Lard Usage?

[Chef Munky]

I hope I'm asking this question in the right section.

I bought some Lard to replace Crisco for baking.Like everything else at the store lately Crisco has gone up twice the price it normally would be.

To use lard in a recipe that would normally call for Crisco.Do I need to increase/decrease the amount used in a recipe? Or should I just eye it?

I've never used lard before.


Thanks,

Munky.

 

[Alix]

Exactly the same amount. Lard is merely animal based fat instead of vegetable based, like Crisco.

Edit: PS, moved this to substitutions.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Especially for pastries, lard will give you superior results to vegetable shortenings. And contrary to popular belief, lard (rendered pig fat), is actually healthier for the body than is hydrogenated vegetable shortening (transfats). I think you will like your results.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Chef Munky]

Thank you for moving this.

It was one of those posts "Not sure this is the correct spot?" but let's try anyways..

That would be a great section to have added here.I can't be the only one.. Ok I probably am the only one...

Re Lard:

Thanks for the info.The Lard was $2.00 more than the Crisco,and it's a 10 pound container.Crisco's was 2 pounds.. Saved some money.Yeah!!!!!

Thanks

Munky.

 

[Chef Munky]

Especially for pastries, lard will give you superior results to vegetable shortenings. And contrary to popular belief, lard (rendered pig fat), is actually healthier for the body than is hydrogenated vegetable shortening (transfats). I think you will like your results.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

Ohhh I didn't know that...I'm not that great at baking,but I try to improve.

I've mastered the art of biscuits finally,and was concerned about replacing the Crisco..That's pretty much all I use it for.

I've noticed that the newer cook books call for Lard to be used..Interesting...

Thanks.

Munky.

 

[oldrustycars]

I kept lard around for seasoning cast iron. I heard that homemade biscuits with lard are so much better than Crisco. They are correct. The missus doesn't like it when I use lard, but I still sneak it in every now and then.

 

[expatgirl]

pies made with lard are easy-peasy to roll out.......I bought mine in blocks in the UK and keep it in the freezer to prolong its life......all oils and shortenings will go rancid after awhile.......I love using lard......of course I don't eat sweets either.........only thing I can use outside of Crisco (which same verse second as the first......you can't get here)

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

pies made with lard are easy-peasy to roll out.......I bought mine in blocks in the UK and keep it in the freezer to prolong its life......all oils and shortenings will go rancid after awhile.......I love using lard......of course I don't eat sweets either.........only thing I can use outside of Crisco (which same verse second as the first......you can't get here)

"Second verse, same as the first.
Oim 'enery the eighth oi am
'enery the eighth oi am, oi am.
Oi got married to the widda next store.
She's been married, seven times before..."

See the things you do to me, expat? Took me back to my young days, when I was just a lad, in the 60's, when I could easily touch my wrists to my toes, and my forehead to my knees. My eldest sister was a Herman's Hermits fan, big time. Me? Not so much. Oh the horrors she put me through with her control of the stereo.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[bullseye]

"Second verse, same as the first.
Oim 'enery the eighth oi am
'enery the eighth oi am, oi am.
Oi got married to the widda next store.
She's been married, seven times before..."

See the things you do to me, expat? Took me back to my young days, when I was just a lad, in the 60's, when I could easily touch my wrists to my toes, and my forehead to my knees. My eldest sister was a Herman's Hermits fan, big time. Me? Not so much. Oh the horrors she put me through with her control of the stereo.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

OMG, GW, I thought the same thing. Every one was an 'Enery!

 

[Chef Munky]

I've a few more questions regarding lard usage.

When using lard to deep fry is it normal for it to melt/cook at a hotter temp then vegetable oil would?

I'm glad to have made that switch.Now it's kind of in a way for me,relearning how to cook certain things.

For an exact example,I deep fried some chickens the other night.I noticed that the lard had come up to temp much faster then veg oil would have.
And the flavor of the seasoned flour was off just a bit.I know I added the normal amount of seasonings.Just didn't taste much of them.

