Let's talk rendering fat

[AsYouWish]

I have no idea what it really means to "render fat" or how to do it. And I've read some things (can't remember where) about how fat oxidizes in cooking and so you shouldn't eat it. So can anyone help me make sense of this? Thanks!

[saratc]

Most vegetable oils are very unstable under heat and do oxidize when you cook it. Some of the more stable oils are coconut oil and peanut oil.

Animal fats are stable under heat and is very good to cook with. To get the fat in a form you can use it for cooking, you have to cook, or render the fat that you get from say trimming a side of beef, or trimming chicken so that the fat is separated from the solids. You end up with liquid fat and little solid bits that you strain out. The liquid fat turns solid as it cools and will be shelf stable for quite awhile.

[Feb2003]

What about the hard beef fat or chicken fat layer on the top of my 24 hour stocks after they are refrigerated??

Thanks!!

[Ruthla]

Originally Posted by Feb2003

What about the hard beef fat or chicken fat layer on the top of my 24 hour stocks after they are refrigerated??

Thanks!!

That's the easy way to render fat! Just strain the fat off the broth and store it in another jar. If you want it super clear (I rarely bother with this step) heat up the fat in a small saucepan until it's liquid, and then strain it and cool again.

I always keep my schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) in the fridge, not on the counter.

Sometimes I buy frozen raw chicken fat that needs to be rendered; then I put it in a small saucepan, cover with water, add an onion, and simmer until the water is gone, then I strain out the fat. Usually I get enough schmaltz from soup making that I dont bother buying it separately.

[Feb2003]

Thanks, Ruth!

I thought Kerry Ann had something on her website that said that if you want to use the fat, after only a few hours you have to strain, cool, refrigerate, take off rendered fat, and then re-assemble the stock and cook the rest of the time or else the fat is rancid.

I don't know if "rancid" is obvious via smell, texture, taste, etc. but when I use the fat off my stock (always cooked 12-24+ hours) it's smooth and cooks well...with the occasional liquid-y section that shouldn't really be there, but must have clung onto the bottom of the chilled fat.

I just made my first beef stock and was hoping to use the fat (tallow, right?) to bind together powdered jerky to make pemmican. I hope it's not rancid, but I don't know how to tell.

Any ideas?

[saratc]

I thought I read that beef, chicken, and other animal fats are very heat stable, and there's nothing wrong with the fat from making broth. What you don't want is to use oily fish to make fish stock since fish oils are high in Omega 3's and go rancid easily. So any oils from a fish stock should be skimmed off and discarded.

[Feb2003]

no fish stock around here :

I'm glad to be reassured about the chicken/beef fat. Thanks.