Schmaltz question

I've searched and not found answers, would appreciate hearing from someone! I know the fat that you skim off the top of chicken stock is not schmaltz, and that to get schmaltz you're supposed to render raw fat with onions. BUT I got a lot of fat from the latest batch of stock and I'd love to use it for something. Can I take that already cooked fat and try to render it down further and consider it schmaltz? Would it just taste wrong? Will it burn because it is already cooked? Is this a really dumb question?

I'm not sure what you mean by "render it down further". You already have the fat. So you can just use it as-is. Yeah, you could also cook it with onions or other things to adjust the flavor, but that's just up to your own tastes.

Why wouldn't skimmed chicken fat from soup be schmaltz? You've got schmaltz there, nothing more need be done.

The only thing I'll add is that yes, of course it can burn, so be careful as you would with any other similar fat that has a lower smoking point.

Binko, as usual, is right. In my opinion, fat skimmed from stock (I put mine in the freezer, and take it off in slabs) is more delicate than rendered schmalz. use it carefully.

Geo

The only trouble I can think of is that skimmed fat is likely to have more water incorporated into it. I'd suggest using it like butter: don't add food until the bubbling subsides, that'll indicate that the water's gone.

One more addition: my favorite uses for schmaltz are in making chopped liver and matzoh balls, although I've also used it for fried potatoes.

BR wrote:One more addition: my favorite uses for schmaltz are in making chopped liver and matzoh balls, although I've also used it for fried potatoes.

I don't make these often, but I love the flavor a few spoonfuls of schmaltz adds to tsimmes as well as potato kugel.

Thanks all. I thought it looked ok but nothing I googled confirmed. Appreciated.