Other then that that chicken was pretty good.It didn't have that heavy oil taste at all.It was very light,and after checking under the rack I had the finished pieces on.No excess oil drippings.I thought that was great

All 3 chickens were gone by that night.That's never happened before.
I might even try to make a pie crust again..

It's a new thing for me to adjust to.Any pointers that you might have would be appreciated.
Thank you.

Munky.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Pie crust 101:

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to go through the trouble and time of chilling all the ingredients. Room temperature is just fine.

Ingredients for a two-crusted pie:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
lard
3 to 4 tbs. ice water

Whisk together the flour and salt. Add about 3/4 cup of lard and cut it in with a pastry cutter. Now this is the important part, and is why I didn't give you a measurement for the lard. When enough fat (lard) is cut into the flour, it will resemble little pebbles in the bowl. Too little flour will result in some of the flour not mixing in. Too much lard will form ribbons of dough when cut through with the pastry cutter. Adjust the fat and flour accordingly after cutting in the starting amount of lard.

Don't worry about overmixing at this stage as the dough can't toughen up until water is added (caution, butter contains a small amount of water, so when using butter, work the dough as little as possible). The water reacts with the two types of protien in the flour to form gluten, that rubber substance that makes breads and batters hold Co2 bubbles. Until that water is added, the gluten can't form.

When you achieve that pebble-like texture in the dough, add the ice water and stir jsut enough to wet everything. Divide the dough into two, equal halves. Flatten one half slighlty with your hands and place onto a well flured work surface. Roll from the center outward in all directions to make a rough circle about 3 inches larger than the rim of your pie-pan. Lay the pie-pan onto the dough, upside down, and trim the crust to make a circle that is 2 inches larger than the pan. Remove the pie-pan and carefully slide a thin spatula or cake-turner under the crust from all sides to make sure it isn't sticking to the work surface. Place the roller onto one edge of the crust and roll it to the other side, rolling the crust around it as you go. Unroll the crust over the pie pan and carefully push into the pan. Depending on the filling, you may want to brush with egg-wash and blind bake to form a shield agains liquid fillings. Otherwise, fill the raw crust with your filling, roll out the second crust as you did the first, and place it on top of the pie. Pinch the edges together and fold the excess between the crust and pie-pan. Flute the edges, cut steam vents, and bake according to recipe directions.

Your crust will come out so flaky and tender, you will wonder why everyone else goes through all that trouble that they teach you on food network. I'm convinced that they just want you to think it's difficult so they can feel superior to us ordinary mortals. my pies have won local contests, in fact, every local contest I've entered them in. I'm not amazing. I just use my head and pay attention to what's going on with the food while I do what I do with it.

Make your pie.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Russellkhan]

And contrary to popular belief, lard (rendered pig fat), is actually healthier for the body than is hydrogenated vegetable shortening (transfats).

Actually, you want to watch out for most lard sold in supermarkets. As I understand it, that stuff is hydrogenated too. I get mine from a local butcher.

 

[Chef Munky]

Actually, you want to watch out for most lard sold in supermarkets. As I understand it, that stuff is hydrogenated too. I get mine from a local butcher.

We bought the Farmer John brand.It had BHT,whatever that is and citric acid to protect the flavor they say.


Munky.

 

[Russellkhan]

We bought the Farmer John brand.It had BHT,whatever that is and citric acid to protect the flavor they say.

I'm not really an expert on this, but I think if it was hydrogenated, the ingredients would have to say so.

I believe BHT is a preservative, and citric acid is an ingredient with preservative qualities.

 

[Chef Munky]

Just Wikied it... Interesting

Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), also known as butylhydroxytoluene, is a lipophilic (fat-soluble) organic compound that is primarily used as an antioxidant food additive (E number E321) as well as in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, electrical transformer oil[1], and embalming fluid.

Sometimes I'm better off just not knowing...

Munky