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To Purify Rancid Lard

A method to purify rancid lard by dissolving soda chloride in water, boiling, and reboiling the lard.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Purify Rancid Lard

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Dissolve 1 to 2 ounces of chloride of soda in 1 gallon of soft water.

  2. Heat the solution until nearly boiling.

Purify the lard

  1. Add the rancid lard and let it boil for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the quantity.

  2. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Finish

  1. Once cool, take the lard out of the water and boil it by itself.

  2. Let it cool again, and your lard will be sweet.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Rancid lard
The fat being purified; it is the material whose off flavor is removed.
Chloride of soda
Reacts with the rancid fat and its odor-causing compounds in the boiling water, helping remove them.

The step that matters

Boiling the lard by itself after cooling. Lard must be separated cleanly from the chloride solution before the second boil. Leftover solution can carry chemicals into the fat, so the lard should be lifted out once it has cooled and firmed.

“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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