What is a Fat TrapTM?
The Original Fat Trap
It is a plastic tub with a volume of 500 ml. It has an internal funnel and a screw-on cap.
You keep it on the kitchen work-surface between the stove and the sink. It is attractive enough that you want to keep it on the work surface, and won't put it under it and forget to use it.
The Fat Trap was developed by the UK company Less Mess Limited in 2003 after a cooking accident.
Tina Pearce of Less Mess Limited, won a prestigious Green Apple environment award for her product. The awards are recognized as being one of the biggest environmental award schemes in the world.
In fact she won the Green Champion Award, Products Category 2006, the top prize in this category. This means she is acknowledged as one of the UK's leaders in setting environmental standards for others to follow.
How to Use
You simply take the cooking container - a frying pan or roasting tin - and pour the cooled-off still-liquid fat or oil into the Fat Trap instead of down the sink.
The Fat Trap is superior to an empty margarine tub in that it does not deform with heat, has a secure cap, and the funnel stops the FOG from splashing.
It is conspicuously coloured (blue). Located right in front of you, you'll notice it frequently, and remember to use it when you should.
It is always there when you come to wash the cooking pan, and find oil or fat in it. With a half-turn of the cap, the Fat Trap is ready to use.
Then, using kitchen paper, wipe off as much grease as you can from the pan before washing it. A small amount of FOG will be washed down the sink, but it shouldn't be much more greasy than a plate.
Don't pour the FOG into the Fat Trap as soon as you have taken the food out of the pan. Let it cool off a bit first. If very hot oil splashes it will scald you and hurt and, although the tub itself won't melt, the funnel can deform from very hot oil. Wait until the meal is over until you do it. If necessary, re-heat the pan on a low setting until the fat has just about melted and then pour it in.
Because the FOG has just undergone a long period of extreme heat it will go into the Fat Trap without with any bacteria, and the FOG won't "go off" in there. Occasionally, you'll open it and find some "fur" in there caused by bacteria in the air when the cap was off. The next batch of hot FOG will kill it.
Reusable
A selection of potential throwaway containers.
When your Fat Trap is nearly full, keep an eye on the things you are throwing into the rubbish. You are looking for a bottle or jar with a cap that won't leak, one which held something liquid. When you find one which is at least 400ml in size, put it on one side. You are going to throw it away after pouring the FOG from your Fat Trap into it. Avoid glass, as it might break in the rubbish bag and the FOG will ooze out everywhere.
If your throwaway bottle or jar is much bigger than 500ml then you might pour FOG from your Fat Trap into it a couple of times. If so, clean it out. If you don't, it might contain some bacteria that will feed on the FOG and make it go Yucky!
If everything in your Fat Trap is liquid then pour the liquid FOG straight into the throwaway bottle or jar. There's no need to heat it up. If you have a bottle with a narrow neck, you can put the Fat Trap's funnel into it and pour through that, avoiding the chance of a mess.
If some of the FOG in the Fat Trap is solid, first pour off the liquid FOG as explained above. Then float the Fat Trap in hot washing up water for a couple of minutes so that the solid FOG melts - with its cap on! Pour the warm, melted FOG into your throwaway jar or bottle. Alternatively, you can use a knife or spoon to scrape the solid FOG out onto some newspaper, wrap it up, and throw it away like that.
If you're not sure about the cap put a piece of Glad Wrap or other food film over the top before you put the cap on.
When your throwaway bottle or jar is full, throw it in with the rubbish. If there is still lots of room in it then put it out of the way until the Fat Trap is full again. If you cleaned out the throwaway bottle or jar then the old FOG shouldn't have gone off.
Finally, wash your Fat Trap out and put it back on the counter for some more FOG!
See our The Fat TrapTM (106k pdf) flyer for more information.
Buy your own Fat Trap
Fat Traps are sold in New Zealand by FOG-Catcher Limited and you can purchase them through this website.
For lots more information on the Fat Trap go to the Fat Trap page.
Next
If this hasn't convinced you that you need to buy a Fat Trap or find something like it, go to the Why Use a Fat Trap? page and find out why every household needs one.