More from the Morton Salt Book
(Page 4 of 13)
January/February 1973
By the Mother Earth News editors
It is advisable to allow the rendered lard to settle and cool slightly before emptying the kettle. The liquid hard containing the cracklings should be put through a lard press. This improves the quality of the lard and increases the quantity. The lard will be whiter if it is stirred after it comes from the press until it has a creamy consistency. A method often used to whiten lard is to put in a potato while it is being stirred, leaving the potato in long enough to absorb some of the impurities.
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STORING LARD The warm lard should be put into cans or containers and stored immediately at a temperature near or below freezing. This will allow it to chill rapidly enough to produce a fine grain. Lard becomes rancid through exposure to the air and one good method of keeping lard is to seal it in tin cans where light and air can be kept completely away and where the quantity in each can may be used up in a few days. Lard should be stored in a cool, dark place. Knowing that you have stored away for future use a full supply of sweet, firm lard is one of the satisfactions of home butchering.
Leaf fat will yield 90 to 93% of its weight in rendered lard. A combination of leaf fat, back fat, and cutting fat will yield from 80 to 85%. Offal fat yields about 55 to 65%. If moisture has been eliminated from the lard by thorough rendering, no water souring should develop during storage.
LARD HAS MANY USES Good lard has so many uses, is so digestible, and forms a foundation for so many tasty dishes that it pays to render and store it with extreme care. Lard is a very economical fat. Since it is 100% fat it requires only about 3/4 as much lard for shortening as it does lard substitutes. Lard is easily digested because it is one of the softer fats, and the softer and more fluid a fat is, the more easily it can be digested. Lard has a high nutritive value and improves the flavor of biscuits, light breads, pastries, fried foods, cakes, and cookies. When lard is used for deep fat frying, a deep fat thermometer should be used to get the correct temperature. By preventing overheating it will help increase the frying life of the lard.
STRAINING USED LARD After lard is used, it should be strained through cheesecloth to remove any food particles which accumulate. If strong flavored foods. such as fish and onions, have been fried in lard, slices of potato should be cooked in it to remove the flavor. Cut them directly into the cold lard and heat gradually until the slices are well browned and then strain the warm lard.
Light, air and moisture coming in contact with lard starts deterioration. Avoid digging down into your lard supply if it is packed in large cans. It is better to scrape off the amount you want from the entire top surface, keeping the main body of lard level in the can.
• Lard is easily digested.
• It provides energy.
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