Food preparation — Frying and the use of fat

It is important to choose the right fat for frying as it must be able to stand a temperature of up to 200C without burning or oxidising. It should also be free of water as this will make it spit.

Clarified butter is by far the best fat for frying, but it is prohibitively expensive.

The best all-round alternative is probably lard (pork fat). Beef dripping or other animal fats are suitable for frying but, as they tend to flavour the food being cooked, they should only be used to fry savoury dishes.

Vegetable margarines usually contain a high proportion of water, thus they spit.

There are white vegetable-oil based cooking fats which can be used for frying, and pure oils such as sunflower, and blended cooking oils which are suitable for frying.

However, when heated, vegetable oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats oxidise readily, can cause free radicals to form and increase the risk of some cancers, it may be unwise to use vegetable-based cooking oils, such as sunflower oil, for cooking at high temperature: frying, grilling or roasting.

Olive oil is suitable for the high temperatures of frying. It also has a distinctive taste that may not go with the food being cooked.

But the best oil for cooking — whether is is frying, roasting, any other method — is coconut oil. Coconut oil is probably the healthiest, safest oil of them all. Designed for the tropics, it is the oil which is least likely to be damaged by heat.

How to clean saved fat

The use of fat is an essential element of this way of eating. You will (I hope) buy the fattest meat you can get. When roasting this, you will collect quantities of dripping in the oven pan. Don't throw this away, it is valuable. But it may need cleaning.

Most of the fat will be clear and can be poured through a sieve into a suitable bowl. Cleaning accumulated fat, dripping, et cetera, which has been left to set is also quite easy. Put it in a large heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it. Stir it until it has all melted and then leave it to set hard. The fat will set in a layer on top of the water and all the impurities and bits will be mostly in the water and can be thrown away.

Skim off the fat and keep it in the fridge. It will last for a very long time.

1. Introduction
2. Make your own sausage
3. How to cure your own bacon
4. Frying and using fats for cooking