(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).
You can store it in the refrigerator for up to six months in a glass or ceramic jar with a tight lid. For even longer storage, place it in the freezer and use it within nine months. Bacon grease can be stored at room temperature, although it will go rancid much faster than if stored in the refrigerator. Bacon grease that is rancid will have a distinct unnatural or unpleasant odor and should be thrown out in a glass jar.