Clarified Fat

Ingredients

• enough cold water to cover it
• a piece of muslin or an old sieve
• a handful of oatmeal
• pepper and salt to taste

Method

1. 1

   Cut up the scraps and put them in an iron stew-pan with enough cold water to cover.

2. 2

   Boil without a lid, stirring occasionally and skimming off the froth.

3. 3

   Let it boil until the water evaporates.

4. 4

   Stir frequently to prevent burning.

5. 5

   When the fat is ready, strain it through muslin and let it cool.

6. 6

   It should be white and hard when cold.

7. 7

   The dried scraps can be used to flavor soups or mixed with oatmeal, pepper, and salt, then served with bread.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Chambers's cookery for young housewives (1894) by Annie M. Griggs, page 79. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

enough cold water to cover it, place it over the fire without a lid, and let it boil ; stir with an iron spoon occasionally, and skim away the froth or scum as it rises to the surface. Let it boil fast until all the water has evaporated or passed off in steam. The pan must then be drawn to the side of the fire that the fat may melt gradually. During this operation stir fre- quently, to prevent it from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. When each piece looks shrivelled, the fat is ready. Lift the pan from the fire on to a pot-rest, and let it stand for a few minutes to cool ; for if the fat be put into an earthen vessel while too hot, it will be liable to crack, if not to break it. When it has stood for about five minutes, strain the fat through a piece of muslin or an old sieve ; let it get cold, and it will be ready for use. When cold, it should be quite white and hard. Fat thus clarified will keep good for many months. The dried scraps may be used to flavour pea or lentil soup. They should be put in a piece of muslin, thrown into the soup while it is cooking, and removed before it is served. They impart a crisp and slightly-burnt flavour. Another method of utilising these scraps is to return them to the saucepan with a handful of oatmeal, pepper and salt to taste ; they should then be stirred over a brisk fire until the oatmeal is parched, and served with bread. This method is often adopted in the north during the cold months, and an appetising dish, and one which is much liked by children, is thus prepared at little cost. The chief and most valuable use of clarified fat

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.