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Dept. of Free Flavor: Bacon Fat
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
Dept. of Free Flavor: Bacon Fat
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| Room-temp bacon fat |
| Photo l Michael Persico |
Animal fat has a closet full of nom de plume: lard, tallow, cod-liver oil, blubber and schmaltz. Though the decidedly un-glam monikers may inspire a shudder in some consumers, animal fats have been eaten by humans for thousands of years. The waste-not way of living demanded that people use every piece of the creatures they had hunted in the wild, or raised as livestock at home.
Raw fat is converted into a product useful for cooking through a process called rendering. Rendering can be done in the kitchen, or on a large scale in slaughterhouses. Rendered fat is either processed to be consumed by humans, or destined for less-tasty places: soap, glue, pet and livestock feed.
In the great fat-free madness of the late '80s and early '90s, saturated fats (such as animal fats) were demonized, and people at risk for heart disease were warned to stay away — see the wholesale rejection of a great dietary building block, the egg. Though there may be a link between consumption of animal fats and cardiovascular disease, other factors, such as a lack of fiber-rich vegetables, exercise and moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, influence risk factors as well. High LDL ("bad") cholesterol, high triglyceride (blood fats) levels and cardiovascular disease are influenced by a combination of many factors, not just diet.
Assuming one is reasonably active, cooking onions in bacon fat should not be a death sentence. The fat that renders off bacon as it is cooked is a flavorful bonus, and everything from mirepoix for stock to mushrooms for soup can be cooked off in it. On a practical note, all animal fats which are solid at room temperature (fully saturated fats) will clog drains if you pour it down while still hot and liquid. Thus, the double motivation for pouring the hot bacon fat into a jar and storing it in the fridge for later use. The free fat will add a touch of smoky flavor to your garlic, leeks or celery, and keep your drain running free in the bargain.
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