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On Today’s Podcast Episode, Rachel dives into one of her favorite topics, FAT! She explains the different types of animal and plant based fats, their benefits, and how to use them in your kitchen and your homestead.

The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 259 – October 6, 2024

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Hi, friends! Today, I’m sharing something near and dear to my heart—fats! Yup, you heard me right! Fats are super important in our diets, and they can be much healthier than you think, especially when you make them at home. So, grab a cozy drink, and let’s dive into the world of fats, where you’ll learn how to process and use them yourself!

Why I Love Fats

I’ve been a fat enthusiast for over 20 years—way before it became trendy! I started learning about animal fats and healthy fats in the early 2000s. I ditched many store-bought body products and oils and started using homemade alternatives. It all started with a health protocol I followed called GAPS, introduced by Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride. She talked about properly preparing foods, including fats, and it helped my family so much.

Why You Should Care About Good Fats

Even if you’re not on a high-fat diet, fats are still a part of your life. Whether you fry, sauté, or bake, different fats play different roles. But not all fats are created equal! There’s this thing called the “smoke point”—the temperature at which fats start smoking and turning into unhealthy, even harmful compounds. Picking the right fat for the right cooking temperature is super important.

A Few things You Should Know About Fats

Smoke Point

Overheated natural fats can also begin releasing free radicals (unstable atoms that can damage cells). Additionally, the beneficial nutrients and phytochemicals found in many unrefined oils are destroyed when oil reaches its smoking point. So it’s important to know that the smoke point of an oil is sufficient for the type of cooking you’re doing.

Remember that deep frying is usually done at temperatures of 370-390F. So when it is time to cook remember to pick a fat that can withstand the temperatures you need to accomplish to cook or bake with. 

Saturated Fats

Mostly animal fats but can include some plant fats like coconut and palm oil they are usually solid at room temp. 

Unsaturated Fats

Things high in poly and monounsaturated fats (this has to do with the bonds on the fatty acid chain), mostly plants but can include some animal fats. Believe it or not chicken skin and beef can be unsaturated. How do you know?  It’s liquid at room temperature.

Types of Fats I Love to Use

Let’s go through some of my favorite fats—both animal-based and plant-based—so you can find what works best for your kitchen!

Animal Based Fats

Butter: The Best of the Basics

Who doesn’t love butter? You can make butter from cow, sheep, goat, or even buffalo milk. I prefer pastured and grass-fed butter because it has more nutrients, like Omega-3s and CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid), which is great for your gut! Butter’s smoke point is 302°F, so keep an eye on it when cooking at higher temps.

• Can come from: Cows, yaks, sheep, buffalo, goats
• Pastured and grass fed best, Organic second choice
• If you can find quality cream you can make butter.  This is great for baking, potatoes, toast, eating, and frying.  
• Pastured grass fed butter has Butyrate, D, K2, Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA (1 TB contains 110mg, grass fed 5 times more), high omega 3 to 6 ratio (you want) 
• The smoke point of butter is 302F
• Storage: Room 2 days, Fridge 2 mos, Freezer 12 mos

Ghee: Butter’s Supercharged Cousin

If you’ve never tried ghee, you’re missing out! Ghee is basically butter without the milk solids, so it’s lactose-free and safe for those with dairy sensitivities. It’s also packed with nutrients. Plus, ghee’s smoke point is 485°F—making it perfect for high-heat cooking.

• Clarified butter, the solids are removed by heating and skimming, see video link
• It also has all the benefits of butter but also antioxidants and can be casein and lactose free but in much higher concentrations.  Grass fed is considered a nutritional powerhouse. Great for frying or those with allergies. The amount of CLA is approximately 148mg per 1 TB grass fed ghee. 
• Smoke point of ghee is 485F
• Storage: Room 3 months, Fridge 12 mos, freezer 2 years

Lard: Don’t Fear the Fat!

