(AP) -- Phil DeVore pulls a folded piece of aluminum from a murky pond. The aluminum looks like a piece of siding that's blown off a building, but DeVore knows it's much more valuable than that. He slips a rubber band off the aluminum and unfolds it. He likes what he sees -- 50 or 60 glistening black leeches. They're your common ribbon leeches, Nephelopsis obscura to aquatic biologists.
After its initial use, cooking oil can be refrigerated or frozen and reused for another six hours of cooking (see References 2). Don't reuse cooking oil if it smells rancid or you can't heat it without smoke developing, as this indicates significant deterioration (see References 1 and 4).
As mentioned above, if you keep your refined coconut oil in a cool, dark and dry place, in a tightly sealed jar, it should last for at least 12 months without going rancid. Most of these products have an 18-month use-by date, and when properly stored, can remain viable for 2-3 months past this date.