To Clarify Dripping
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Clarify the dripping
Put the dripping into a saucepan and add enough boiling water to cover it well.
Boil fast for about 20 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a basin or jar and let it cool until the dripping is firm.
Finish and fix
Raise the cake of dripping with a knife, pour away the water, and scrape off any sediment.
If the fat is burnt, add a little baking soda.
If the dripping absorbs water after cooling, place it in a 300°F (150°C) oven to evaporate the water.
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
- Dripping
- Provides the fat that is clarified, giving the final cooking fat its flavour and texture.
- Boiling water
- Melts the dripping and carries away water-soluble impurities and sediment during boiling.
The step that matters
Scraping off the sediment after the cake sets. Sediment and any water left under the solid fat cause spoilage and spattering later. Lifting the cake cleanly and scraping its underside removes these impurities, so the fat keeps better and cooks more evenly.
“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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