Disposing of yeast is not a straightforward process; doing so depends on the kind of yeast you have and why you need to get rid of it.
Many times people need to dispose of yeast because it’s best before time duration elapsed, and they don’t wish to use a product past its peak.
Other times people in labs may need to dispose of yeast if they fermented and grew it.
Nevertheless, you can get rid of yeast by dissolving it in abundant water, then draining the mixture down the drain. Turn on the stream of hot water to ensure the pipe doesn’t clog.
Different Types of Yeast
Although yeast is essentially a type of single-celled organism (like bacteria), it is classified into different categories based on usage.
Active Dry Yeast
It is the most widely used yeast type. People generally add it to their baking ingredients to make the baked goods rise.
Active dry yeast needs to be activated for it to be able to make a dough or batter rise. To do that, you need to mix it with a teaspoon of sugar and pour 1/4th cup of hot water. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Since active dry yeast comes with a protective coating, hot water is used to break away the said layer. Once removed, you can use the yeast for cooking/baking.
Also, it must be noted that any items made with active dry yeast need a two-time rise, which means you need to let the mixture containing yeast sit for an hour or so twice.
Let’s say you are making pizza; you prepare the dough and leave it for some time. Then, you knead it and let it be for some more time.
After the second time, you can move forward in your pizza-making process.
Instant Yeast
As the title gives away, instant yeast doesn’t need time to activate.
It doesn’t have the outer covering as its active dry counterpart does, which is why it mixes quickly and makes items rise after a single (one-time) resting period.
Fresh or Cake Yeast
Cake yeast is quite easily perishable. This means if you let it be for more than a few weeks, it may lose its potency.
Like active dry yeast, fresh or cake yeast must be dissolved in hot water with a pinch of sugar to be activated.
The bubbling up of the yeast-sugar paste will indicate that the yeast cells are active and working.
Liquid Yeast
Liquid yeast is an amalgam of yeast organisms alive in fluid form. It’s not commonly used these days; however, it was a popular yeast choice back in the day.
But once people learned about culturing yeast in compressed cake form, they reduced their use of liquid yeast, if not stopped completely.
It could be because storing liquid yeast is a hassle compared to cake yeast.
Top-Fermenting Yeast
Top-fermenting yeast is used in brewing, which is why it is also referred to as ale yeast. It bubbles up, giving the beverage fizz/foam, typically associated with beer.
Ale yeast comes up to the top of the brewing barrel, hence the name.
However, it must be noted that top-fermenting yeast has to be used at a warm temperature; otherwise, the microorganisms will not work.
For this reason, most breweries have provisions for heating yeast to make beer. Interestingly, top-fermenting yeast is not only used to add froth to beer.
Sometimes it may be used to enhance the flavor and texture.
Bottom-Fermenting Yeast
Opposite to the top-fermenting yeast, bottom-fermenting yeast sits at the bottom of a brewing barrel and is used at a much lower temperature than its top-fermenting counterpart.
Bottom-fermenting yeast or lager yeast works slowly, taking its sweet time to bubble up a beverage.
How to Check if Yeast is Unusable?
Although yeast doesn’t really expire, it has a best-before date. This means that even if you forget to use the yeast in your pantry for a while, it will not go bad or become ‘unusable.’
However, some people may not be comfortable using yeast that’s past its best before date.
Moreover, sometimes yeast may become inactive, and you might have to get rid of the entire stock.
To check that, mix one tablespoon of yeast with a pinch of sugar and 1/4th cup of warm water.
If you see the paste bubbling up after 10 minutes, the yeast is alive and working. If not, you need to dispose of the yeast batch.
Regardless of the reason, disposing of yeast should be done with some amount of caution.
Take the yeast you wish to discard and dissolve it in a generous amount of water. Drain the amalgam down the sink, followed by a rinse with scorching hot water.
Doing so will ensure that yeast doesn’t get stuck on the walls of your drainage pipe.
Using Yeast to Unclog Drains, Toilets, and Pipes
If you have yeast you don’t intend to use for baking or cooking, you can employ it to unclog your toilet, pipes, or drains.
That’s right! Like baking soda, yeast is an organic, in-home remedy to break away all the obstructions in a pipe.
If your toilet is acting up, perhaps it’s time to put the seemingly unusable yeast to work.
Empty the yeast packets you have to dispose of into the pipe or toilet that needs unclogging and sprinkle a hefty pinch of salt over the yeast.
Let the two components work their magic for a while, then flush everything away with hot water.
Once that’s done, wait for an hour or so and flush another tank of hot water into your drainage system to clear it of all blockages and yeast remnants.
Using Yeast for Skin Care
As already mentioned, yeast never really expires, which means you can use it pretty much whenever you want, provided that the microorganisms are still active.
Considering the prolonged usability of yeast, you can use it to make skincare products if you don’t want to add it to your baking or cooking ingredients.
Our skin needs a protein called collagen to stay supple, and yeast has proteins that support collagen growth. Simply put, you can make a mask or moisturizer with yeast to pamper your skin.
Skin Mask
Take dry yeast and mix it in warm water. Let the blend settle a bit. Once you see bubbles coming up, apply the homemade mask to your face.
Leave it for close to half an hour, then rinse it off with lukewarm water.
Dab your face with a face towel, and feel the difference in your skin. You will feel a noticeable difference in the softness of your skin.
Using Yeast for Hair Care
Like our skin, our hair can benefit from yeast. As already discussed above, yeast has protein, which is a healthy and beneficial compound for hair treatments.
People suffering from hair loss or having thin hair can add yeast into their hair masks or in-home treatments before applying. Regular use of said combos can control hair loss and give you glossy-looking hair.
But before you try anything new, be sure to discuss it with your dermatologist. Although yeast is organic and shouldn’t damage the epidermis tissues, it can stir up allergies.
Moreover, every skin type is different. What works for you may not work for your friend.
Therefore, it’s better to be careful and get expert advice before trying any in-home remedies using yeast- or any other ingredient for that matter.
Using Yeast to Eliminate Slugs
One of the most common banes homeowners have is dealing with unwanted critters that invade homes and refuse to leave.
If you also struggle to keep pesky little pests out of your place, such as slugs, having yeast can help you.
Typically, when there is an insect infestation, people use caustic chemicals to get rid of slugs, but doing so can be dangerous for the homeowner and their family as well.
That’s where having old yeast can work its magic and save the day.
Yeast is known to drive away slugs without warranting the use of harmful solutions. All you need to do is mix yeast, sugar, salt, and lukewarm water and transfer the blend into a spray bottle.
Douse the area infested with slugs and wait for them to fall into your yeast trap.
Using Yeast as a Composting Enzyme
If you are into gardening, you must know having good quality compost is essential for growing healthy plants.
But sometimes, organic compost can take a while to break down and release vital nutrients into the soil. In that case, yeast mixed with water can act as an enzyme to speed up the composting.
Using Yeast as Fertilizer
Yeast is believed to be beneficial for different plants, particularly roses, in that it accelerates their growth.
If you are growing rose, or any other flower for that matter, include yeast in your sod. Doing so will spur new buds much faster since yeast is known to support bud formation.
Ending Note
The good thing about yeast is that it’s an organic product, so its chances of damaging anything it’s added to are slim to none.
Therefore, if you want to dispose of any old yeast, perhaps you can try different home hacks using yeast. That will surely be a productive way to dispose of yeast.
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