The Impressive Benefits Of Cooking With Animal Fats

Traditionally, many western cultures evolved to use animal fats as the main fats for cooking with, due to their availability, cost, & ease of use. While nowadays many people opt for cheaper seed oils for cooking, there has been a resurgence in the use of animal fats. Here’s why:

Cooking with animal fats can add rich, savoury flavours to your dishes. Lard, for example, imparts a savoury, porky flavour to baked goods and fried foods, while duck fat adds a depth of flavor to roast vegetables and pan-fried meats.

Animal fats are also more stable at high cooking temperatures than plant-based oils and seed oils, making them ideal for high-heat cooking methods such as frying, searing, and roasting.

Many animal fats are also rich in healthy fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats can help to support heart health and may even have anti-inflammatory properties, contrary to what you may have been told by pro- seed oil marketing tactics.

Using animal fats in your cooking can also help you to use up food scraps and reduce waste. For example, you can render your own lard from pork fat trimmings, tallow from fatty beef, or even make your own ghee from the milk solids of butter.

Another benefit of cooking with animal fats is that they can help to add moisture and tenderness to your dishes. For example, adding a small amount of bacon fat to a roast can help to keep the meat moist and flavourful.

Some animal fats, such as goose and duck fat, have a higher smoke point than other fats, even some animal fats, making them ideal for searing and roasting meats at very high temperatures.

Animal fats can also add texture and depth to your dishes. For example, using a small amount of rendered chicken fat in a soup or stew can add richness and depth of flavour without making the dish taste or feel too “fatty”.

Cooking with animal fats can also help to add nutrients to your dishes. For example, lard, beef tallow, and duck fat are all good sources of vitamin D.

Finally, cooking with animal fats can be a great way to add traditional flavors to your dishes and pay tribute to the culinary traditions of different cultures around the world. So, don't be afraid to experiment with different animal fats in your cooking!

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