The disposal doesn't clog — the line after it does. The real no-list, the surprising OK-list, and the two-minute habit that prevents most kitchen clogs.
A disposal grinds nearly anything — that was never the question. The question is what the slurry does 10 feet downstream in a 1.5–2" branch line with decades of grease film. Kitchen clogs form where ground food meets cooled fat, and the disposal just delivers the aggregate faster.
Grease, fats and oils in any quantity — liquid going in, pipe-lining wax two feet later. Coffee grounds — they don't dissolve, they sediment. Pasta, rice and oatmeal — swell and paste. Fibrous produce (celery, corn husks, onion skins) — stringy wraps around everything. Eggshell membranes and potato peels in volume. Anything non-food, obviously, but you'd be surprised.
Run cold water before, during, and 20 seconds after grinding — cold keeps residual fats solid and moving rather than coating warm pipe. Scrape plates to the trash first; the disposal is for scraps, not servings. And once a month, fill the sink with hot water and release it all at once — the closest thing to a free line flush there is.
If your kitchen sink slows monthly and 'fixes itself' with hot water, the grease lining is established and no habit reverses it. One proper hydro jetting resets the line to clean; the habits then keep it that way for years.
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