20 July 2010

Gutter Oil - My New favorite term!

We vegans have been no stranger to Gutter Oil.  You can imagine some vegan Thai restaurants could specialize in making our soy nuggets taste so meaty by raiding the KFC oil bins.  I was in great spirits to read about the Chinese Gutter Oil Epidemic in the paper yesterday.

"gutter oil" — a foul slop fished up from sewage drains or collected at restaurant back doors — and it's being used widely in the country's eateries.
Recycled food oil is China's latest food-safety scandal that has worried consumers and brought fresh promises of government action.
You can imagine that this practice is not limited to China and is probably going on at your favorite restaurant.  The question to me is "when does used cooking oil become "gutter oil"?  When its tossed in the gutter or when its used beyond the point it should have been tossed in the gutter, or when its simply reused for french fries after being used for chicken?  
Another great quote from the story;
"Recycled oil is likely most widely used at the places where most Chinese eat — hole-in-the-wall restaurants tucked into alleys or set up by the roadside that serve homestyle fare on Formica tables set with soy sauce and plastic-wrapped chopsticks. Particularly dangerous is hot pot — a popular fondue-like dish where eaters dip meat, fish or vegetables into a vat of bubbling oil at the table.
If you are eating fried foods and don't suspect you've been a victim of "gutter oil" then think again!  I presume this is a global epidemic!  We already had our Dee's Nutz Gutter Oilish Donut scare!

4 comments:

Erika @ Health and Happiness in LA said...

Oh man that is disgusting.

The only thing used cooking oil should be used for is powering cars! Because that's cool, and then cars smell like french fries.

quarrygirl said...

as i was reading this, i was thinking "dude i am gonna comment about dee's fryer!" ....and you beat me to it!

so fucking nasty. especially when you consider eating at places that serve meat as well. oh man so gross.

Head Starchy Eater said...

I can remember several times eating a french fry only to have it taste fishy. Potatoes arent supposed to taste fishy. Gutter oil, love it, well not it, the term and your post about it.

Anonymous said...

I believe that when fried foods start to taste fishy it means that the oil has turned rancid.

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