How do I get rid of waste deep-frying oil?

How do I get rid of waste deep-frying oil? P. Carter

I love deep-frying things. I remember one Australia Day we made fish and chips for multitudes and got bored just frying flathead. We started putting sausages in the batter and deep-frying them. Chops had a go in the hot oil. We even shucked oysters and fried them in the half shell. Don't ever do that. The shells explode in hot oil. Afterwards the oil was a stinking rank mess (so were we, if I remember correctly). If you deep-fry fish and chips for the family, save the oil to use again by straining the oil though paper towel after it has cooled and pouring it back into the bottle. You can use the oil once or twice again. When done, you can pour the oil back into the bottle and throw the bottle in the bin. Small amounts of vegetable oil can be added to compost. Some councils run recycling and drop-off centres for frying oil or have a list of depots on their website.

Is the white substance within an egg yolk dangerous? G. Craig

If it's crystal meth then yes, you could end up in a police chase on a country highway. But I digress. If you're referring to the white strands that go from the membrane surrounding the egg to the yolk in the middle then they, my friend, are chalazae – twisted strands of protein that hold the yolk in place. They have nothing to do with eggs being fertilised – you won't see a rooster within a morning crow of an egg facility, which are like convents for chooks.

What's the difference between cooking salt and table salt? A. Dawe

About $18 a kilogram – boom-tish! I buy cheap cooking salt for around $2.20 for two kilograms. It is sodium chloride, is fairly coarse and does the job for seasoning dishes when cooking. But if I want to dress a salad, for example, I will use table salt, which has a finer texture. If I am sending out some steak or roast meat to the table I will dress it with some Australian flaked salt for its visual appeal and textural qualities.

Letters, corrections and apologies

A few weeks back we mentioned that you should never prick a sausage. L. Padvoni responded with, "We bought Italian and Croatian sausages for Christmas. Before we cooked them I faithfully pricked the lot on four sides. When I scraped the barbecue the next day I was grateful the toxic gunk that coated the barbecue plates wasn't coating my husband's arteries. He has already had a double bypass 10 years ago and he's been on the Heart Foundation balanced diet since. Please take no offence." None taken.

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