Hydrogenated Lard -- is it good for cooking Mexican?

[DanaB]

Hi All,

I'm living in the midwest (Madison, WI), and so far have not been able to find the kind of lard I used to get at Mexican markets in Los Angeles (it came in tubs in the meat department, and I believe it was freshly rendered lard, and it was perfect for Mexican cooking). What I have been able to find is something called "Snow Cap Lard," by a company named Morrell. It comes in an unrefrigerated brick, and is hydrogenated. Is this only for baking, or is it okay for cooking (like for refried beans)? I haven't been in Madison that long and have not exhausted sources for real lard from the ethnic markets in town, but at the regular supermarkets, this seems to be the only option. Is it a good one?

Thanks!

[LauraGrace]

Oh dear me...

What I CAN tell you is that hydrogenation is a preserving process for fats -- that's why it's shelf-stable. Ordinary lard would go rancid unless refrigerated. Morrell is a VERY large pork processor, which creeps me out just a TINY bit... thinking about them trying to make a bit of extra money on what would otherwise be a by-product of their pork processing business. Eep.

Apart from being slightly franken-foodish, hydrogenated fats are incredibly unhealthy -- ordinary lard is obviously no health food, but at least it's a natural product! I'd keep looking for the real stuff if I were you!

[Zeldog]

Lauragrace is right. Hydrogenated lard will not go rancid for a very long time and does not need to be refrigerated, so the . It's not really a frankenfood. You can find better and more detailed explanations online, but rendered lard has a fairly high proportion of unsaturated (more healthy) fats and hydrogenation converts some (most?) of those fat molecules to saturated fats. It's probably no big deal if you don't use it that much, but you could render your own lard if you can find some pork fat at the supermarket or a butcher shop. Ask at any supermarket that actually cuts meat. They may be trimming the fat off various pork cuts and tossing it out.

You could also render salt pork, if your supermarket has it, or use bacon fat. Just don't add any salt to the beans before you taste.

[Cinnamon]

If not called 'salt pork' it might be called 'white bacon' and if not by the regular bacon, a) ask the butcher for that or some pork fat or b) look in the freezer section.

If I was looking for alternatives to try, I'd consider chicken fat (but that may add more taste than you want) or coconut oil, which has some of the same properties.. it's my go-to oil, really. You can either get regular coconut oil or pricier health-foody cold-pressed oil which has a little more of a coconut taste.

[DanaB]

Thanks for your comments, Laura and Zeldog! I ended up using bacon fat for my beans, and will continue the search for a source of "real" lard in Madison.

Meanwhile, I've still got the block of Snow Cap Lard sitting on my shelf. I am aware of the disinclination toward hydrogenated fats, but I've also heard that lard is good for pastry crusts. I'm really interested in hearing from anyone who has used this product -- does it have any good uses? Is it superior to anything? I'm guessing it's pretty similar to Crisco, on some level, and I know there are many recipes that still call for that, regardless of the unpopularity of hydrogenated fats.

It could just be that I bought something I will never use, either because there are better alternatives, or because it is simply a bad product. Maybe I wasted my money and it's an out-moded product that will go the way of red dye #2? But I'd love to hear from somebody who was familiar with the product. Thanks again for the feedback!

[Brummbaer]

Your block of Snow Cap Lard is still a very useful product. Yes, it can be used for Mexican cooking. Not as good as the real deal but still quite acceptable. It is also great for baking, especially pie crusts. I have been baking pies since I was ten (taught by my grandmother) and she always used lard. My wife hates it, but I also use lard for my pies. An interesting property of lard is that when it is room temperature or slightly higher, it is much easier to "cut" into the flour than either butter or Crisco. The hydrogenated lard is also good for deep frying. As a concession to my wife, I mix it 50/50 with vegetable oil.

Brummbaer

[hankstramm]

Dana, it is very easy and cheap to render your own lard. Ask your butcher for some fat. If you have a butcher that breaks down his own pigs, they might even give it to you. Here's a link to a blog that has a recipe to do it and much more info on the white stuff:

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/200...

[Melanie Wong]

It doesn't taste good. To my palate, has a woody and unnatural chemical aftertaste.