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Dessert

To Render Fat

Render beef and mutton fat into crisp fat for pastry.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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To Render Fat

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the fat into small pieces.

  2. Place the fat in a saucepan with a little cold water.

Render and strain

  1. Boil quickly until all the water evaporates and the fat is crisp.

  2. Strain the rendered fat into a basin.

  3. Let it cool before using for making plain pastry.

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

Fat
Provides the richness and flaky texture that the fat contributes to plain pastry.

The step that matters

Boil quickly until all the water evaporates. Water must fully evaporate before the fat can fry in its own liquid. Any remaining water can cause spattering and leaves a less stable, shorter-keeping rendered fat.

“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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