To Render Down or Clarify Fat
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fat
Cut the fat into small pieces, removing any burnt or discolored scraps.
Place the fat in an iron stew-pan and cover it with cold water.
Render
Bring to a boil without a lid, stirring occasionally and skimming off any froth or scum.
Boil until all the water has evaporated.
Move the pan to a cooler part of the fire to melt the fat gradually, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
When the pieces look shriveled, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes.
Strain and store
Strain the fat through muslin or an old sieve and let it cool completely before use.
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
- Pieces of beef, mutton, or bacon fat
- Supplies the fat that melts out to become the rendered cooking fat.
- Cold water
- Boils off first, carrying out moisture so the fat can melt without spattering.
The step that matters
Moving the pan to a cooler part of the fire. Melting fat slowly over gentle heat keeps the tissue from scorching, which would give the rendered fat a burnt, bitter taste. Frequent stirring spreads the heat and prevents sticking.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.