Katameru Tenpuru — How Japan Solidifies Used Cooking Oil

Have you ever wondered what on earth it's for?
It's a product designed to solidify used cooking oil for easy, mess-free disposal.

• Dealing with Used Cooking Oil
• How to Use Katameru Tenpuru

Dealing with Used Cooking Oil

Tempura, karaage (Japanese fried chicken), and other fried dishes all use a good amount of oil, right? So what do you actually do with that oil once you're done cooking?

Here's an important rule in Japan: you should never pour used cooking oil straight down the sink or drain. It can clog pipes, harm the water system, and cause real plumbing headaches down the line.

How to Use Katameru Tenpuru

So what's the alternative? One common method is letting the oil cool and soaking it up with a cloth or paper towel before throwing it away — but that gets pretty impractical once you're dealing with a larger amount of oil.

That's exactly where a product like Katameru Tenpuru (固めるテンプル) comes in. It's specifically designed to solidify larger quantities of used oil, making disposal simple.

Here's how it works:

While the oil is still hot (around 80–90°C / 176–194°F), add one packet per 1 litre of oil and stir it in.

Let it sit for about an hour. As the oil cools, it solidifies completely.

Once it's solidified, scoop or pop it into a bag, and you can throw it out with regular burnable trash.

It's such a simple product, but it makes cleaning up after a fried-food dinner so much easier — no greasy mess, no worrying about clogging the pipes.

Reference:Johnson — Kitchen cleaning guide

This channel is run by a Japanese woman living in Japan, sharing a look at everyday Japanese food and culture. I hope it gives you some fun souvenir ideas and a few useful tips for everyday life along the way.