Question about oils used "long ago" in America.

[daisymommy]

This is a hodge-podge of questions, sorry

Before the advent of corn and vegetable oils, what did people use for frying chicken?

This sounds really ignorant, but when making a cake or brownies, what should I use in place of vegetable oil? Melted butter?

I just realized the other day how ingrained using vegetable or canola oil is in my thinking Trying to learn more and move away from that!

Oh! I almost forgot, what about homemade biscuits (sans Crisco )

I'm just trying to think about how people cooked in our land before new-fangled oils came on the scene. People like our great-grandmothers (would this be far enough back?). People that didn't have coconut oil

[deditus]

Before the advent of corn and vegetable oils, what did people use for frying chicken?

Lard or tallow

This sounds really ignorant, but when making a cake or brownies, what should I use in place of vegetable oil? Melted butter?

We are dairy free so we use coconut oil.

Oh! I almost forgot, what about homemade biscuits (sans Crisco )

Bacon grease, coconut oil, palm shortening.

I'm just trying to think about how people cooked in our land before new-fangled oils came on the scene. People like our great-grandmothers (would this be far enough back?). People that didn't have coconut oil

For most purposes, I would say it is far enough back. I think they just used rendered fat from whatever animal they were eating.

[snowbunny]

Brownies are fairly new on the scene, but I use coconut oil in those. There's a chart somewhere - I can't find it - detailing the fats consumed in 1900. Butter, lard and olive oil were big on the list and tallow too followed by the tropical oils if I recall correctly.

[philomom]

My people in south Georgia used a lot of lard and bacon grease. I bet they fried the chicken in melted lard.

[cristeen]

Lard was the go-to fat for a long time. If not lard, then tallow or schmaltz or even butter.

For frying chicken, pie crusts and biscuits, lard is the way to go.

For baking, I usually go for recipes that call for butter and not oil. They're formulated to work that way. Using melted butter in the place of oil does not always turn out optimum results.

[kittywitty]

Lard and bacon grease are what my Grandma from KY used to use and so does her family.

[serenbat]

per my 1924 cookbook (Mrs. Allen on Cooking Menus Service)- sweet baked goods - use-butter, margarine, lard, solid vegetable fat, vegetable oil or chicken fat rendered and strained.

Brownie came about in the late 20's early 30's - per Betty crocker

[Magelet]

early 1900's is too late, what you want is probably... first 1/2 to first 3/4 of the 1800's. And then I would say the answer would be rendered animal fats, butter, and depending on where in american/where your family was from, maybe maybe olive oil.

for frying, definitely lard and tallow.

baking, I use butter for the most part, though if I had a recipe I loved that called for liquid fat, I'd probably use peanut or sunflower, which are sort of... compromise healthy fats. liquid and solid fat is not exchangeable in recipes. fats with quite similar saturation (such as liquid fats between them, and maybe coconut oil and lard... definitely lard and chicken fat have similar hydration/solidness) are exchangeable. but butter and lard will give different results.

(and fwi, apparently, for best results, brownies require some saturated (solid at room temp) and some unsaturated (liquid at room temp) fat.)

[mamadelbosque]

This may be a stupid question... but uh... where do you find lard in a grocery store (and yes, I realize thats probably not the 'ideal' place to buy it from, but humor me, OK?)

[serenbat]

IF you find it!!! one place has it near butter, another near pork and both chain markets only carry one brand in my area-PA -comes in sticks like butter

It is so much more in the grocery store for me than getting it at a butcher! I buy it in large containers there.

[kavamamakava]

yeah lard and butter in america.
but in france they used clarified butter, too, which is the same as ghee in india.
and there's sesame oil which is used all over north east and south asia and the middle east.
and in greece they used olive oil.
and in polynesia coconut oil.

coconut oil is a perfect crisco substitute.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

This may be a stupid question... but uh... where do you find lard in a grocery store (and yes, I realize thats probably not the 'ideal' place to buy it from, but humor me, OK?)

Around here, it's usually on the bottom shelf of the tortilla display.

But I will point out that all the grocery store lard I've seen is hydrogenated. That's why I buy it from my butcher, or render it myself.

[Smokering]

For frying chicken, you might have better luck with clarified butter (ghee). Butter tends to brown and then burn at high temperatures. Melt it, put it in a jug and let it sit until it looks oily on top and has white sediment down the bottom. Pour off the clear yellow "oil" and that's clarified butter - it won't burn and can stand higher heat, but still has that nice buttery taste. I put the leftover milk solids into bread dough, to avoid chucking them out.

[organicmidwestmama]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Lard was the go-to fat for a long time. If not lard, then tallow or schmaltz or even butter.

For frying chicken, pie crusts and biscuits, lard is the way to go.

For baking, I usually go for recipes that call for butter and not oil. They're formulated to work that way. Using melted butter in the place of oil does not always turn out optimum results.

all this. my grandma used leftover goose or chicken fat (schmaltz), which she kept rendered, and at the ready at all times.

i've fried chicken in coconut oil and pastured-lard and it is awesome!
melted butter is wayyyy yummier then oil in any dessert. try it and youll never go back to tasteless canola.

[organicmidwestmama]

Originally Posted by cristeen

Around here, it's usually on the bottom shelf of the tortilla display.

But I will point out that all the grocery store lard I've seen is hydrogenated. That's why I buy it from my butcher, or render it myself.

yeah, i would not buy lard at the grocery store. unless its frozen or refridgerated, chances are it is laden with hyrdogenated (aka the dreaded trans-fats) oil. you should check your local farmers market or food coop.

[Koalamom]

What about sunflower oil? A local farmer grows organic sunflowers and cold presses the seeds.

[daisymommy]

Thanks!

[Laniemama]

I only use lard, bacon grease, butter, coconut oil and olive oil in my cooking and baking. I almost always use butter or coconut oil in my cookies/brownies. I use lard in my pie crusts and biscuits, so melt in your mouth good!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

What about sunflower oil? A local farmer grows organic sunflowers and cold presses the seeds.

Sunflower is an oil I keep on hand. But I use it exclusively for making mayo. I use it on the premise that I could make it at home if I wanted to, but IIRC the balance of Omegas is not great in it, so it's not ideal for everyday use.

[blueridgewoman]

Frying chicken in lard is DELICIOUS. I fry hushpuppies in bacon fat, and same with steak. For baking I use butter, but I don't bake that much. I try to use just butter, lard and tallow, though I will admit to preferring my eggs scrambled with coconut oil, and I keep some organic avocado oil and olive oil on hand too.