Thursday 14 May 2015

Fat For Flavour

I am in my mid 30's and when I was a child my mum always kept a enamel mug of fat in the fridge that she used for cooking.  It was generally fat that had been drained off a roast and it was then used for other cooking.  I remember having bread fried in this fat as a treat some Sunday nights alongside grilled tomato, bacon or sausages and eggs.

While I have not eaten fried bread since then I do still use animal fat for cooking.  When we had our cow killed I requested all of the fat to be mince which I then rendered down.  I used some of the fat for soap making and I have a container in the freezer that I can use for cooking.  Because it has a slightly beefy flavor I do not use it with poultry (I save duck fat and chicken fat for this), fish or sweets but I use it instead of vegetable oil for other meats and strongly flavoured vegetable dishes.


When ever I am cooking something and there is a bit of fat left over or floating on the surface I strain it off and store it in the freezer in plastic containers.

If I cook duck I save the duck fat for cooking roast veggies or poultry. If I cook roast lamb I save the garlic and rosemary infused fat for cooking veggies or croutons and if there is lots of fat on the top of a curry I save it and use it as the oil when I make my next curry (we eat a lot of curry).

Labeling your fat ensures you use it in an appropriate future dish.

All the flavour from the previous curry are passed on to the next one.
By using the fat this way you add a whole extra layer of flavour to the next meal and you will not be spending money on vegetable oils or using them for the majority of your cooking which may not be good for your health.  

To read more about the health implications of vegetable oils you should check out David Gillespis book 'Toxic Oil' and you can check out his interview on the ABC here or read Liz's review of the book here.

Do you save and reuse oil?
What oils do you cook with?




8 comments:

  1. I can remember an enamel tub of fat on the stove. We were healthy in those days, so yes I think you are onto something.

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    1. I agree AA we ate more animal fat and less processed food and we were no where near as unhealthy as we are these days.

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  2. Gosh, that is a great idea. I never thought of doing storing the fat off cooked meals. I grew up with the fat bowl as well. It made the best roasted potatoes.

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    1. Lynda the fat save off roast lamb that was flavoured with herbs and garlic can later on make the best roast veggies or a great start to a pasta sauce.

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  3. Fantastic Fiona! I've often wondered how they reused fat in days gone by. I often feel I should save the bacon fat and I will now I know how to use it. It would add heaps of flavour to the right meals!

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    1. Absolutely Linda and croutons fried in bacon fat would ad an amazing flavour to salads.

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  4. I am salivating big time! Love the good fats and my weight is dropping and my cholesterol is down.

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    1. That is great Tanya, isn't it scary that so many people are being lied to about how fat can be good for you.

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