grease in cooking

Meanings

1. 1phraseuncountable

   The melted fat that comes from meat or butter and is used for frying or roasting food.

   Grammar: Used as an uncountable noun phrase: you say 'some grease', not 'a grease'.

   Patterns

   • cook something in grease
   • drain off the grease
   • grease in cooking

   Pour off the grease in cooking before you add the onions.

   The recipe says to roast the potatoes in hot grease in cooking.

   Too much grease in cooking will make the dish heavy and oily.

2. 2phrasetechnical

   The act or practice of using animal fat or oil as a cooking medium.

   Grammar: Refers to the method rather than a substance; often used after words like 'use' or 'in'.

   Patterns

   • the use of grease in cooking
   • grease in cooking methods

   The book explains the role of grease in cooking across different cuisines.

   Modern cooks use less grease in cooking than their grandparents did.

Common combinations

hot grease

Careful — hot grease can spit when you add wet food.

drain the grease

Drain the grease from the pan before serving the meat.

cooking oil

Many people now use cooking oil instead of animal grease.

fry in grease

They used to fry everything in grease.

Synonyms and how they differ

fat

A more general word for the substance; 'grease' usually suggests fat that has been melted or heated.

oil

Oil is liquid at room temperature, while grease is often solid until heated.

lard

Lard is specifically pig fat used in cooking, a narrower term than grease.

Word family

greasy adjective

Covered with or containing grease.

greasiness noun

The quality of being greasy.

degrease verb

To remove grease from something.

Commonly confused: grease in cooking or fat?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “grease in cooking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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