Lard - what to look for ?

MrsStepford

I low carb, because I have Type 2 diabetes. Mostly, I have been using olive oil to cook with. This week I read that the Journal of the American College of Cardiology printed a study last month, which crunched data from tonnes of other studies, and included some famous ones. When these studies were undertaken in the 50s and 60s they didn't have computers, usually. Result was that saturated fat doesn't cause heart disease. Also spotted a tweet from an eminent American endocrinologist saying that olive oil is also unstable when cooked, just like seed oils. So I dug around and he's right. 

My other consideration is the price of olive oil, which has skyrocketed. We don't reuse oil, so it gets really expensive. Lard is much cheaper than olive oil. Done some digging online for prices:

ASDA SmartPrice lard 250g 39p
Sainsbury's Basics lard 250g 40p
T E Stockwell & Co lard 250g 39p (Tesco) 
Morrisons Savers lard 250g 40p
Just Lard 250g 54p (Waitrose)
Kerrymaid lard 250g 50p (Iceland) also sold by Ocado and in 40 x 250g blocks on Amazon and by Brakes which both work out more expensive than Iceland price

Does anyone know whether Aldi and Lidl sell lard and prices ? What is tocopherol, is it the same as rosemary extract ? Is lard hydrogenated ? (Kerrymaid says theirs isn't) What does decent lard look like melted ? Could I use it to make low carb pastry with ground flaxseed, ground linseed, psyllium husk, soya flour, chia seeds, coconut flour, almond flour etc ??? I would so love a low carb meat pie. Any other places to look for lard ? 

Thanks in advance.

203846930

Lidl sells lard as does Co-op but I could not tell you the prices.

sarah1972

I buy lard from my butcher. 100% pork fat or ask your butcher for some pork fat and render it down yourself.

A._Badger

Aldi used to but, sadly, neither of the branches I visit has had it for over a year, so I suspect it has been dropped.

pumpkin89

I don't know everything you've asked, but can help with a few of your questions:

• When melted, lard should be transparent and "pure" looking - you don't want to see any brown.
• Yes it makes very good pastry, in fact some well-known cooks like Mary Berry specify it (often 50:50 with butter for the flavour, but 100% lard works well too).  I would have thought (from a culinary point of view) that seeds would work well with it.  Not so sure about coconut flour - I'd pair that with coconut oil - let us know the result if you try it!
• Lard isn't generally hydrogenated.  Hydrogenation is used to turn unsaturated fats (mainly seed oils) into hydrogenated fats in order to give them similar properties (firmness, shelf-stability) as saturated fats.  Since lard is mainly saturated in the first place, there would be no point in hydrogenating it.
• Tocopherol and rosemary extract are different chemicals, but they're both used as antioxidants to prevent the lard turning rancid.  Some manufacturers prefer to use rosemary extract as it sounds more natural, but Vitamin E is a type of tocopherol so don't be put off by the name.

MrsStepford

Thank you for all the replies. Local butcher is having a laugh with 500g Amko beef dripping for 1.99, no lard. Now I know what to look for when melted, thank you. If lard isn't hydrogenated, seems pointless of Kerrymaid to tell shoppers that it's not hydrogenated. Ahh, thank you again, rosemary extract does sound better but will try to read more on tocopherol. I've bought a few blocks and we have started using them. Pastry will need to be an experiment later. Husband is into gluten-free baking at the moment. 

Farway

MrsStepford said:

 If lard isn't hydrogenated, seems pointless of Kerrymaid to tell shoppers that it's not hydrogenated

It's all down to sales isn't it?

I don't suppose you are the only one not knowing, so given choice between brands the unknowing would pick the "good" one despite them being identical

MrsStepford

Farway said:

MrsStepford said:

 If lard isn't hydrogenated, seems pointless of Kerrymaid to tell shoppers that it's not hydrogenated

It's all down to sales isn't it?

I don't suppose you are the only one not knowing, so given choice between brands the unknowing would pick the "good" one despite them being identical

So true !