Lard and Its Adulterations
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Score the pieces of fat into smaller portions about 1 inch in diameter.
Place the fat in an iron cauldron with or without a little water.
Render
Apply heat using steam or a water bath to melt the fat.
Skim off any scum that forms on the surface as the fat melts.
Once melted, pour the warm lard out through a tap.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Pig fat
- Supplies the fat that melts down into the lard, which carries flavour and richness.
The step that matters
Melting with gentle indirect heat. Steam or a water bath keeps the fat well below the point where it would scorch. Scorched fat turns brown and acquires a burnt taste, and the lard can spoil faster.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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