Bacon Fat

Kaminari_2

I bought a pile of cooking bacon yesterday and there was alot of fat included. Can anyone recommend some yummy recipes that require bacon fat?

hermit-crab

Please cut it off and bin it and use the bacon. Fats like this are really bad for our health. It is so easy to ignore this when you are young but believe me old age creeps up faster than you think and you will regret not taking better care of your health and the health of your loved ones. My wife died prematurely and diet played a part in it, so this is a subject close to my heart.

Omertron

Why not make a fatball for the birds?

RSPB

Hot to make

Kaminari_2

Thanks for the replies but is there anyone that uses the fat in their recipes? Before we get on the 'Is it good for you' debate i am fully aware of the risks involved with eating animal fats as well as other not so good for us fats. Just as people know the dangers of smoking and drinking, i know the dangers and am making an educated choice.

thriftlady_2

You can use it in pastry making.At least,that's what my wartime cookbooks tell me.Use some butter and some bacon fat,obviously this pastry would be best for a savoury dish.

I also use it to fry potatoes,bubble and squeak etc - delicious.Don't forget it keeps for a long time in the fridge and of course you can freeze it-just chip a chunk off and add to your pan.

Oh,and bacon goes really well with fish,try frying some salmon fillets in the fat,or even some scallops if you're feeling flush.

Mrsbojangles_2

Fry it up, toss it to the birds

thriftlady_2

Sorry, Kaminari I was assuming the fat had been rendered from frying bacon.Do you mean pieces of uncooked bacon fat? If so I would throw it in a frying pan and let it cook slowly so that it all melts or renders,then pour it into a suitable container for use as I described above.The fat will solidify and be suitable for use in pastry etc .Hope that makes sense.

Kaminari_2

It certainly does! Thanks! I like using it to fry up bubble and squeak.

albacore1854

I have often wondered if you could use it chopped really finely in place of suet in things like bacon and onion suet pud.

Just an idea, I've never got round to trying it

thriftlady_2

I bet you could,but it would add salt.

Marguerite Patten's 'We'll Eat Again' and 'The Victory Cookbook' are full of ideas for using up fat from all sorts of meats

filigree_2

I originally posted this on the thread "Feed 6 for £1.62" but because I can't figure out how to link it, I'll post it again:

This is ludicrously cheap, mostly because you don't pay for all the ingredients! The basic recipe costs well under £1.

Keep the fat that drips off cooking joints - chicken keeps well. Use cheap veg oil if you're determined to resist cholesterol - it only costs pennies.

The technique of saving all fat from cooking fits in well with WWII rationing principles

Recipe:
Bacon fat
Cooking fat or 4 tbsp of cheap oil
Two 14oz tins of economy tomatoes - 36p
Two onions - 10p
500g bag economy pasta - 19p
Garlic to taste
Chilli powder to taste

Stick tinned toms in blender. Very finely chop onions and bacon fat.

Heat cooking fat in pan and add onions and bacon fat, cook gently till onions and fat are slightly browned.

ETA: At this stage you can strain off the excess fat, save it for another day!

Add crushed garlic, and blended tomatoes. Rinse blender with a little water and add the lot to the pan. Chuck in ground pepper, pinch of dried herbs and chilli to taste.

Simmer gently for 40 minutes till it's nice and thick, serve with the boiled pasta.

With the remaining £1 you can buy a bit of cheese and some cheap veggies to bump up the vitamin count.

Goes by the grand title of Penne all'Arrabiatta.

I use bacon fat to cover the breast of a roast chicken to keep it moist, I feel it's a bit of a waste to use streaky bacon.