over your potato fries to boost the taste of the potato fries even further. Serve it with some chili flakes, sea salt, parsley, and parmesan, and your family is sure to love it. 

2. Roast or Sauté Vegetables

Instead of butter or olive oil, you can use grease to roast or sauté some vegetables to perfection. Just plop a few spoons of grease into your pan and cook your vegetables as usual. 

If you are cooking in an oven, make sure to take it out in the middle. Give it a good stir so that the grease will melt properly and spread evenly over the whole dish. 

3. Use It to Enrich Your Gravy

Within 15 minutes or less, you can make some amazing beef gravy to add an instant zing to any dish. Not only is it super easy, but it also manages to take almost every dish to the next level. 

In a large skillet, cook your ground beef and onion over medium-high heat. Once the beef is thoroughly cooked, add some flour, bouillon, steak sauce, and the flavorful hamburger grease. Cook it for about 4-6 minutes until it thickens. Enjoy it over some cooked rice or mashed potatoes.

4. Make Hamburger Grease Candles

If you don’t like the taste or are just health-conscious, you can try using the grease to make some candles. Once you have collected a significant amount of fat from your hamburgers, you can strain it using a cheesecloth to get out any leftover solids. Then pour it all in an empty can or any container of your choice. 

When the fat is still liquid, add an oil lamp wick in the middle of the grease. If you are worrying that your home might smell of meat, you can add some scented oil. Then put it in the refrigerator overnight to solidify. To keep the wick centered, you can use a wooden skewer. After it has become properly solid, your hamburger grease candles should be ready.

5. Dispose of It!

You always have the option to get rid of the grease. Not all of us are willing to take the risks as there’s a high-fat content and a huge number of calories in the grease. 

So, if you would rather eat healthily, it’s best not to use it in your cooking. Rather than pouring the grease down your drain, you can use a paper towel to get rid of it or throw it away after letting it cool down.