Alternative Cooking Fats

There has been some discussion before about rendering lard and using it for cooking, as well as a suggestion of using bacon grease when making mayo, but I don't know that there has been any mention of using "other" fats.

MacDonald's, of course, had better french fries in the days when beef tallow was included in the frying oil.

But my real inspiration is an article I was researching about Mongolia's foodways, where just about everything is cooked in mutton fat. So when I cooked a leg of lamb last week, I saved the generous amounts of lovely, clear fat permeated with flecks of fond, chopped garlic, and cumin, to see if it was a good for cooking. It is. I first tried a small amount spread on a cracker, just to see what the flavor profile was like, and it was soft, not really oily feeling, and very flavorful. I just pan-fried some potatoes in it, and they were ultra-crisp and tasted wonderfully like they'd been cooked with the roast. Mongolians like mutton fat on rice, so maybe I'll try that next.

I wondered if anyone else had experimented with using animal fats other than lard.

I haven't yet tried it (partly because I've never made them the traditional way) but I read an epicurious recipe for chicken pot pie with puff pastry made from schmaltz...and I thought "Scmaltz Croissants! Brilliant!" So I saved up all the drippings from my last roast chicken (OK, I do that anyway - got a little stash in the freezer) and someday when my schedule clears and I'm really, really bored, that's what I'll do. (OK, technically I didn't render the chicken by boiling, but the flavor profile I'm looking for is roast chicken, so fat from chicken drippings should work perfectly)

I suppose cooking with schmaltz isn't exactly earthshattering, though. Turkey schmaltz is another fave.

That sounds like it would be lovely. I'll be interested to see how schmaltz works compared with butter or any other fats you've used.

I've made my own tallow a couple of times. I used it mainly to cook fries, but added some once to a sukiyaki I was making and the results were amazing.

I've also used leftover duck fat to cook potatoes with good results.

I use goose fat all the time. It is supposedly even healthier (or less unhealthy depending on your perspective) than olive oil. Its melting point is too low to use it for any kind of baking, but for sauteing, or eggs or potatoes, it is fantastic. Cheapest source I have found is http://www.gooseproducts.com where you can also buy goose chitlins, though I never have because I think you have to order in bulk. they also have decent smoked goose breasts for a very reasonable price. All their stuff is frozen, and if you order in winter they dont need to overnight it so the delivery is reasonable.

-Will

Hi,

I save duck fat, goose fat, pork fat, bacon grease and chicken fat for roasting, frying, sauteing and confit. Vegetables roasted with a coating of animal fats is incredible. All of these fats are all wonderful. I love lamb and beef but have limited use for their fats.

You may also make meatonnaise by melting fats and mixing with equal parts canola. Then proceed with any mayo recipe. Lamb may be a little strong.

Our local meat packer provides leaf lard (fat from the pork kidneys) for pastry with wonderful flavor and flakiness. That State licensed meat packer also gets real caul fat (hog diaphragms) to use for roasting.

Tim

Tim wrote:Hi,

I love lamb and beef but have limited use for their fats.

Tim

After further experimentation, I've decided that the best uses of the lamb fat is for traditional Mongolian dishes, such as huushuur (which is filled with lamb) or for things that might normally accompany lamb, such as potatoes or onions. I discovered that I definitely prefer butter for frying eggs.

Thanks, WillG, for the gooseproducts link. Sounds worth trying. Other than roasting duck regularly, any places to get duck fat?

Cynthia wrote:Other than roasting duck regularly, any places to get duck fat?

Commercial rendered duck fat definitely exists. Googling it turns up several online sources. The problem is that you need special packaging and second day air since it needs to keep cold. I would try the usual suspects of specialty products such as Fox and Obel.

Paulina sells duck fat in 3lb tubs (and smaller quantities, I think). We just keep one in our freezer and scoop out chunks as needed.

Excellent. Thanks. I'll check a few places up here, but if I can't find it, it's nice to know that, next time I'm down Paulina way, I can score some duck fat.

You can get duck fat in fairly small quantities (as low as 1/4 pound) at Fox & Obel in the refrigerated cooler to the right of the deli/smoked fish counter.

Matt wrote:You can get duck fat in fairly small quantities (as low as 1/4 pound) at Fox & Obel in the refrigerated cooler to the right of the deli/smoked fish counter.

Thanks -- but since you now have to spend at least $20 to get free parking at F&O, it might be easier/cheaper to buy more and find it somewhere out her in the hinterland.

Cynthia wrote:Excellent. Thanks. I'll check a few places up here, but if I can't find it, it's nice to know that, next time I'm down Paulina way, I can score some duck fat.

They usually have Goose fat as well, right next to the Duck fat.

I buy large cuts of beef and lamb and save the fat I trim off in the freezer. I use it to oil the grates on my grill, frying pans, etc. I use the beef fat quite a bit to make Yorkshire Pudding without having to make roast beef.

Attrill wrote:I buy large cuts of beef and lamb and save the fat I trim off in the freezer. I use it to oil the grates on my grill, frying pans, etc. I use the beef fat quite a bit to make Yorkshire Pudding without having to make roast beef.

Good ideas. And the Yorkshire pudding suggestion triggers also sorts of other ideas regarding things normally cooked with roasts.