do you save bacon grease for cooking?

[Tishabet]

It's a core ingredient for real hot bacon dressing... Pennsylvania Dutch REPRESENT!

[juanbenae]

mcqueen gets it in his supper mixed with the kibble. he eats that shat up, good for his coat too.

[Steve Carlton]

A guy I know who owns a gourmet restaurant says goose fat drippings are the ultimate cooking fat.

[9dreizig]

Originally Posted by trekkor

Chip dip?


KT

In germany there's an appetizer with bacon bits in lard that they put on toast.. REALLY good, you can feel your arteries clogging in real time...
NOTHING better than pancakes fried in bacon grease!

[Scooter]

I save all grease in a can that remains in the refrigerator until I accumulate enough to throw a full can into the trash. I remember reading somewhere a long time ago that is is not only good for a person to consume, but it also not good for your pipes in your house either.

[JMPRO]

One of my favorites is pork fat from a mexican place I go to once in a while. They cook their carnitas in a big pot and after the meat is cooked they put the excess fat in tubs for sale. It has the little bits of carnitas left in it and is great for all your frying needs. The only problem is it comes in a 3 lb. tub so it lasts a long time.
Jerry

[MBAtarga]

How else would you make sawmill gravy for biscuits?

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

A guy I know who owns a gourmet restaurant says goose fat drippings are the ultimate cooking fat.

Agreed.

We do a large goose each year at Christmas. The rendered fat is about 4 cups. I use this for cooking until it runs out, which is usually sometime mid to late spring.

Great flavour.

We are very health conscious but this is one of those luxuries we think is worth it.

[sailchef]

During the summer I go thru 35 cases (@500lbs) of bacon in a week. After using the fat to cook 1000 lbs of eggs and 700lbs of potatoes my breakfast cooks take the rest home in 2gallon buckets for their amigo's and family. I don't go near it.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

God I miss the ignorant days when we ate what was good instead of what was good for us.

My favorite spice is a ham hock.

you would have loved my Polish grandmother.hog hocks and sauerkraut. those were good days!!!

looks like another crock pot dish coming up, after the goat curry that is.

[the]

My grandmother does it. After it has cooled and hardened, she spreads it on bread (relatively thick, I might add, not like a thin butter layer) and eats it straight. Apparently common for old Germans. She's a very healthy 94 years old, so I guess I can't argue.

[jyl]

Slightly off topic, but probably relevant to many of you lard-lovers, is olive oil indeed the healthiest oil? Or is that just good marketing? What about sesame oil?

[glewis80SC]

Yes, it adds great flavor to black beans and for frying taquitos, not for everyday use but the jar is in the fridge right now!

[aigel]

Try bear oil! (Rendered fat from a black bear).

George

[Big Ed]

Originally Posted by jyl

Slightly off topic, but probably relevant to many of you lard-lovers, is olive oil indeed the healthiest oil? Or is that just good marketing? What about sesame oil?

Olive oil is a healthy oil, but probably not superior to certain other oils. Olive oil is high in mono-unsaturated fat, which does tend to lower LDL and MAY raise HDL, but that's a matter of some debate.

Sesame oil is likewise healthy, although not popular in US for cooking as much as flavoring. If you are cooking with sesame oil, important to use the light variety which has a higher smoke point -- the dark stuff will burn.

The bad stuff is palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, butter, margarine, shortening, lard, bacon fat, etc.

Depending on the dish, I typically use olive, canola or peanut oils. Olive and peanut where their flavors complement the dish (European and Asian, respectively) and canola where I need a neutral flavor or when cooking with high heat (very high smokepoint).

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by Dottore

Agreed.

We do a large goose each year at Christmas. The rendered fat is about 4 cups. I use this for cooking until it runs out, which is usually sometime mid to late spring.

Great flavour.

We are very health conscious but this is one of those luxuries we think is worth it.

I have never had luck with duck or goose. What is the key to cooking these web footed wonders?

[Danimal16]

Originally Posted by Big Ed

Olive oil is a healthy oil, but probably not superior to certain other oils. Olive oil is high in mono-unsaturated fat, which does tend to lower LDL and MAY raise HDL, but that's a matter of some debate.

Sesame oil is likewise healthy, although not popular in US for cooking as much as flavoring. If you are cooking with sesame oil, important to use the light variety which has a higher smoke point -- the dark stuff will burn.

The bad stuff is palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, butter, margarine, shortening, lard, bacon fat, etc.

Depending on the dish, I typically use olive, canola or peanut oils. Olive and peanut where their flavors complement the dish (European and Asian, respectively) and canola where I need a neutral flavor or when cooking with high heat (very high smokepoint).

I had some grape oil given to me as a gift and really liked it. Believe it or not I experimented with a vegan sour dough bread (for some friends). Substituted olive oil, which worked but was very bland in flavor (as in add sugar). But that darn grape oil gave a very nice flavor, not quite a butter substitute, but far more than the olive oil.

Went to get some more of that stuff, grape oil, whoooooo is it expensive.

[jyl]

Don't know goose, have done it but long time ago. I remember how much fat a roast goose produces, never thought to save it.

Duck we cook often enough. I take the bird apart, brine, score skin, steam to render off some fat, brown on stovetop (oil and high heat), then finish in oven. Carcass makes great stock.

For (more) affordable duck, buy at your local Chinese grocery.

[gtc]

Originally Posted by jyl

For (more) affordable duck, buy at your local Chinese grocery.

+1, I think the Chinese are in possesion of some sort of duck-roasting trade secrets.

[peppy]

I do not cook with left over bacon drippings. That being said I do love the pork fat in some of my cooking it is just not left over.

My mother used to tell a story of going to a friends house, and they fried fish in the bacon grease.