Tallow: baking, nutrition, weight loss, and improving your immune system
Tallow is rendered suet, the fat around the kidneys of cattle. It is unlike the other fat found in red meat. Rendered, it is odorless and tasteless, making it perfect for baking and cooking. But there are also many benefits for overall health as well. Tallow is perfect for frying because of its high smoke point of around 420o F. Because of this, it does not oxidize at high temperatures, like canola, corn, and even olive oil. Oxidation contributes to the formation of free radicals and free radicals are known to cause damage to DNA and other parts of human cells. You can replace all of your cooking oils with tallow. Use it to replace everywhere you would use vegetable or seed oils (canola, corn, soybean, peanut, grapeseed, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower) and Crisco like in pies, cookies, tortillas, cakes, and rice dishes. Tallow is a healthy fat high in choline, a nutrient that supports the nervous system and the fatty acids that protect nerve cells. It also provides Conjugated Linoleic Acid Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) (webmd.com)) and vitamins A, D, K, E, and B12 that support your immune system, skeletal system, heart, skin, and more. And consuming healthy fats stimulates the release of glucagon, the hormone that signals your body to burn stored fat to use for energy. Inflammation is a key trigger to lowering your immune system and industrial processed seed oils cause inflammation. By replacing all of your inflammatory oils with tallow, you will decrease inflammation and improve your immune system. There are even benefits to rubbing it on topically for healthy skin. The fatty acids help form lipids that keep the skin protected and moisturized. It can treat dryness and aid in healing skin wounds through its combination of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that promote skin cell generation. It is antimicrobial and antifungal and detoxifies your skin. It can be used in homemade lotions, soaps, and even candles, or rub it on as a straight oil. Rendering your own suet is easy. Cut the suet into 1-inch cubes, throwing away anything that resembles the kidney, or use larger pieces in a food processor. Cook in a crockpot set to low. Stir continuously in the beginning to make sure it renders down and does not stick and burn to sides. Impurities will float to the top. When the impurities are crispy, the rendering is complete, roughly 6-8 hours. Strain through a fine mesh or cheesecloth. Save the crispy Cracklins for use in salads, potato or rice dishes, even on sandwiches, anywhere you would use breadcrumbs, croutons, bacon, and more. Line a baking pan with parchment and pour in liquid tallow to cool. Store tallow at room temperature, but may also be frozen for longer storage.
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