Questionable lard for deep frying

(Tiffany McLeod) #1

Okay, guys. I got a counter-top deep fryer for Christmas, and I was all excited to use it. Went to Walmart, grabbed a bucket (this was all they had on the shelf) of lard because that’s what I was told would work best, and got it home before realizing that it was hydrogenated. Correct me if I’m wrong…but isn’t this something we want to avoid, even on our high-fat diet? I took it back to the store, and they wouldn’t let me return it (even though it hadn’t been opened) but I’d rather lose $10 than put something in my body that’s gonna harm it. I did that for too long as it was before I started this…I don’t want to set myself back! Help! Is this lard okay, or should I be looking elsewhere for a more healthy option? Tips, anyone?

Fully Hydrogenated Lard
What makes for a good cooking oil? Science, please!
(Tim Quinn) #2

You’re correct, hydrogenated oil is something to avoid as it may contain trans fats.

Bit of a shame they wouldn’t accept the return though.

(Jodi) #3

I know there are places you can order the good stuff online, hopefully someone else will jump in with a few websites, Fatworks is one I know of. I think you can get small jars at places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, but I’m not sure.
I render my own from pork fat I get from where I get meat processed. You might be able to check a local butcher or meat market if you want to try to make it yourself. There are a lot of instructions online on different ways to do it.
I’m really surprised they wouldn’t let you return it at the store.

#4

There is a popular brand found in grocery stores (in Canada…not sure about USA) called Tenderflake. It’s got lard…nothing else.

Apart from ordering lard online, your other option is buying “leaf lard” (the fat surrounding the kidneys) from a butcher or farmer, and rendering the lard yourself. It’s not hard to do at all…lots of youtube videos and how to instructions on the internet.

(Richard Morris) #5

We have one here in Australia called Superfry which is rendered beef drippings, but on it’s nutritional information it is called hydrogenated animal fat.

I suspect what happens is beef drippings aren’t particularly shelf stable because they have a mix of saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids. Cows are like us, our fat is mostly palmitic (saturated), and Oleic (mono-unsaturated) with a little polyunsaturated mixed in.

So maybe to make a shelf stable, solid at room temp in a Walmart they have hydrogenated the unsaturated fatty acids.

But the other thing this could be, is that saturated fatty acids are saturated with hydrogen, by definition they are fully hydrogenated - naturally. So THOSE hydrogenated fats aren’t bad at all.

The reason hydrogenation has such a bad rap is it’s a method for turning cheap plant oils (corn/soy oil) solid at room temperature by flattening polyunsaturated fatty acids so they stack - by making them into trans fats.

Help: Animal Fats, Basic Kitchen Techniques Anywhere? (A Dummie's Guided to Lard?)
SFAs vs. MUFAs
(Guardian of the bacon) #6

It is really easy & cheap to render your own. Go into any meat shop and ask for suet. Our local big box store even has it in the meat dept all packaged up. You will probably need 3-5lb or so to have enough to fill your Fryer. You can freeze it to render later if you have extra.

Put the suet in a large pot and place on the stove or in the oven at a pretty low temp, maybe 275F, YOu just want it to melt the fat not burn it. You could maybe do it in a crockpot, haven’t tried it? It will take several hours to melt depending on the batch size. When it’s melted as much as it’s going to, strain it off into a storage container. The crispy bits that are left are tasty proteins that are good when warm or your doggy will love you forever.

Note: This rendered lard will somewhat solidify when cool. You will have to heat it a bit to pour from the container into your fryer.

#7

Also consider reading this article on how often to change the oil: http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/09/ask-the-food-lab-how-many-times-can-i-reuse-fry-oil.html Kenji Lopez-Alt is is a total stud in the high end cook book arena (his book The Food Lab, is one of the best). The aforementioned article goes into the science but basically when your food is frying up soggy (I know harder to tell when you are low carb/keto) it’s time to change it out.

(Jacquie) #8

@Fiorella I’ve always seen this in the stores but never tried it. Always associated with SAD pie making which is very popular where I live. Have you tried it?

#9

Butter bob did a taste test of 4 types of fat from http://grasslandbeef.com/ because people complained to him about store bought lard being bad. (Stuff is not cheap, but it should last a good long time if you filter it every now and then.)

I know Thrive Market sells lard and tallow as well that’s not hydrogenated iirc.

#10

Yes, I have. Use it to fry your next steak (like ribeye). Add a peeled garlic (don’t crush or slice it) to the pan…it will blister in the oil and release flavour. If you want add a fresh rosemary or thyme stem, too. While the steak is frying in a few table spoons of lard (and garlic) spoon hot lard over the steak, showering it with lardy fatty garlicky goodness!

I fry everything in it…eggs, meat, liver, fish, veg…etc. You can keep the remainder lard in a jar - I use recycled pickle and olive jars. Don’t throw the lard away, it will not go bad. And eventually gets used up (absorbed) by the food you fry.

I prefer using my homemade rendered lard from the leaf lard I buy from local farmers that free range their pigs…but, when I run out, I definitely turn to Tenderflake when in a pinch. No shame in that!

#11

@jfricke, what?! You mean you don’t eat the the cracklings when you render fat? You give it all to your dog?

(Jacquie) #12

I live in a rural setting with lots of farms. One is a small local free range pig farm where I buy my fresh pork belly and other pork products. Thanks for the suggestion!

#13

OMG @Jacquie…wow, you are surrounded by high valued lard sources!!

(Guardian of the bacon) #14

That’s not what I said.

What I said was:

I love my dog so I share. :heart_eyes:

#15

Haha…I don’t blame you for sharing with your dog :relaxed:

(softail925) #16

So, Richard are you saying then, that hydrogenated lard w/ 0 transfat would be an okay fat to fry foods in? (Sorry, Im a bit confused now)

(Richard Morris) #17

Sorry. Yes. That is what I am saying. That hydrogenated lard is a whole heck of a lot better for us than hydrogenated seed oils.

Ideally, if you want the best possible option, you would slow cook pork fat and render the lard off yourself then you would end up with a product that is slightly more liquid than commercial hydrogenated lard.

But if we are talking about a yardstick from bad at -100 points, neutral at 0 points, and good at 100 pts, hydrogenated seed oil is probably -90, hydrogenated lard or tallow is probably 90, and home rendered lard or tallow is probably 95, and home rendered lard or tallow from grass fed animals is 100.

#18

@richard, I think there is a difference in the shelf life and stability of pork lard and beef tallow. I’ve noticed that I can leave out lard from the fridge and it is quite stable (stays solid and doesn’t go bad). Beef tallow is not as stable and can go bad. I render the fats, so my observation is on homemade stuff. I’d have to dig into the science to figure out why I am observing this. I cannot provide an explanation.

(Marc) #19

If you live in the U.S. you can find a place near you where you can get lard or tallow from grass fed/pastured animals.

http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html

(Ernest) #20

For economic reasons, I deep fry with refined coconut oil.A gallon of Nutiva organic refined coconut oil is less than 20 bucks. I find that I can heat it to 400 degrees without a wisp of smoke. I keep lard and tallow for other forms of cooking.
Real lard and tallow is not cheap when buying already rendered.