Found the 4 gallon jug of peanut oil stashed away in the garage for the turkey fryer that I couldn’t find months ago. How long does anyone keep used oil? Normally I deep fry enough stuff that aging doesn’t matter. However, this batch is from January of 2009 and was used once for 1 turkey. Was hidden behind some boxes and stayed in the garage all year. There is no visible layer of mold or anything growing on the top of it.
Good rule of thumb…
When in doubt, throw it out.
Since there are food partials in the used oil and it’s been siting in the no zone of 42 to 139 degrees for a year…you best off toss it.
One could make the argument that you’ll be reheating it to over 300 killing any nasties. That’s your choice. I’ll err on the side of safety an recommend using new.
I’m surprised you don’t have a green layer of mold on the top.
If you did a good job of straining out the sediment….and there is no rancid smell to it…you should be ok to use it.
BrianK….serves up the “Golden Rule” 
It should be fine!! I know many people that use it once a year for turkey. Most average a few years before they cycle it out.
Do as you like, just remember that a five gallon pail of peanut oil costs nothing compared to a trip to the doctor for a batch of sick people.
Don’t worry about it either way, we all have health care now.
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Don’t worry about it either way, we all have health care now.
Now there is a reality check!
Normally we freeze our oil after use and get about 6 months worth of use out of it. This one vanished ’till I found it in a box. I know guys just leave it on a shelf in the garage for who knows how long….gut feeling was off to the store for a new batch….Wonder if the Democrats would let me claim it as a medical ointment and run it through my HSA account????? 
With the answers here, I started to scratch my head…and started searching peanut oil manufacturers sites for a solid answer. Here’s the best I could find that summed up the answer.
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We have been in touch with experts at the Peanut Institute and manufacturers of other types of vegetable oil, and although no one is willing to attach a hard-and-fast shelf life to their oil (once used), no one wants you to use year-old oil either.
The ones that talked about storage after being used said to store in a cool, dark place without oxygen.
I’m still sticking with the “when in doubt” quote…but if a person can believe the internet…the worst thing that will happen assuming it’s not rancid is the flavor will be off. Go figure.
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