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Food Rendering your own fat?

Discussion in 'Tilted Food' started by Irishsean, Oct 29, 2011.

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  1. Baraka_Guru

    Baraka_Guru Möderätor Staff Member

    Location:
    Toronto
    My mother used to keep the fat from roasting turkeys. I don't recall what she used it for, but it all didn't end up in gravy. Maybe she used it for turkey stew or something. I recall she used to make that from time to time.

    On occasion, she also kept bacon fat. I don't know where this ended up. Probably in the kids.

    This isn't universally the case. Canola oil (rapeseed) has a balanced omega-6-to-3 ratio of 2:1 (compared to beef tallow at 5:1). Olive oil is 12:1. Both of these oils should be used as plant-based oils for cooking as opposed to the likes of grape seed (676:1), cottonseed (259:1), safflower (133:1), corn (46:1), and sunflower (39:1) oils. Avocado (13:1) and coconut (1.8% Ω-6 and 5.8% Ω-9 but no Ω-3) oils are good options as well. Canola, avocado, and coconut oils can be used for high-temperature cooking, while olive oil can be used for light sautéing. There is also the possibility of using high-oleic sunflower oil (17:1).

    Also, phytochemicals are an added benefit that plant-based oils offer that animal fats don't, many offering heart benefits and protection from cancer.

    Outside of cooking oil, plant oils such as flax and hemp offer incredible omega ratios.

    The general guideline is to watch out for polyunsaturated fat, focus more on monounsaturated fat, and not worry too much about saturated fat. Also: stay away from all hydrogenated plant oils due to the transfats.

    I'm not so sure about this. Isn't it the case that the transfats in animal fat aren't bad for you because they appear in trace amounts? This is as opposed to the large quantities of transfats we're exposed to with foods fried in hydrogenated plant oils.

    For example, I don't imagine anyone would recommend consuming transfat supplements from animal fat as a health option. I think it's the case that any added transfat is a bad thing, but a small amount naturally occurring isn't a health concern.
     
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2012
    Baraka_Guru, Apr 30, 2012
    #21
  2. Hektore

    Hektore Slightly Tilted

    The local butcher shop charges $.75/lb (€1.25/kg). I use it to make suet cakes for birds in the winter.

    My understanding as well: CDC - Transfat - Law and Policy Resources on Selected Public Health Priorities - PHLP

    Some of the links make a point of saying 'artificial' trans-fats; most likely because most/all of the work that has established trans-fats as something you should avoid eating was done with artificial fats. My suspicion is that it's not the case that natural trans-fats are 'good' for you but more that not much has been done with them to see whether or not there is any difference between the two. Given what I remember of organic chemistry, it seems unlikely that there would be any difference. I doubt there will be much looking into it given how unusual it would be to have a person eat a large amount naturally occurring trans-fat anyhow.
     
    Hektore, Apr 30, 2012
    #22
  3. Ayashe

    Ayashe Getting Tilted

    The only reference of beef tallow I have ever heard of is that it makes really good french fries, not sure I have ever tried them so I can't speak of it.

    The only use of tallow I would personally have would be in making soap, it makes a really hard and white bar. I generally stick to vegetable based fats however.
     
    Ayashe, May 1, 2012
    #23
  4. Freetofly

    Freetofly Diving deep into the abyss

    Location:
    From Philly USA, living in London UK
    I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, but working with certain agencies; I have to provide information on where, how old, what process that a cow goes through in order to use the tallow in pharmaceuticals, in which the tallow has to be BSE/Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies free.
    So I really have a hard time eating anything that is slaughtered outside the US or Japan. I think Canade comes in third for being compliant.
    Vegetable fat is so much safer, no prions proteins to worry about. What an ordeal to destroy them in tallow. :eek:
     
    Freetofly, May 1, 2012
    #24
  5. AlterMoose

    AlterMoose Slightly Tilted

    Location:
    Pangaea
    Yes, I was aware that if one mixes equal parts gasoline and frozen orange juice concentrate, one can make napalm. Thank you for asking.

    Do you think this holds true for all Whole Foods stores, or do you have a special rapport with your WF butcher?

    Every time I fix bacon for breakfast, I find at least one or two excuses throughout the day to cook with the leftover fat. Didn't know I could store it. Showing my ignorance, I know.
     
    AlterMoose, May 2, 2012
    #25
  6. Ayashe

    Ayashe Getting Tilted

    Grocers generally pay for the removal of food waste. When I worked at a grocery store we would pay someone to take away the grease from the deli and had a pig farmer we would pay to take pretty much everything else foodwise from meat to produce. Most of the grocery stores I have gone to have sold beef fat as suet for the birds, just as they have sold some of the bones as dog bones. I haven't personally ever gone to a WF myself but cannot imagine their practices being much different.
     
    Ayashe, May 2, 2012
    #26
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