Friday, January 8, 2016

Homemade schmaltz (Poultry Fat)


Schmaltz (also spelled schmalz or shmalz) is rendered (clarified) chicken or goose fat used for cooking or baking. It is healthy, delicious and extremely easy to make at home.

I know, I know, you must be screaming at the top of your lung now and said:"What? Healthy? Are you kidding me?"

NO, I am not.

Animal fat, of course, has bad reputations for years, but then, like most of the diet myths, it is simply a myth.There are enough research showing that Fat, including saturated fat, from healthy pastured animals does not cause cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, obesity or anything else.

In short, animal fats used sparingly, are much healthier than the highly processed vegetable seeds oil.

Our foreparents used animal fats for the longest time in cooking, lard makes some of the best pastries in human history and a typical Chinese noodle won't taste the same without it.

Check out this website about harmfulness of vegetable oil -- http://authoritynutrition.com/are-vegetable-and-seed-oils-bad/


Ingredients:
1.5- 2 lbs Organic Chicken Skin & Fat
1 cup of water


The process of rendering chicken/poultry fat is pretty similar to the making of Pork Lard. The only different will be that I do not cut the chicken skin/fat into small pieces. 

Once the fats are all rendered out, the crispy chicken skin is a very tasty snack, of course you can also throw it away if you are worry about calories and cholesterol. 



1. Cleaned the skin & fats thoroughly.

2. In a cookware/wok, add 1 cup of water with all the skin and fats, bring to boil and continue cooking at medium heat until water evaporate, turn to low to render all the fat out of the skin and fat.

 3. Stir occasionally until the skins become crispy and oil rendered are cleared.

 4. Separate the crispy chicken skin with the oil rendered using a sieve, sprinkle some salt on the crispy skin, it gives better taste and preserve it longer. 

Note:

Adding water is important, it is the key to make clear schmaltz. 

Schmaltz can be kept at room temperature for around 2 weeks, if refrigerated, it could be kept for more than a month 




2 comments:

  1. Interesting. I started rendering chicken fat because I find it is such a waste to throw good food away. Especially from an animal who is killed for us as food ...


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    Replies
    1. That too, is another reason not to waste the fat... welcome to my blog!

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