Lard comes from pigs (and maybe bear) and is great for baking and frying. If you’re able to get pastured lard, even better! It’s higher in nutrients like Vitamin D3. Lard has a smoke point of 374°F, so it’s ideal for most cooking but might not be great for very high heat.

With Lard there are two kinds of  lard from the outside and other areas of the animal and the Leaf Lard which is the prized fat bakers prefer for things like pies due to its texture and neutral flavor. It is found around the kidneys.

• Grind, melt slowly, skim and filter.
• Pastured or Organic is best- pastured preferred. In this case due to vitamin D3 and better omega 3:6 fatty acids. Great for baking, skin care and cooking.
• Smoke point: 374F
• Storage: 4-6 mos room temp, 12 mos in the fridge, 2 years in the freezer

Tallow: The Underrated Fat

Tallow comes from cows, sheep, goats, or even deer. It’s fantastic for both cooking and skincare. It also has a higher smoke point of 400°F, so it’s perfect for frying things like French fries (fun fact: McDonald’s used to fry their fries in tallow!).

Tallow has subcutaneous (under the skin), intramuscular(marbling), intermuscular(between muscle groups), and visceral fat (surrounding organs to protect them). With tallow the organ fat is not prized any more than the other fat.  

• Comes from: cow, deer, goat, sheep, horse
• Grind, heat on low, skim and filter.  
• Uses for skin care, cooking (sometimes this is very neutral flavored and others not) and 
• Patured or Organic is best. It has CLA, A, D, E, K, B12 and good 3:6 omega ratio
• Smoke Point: 400F
• Storage: 12 mos room temp, 18 mos fridge, 2 years frozen

Schmaltz: Chicken Fat for the Win!

Did you know that chicken fat, called schmaltz, is a thing? It’s delicious and has a smoke point of 375°F. You can use it just like any other fat for cooking, and it adds a unique, savory flavor to your dishes.

• Duck, the most common culinary bird fat used, also Goose and Chicken
• Cook the bird fully and the fat typically is in the bottom of the pan but you can cut up a bird and take the fat to render by heating, skimming and straining. 
• Used for confit, cooking, baking, dressings, frying etc.
• Smoke Point: 375F
• Storage: Fridge 1 week, freezer 6 mos

Plant-Based Fats

If you’re more into plant-based fats, I’ve got you covered! I primarily use three types of oils: olive, coconut, and avocado.

There are many reasons to use plant fats and just like animal fats it is important to choose a quality product. Unrefined and cold pressed are best because they avoid the chemicals and heat. So if you purchase these be sure to source quality and authentic oils, there are a lot of fakes out there. 

Olive Oil: The Mediterranean Treasure

Cold-pressed olive oil is one of the healthiest oils you can use. It is heated to 81.9 degrees, then ground to a paste and pressed. It’s loaded with antioxidants, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. However, it has a lower smoke point of 350°F, so I mostly use it cold for dressings or low-heat cooking.

It is considered the healthiest of olive oils and has been made for thousands of years.  If you live in a region that produces olives this would be a great homestead project, I do not so I tend to purchase this and use it sparingly.

• Benefits: antioxidants, heart, anti inflammatory and so on.. High in vitamin E and K and quality fat types. 
• Uses in dressings and on salads or herbal infusions, sauteing, cooking etc…
•  Smoke Point: 350F, I typically never heat it but you can, it reduces the nutrition of it though.
• Storage: Ideal temps is 57-68 F in a tinted glass or a non reactive metal container. Unopened at these temps 12-24 months, opened 3-6 mos but it degrades after 6 mos. 

Coconut Oil: The All-Rounder

Coconut oil is super versatile. It’s great for baking, sautéing, and even for skincare! The cold-pressed version has a nice coconut flavor, and it stores well for up to two years. Its smoke point is 350°F, making it ideal for medium-heat cooking.

Again if you live in a place where coconuts grow this would be a fun thing to do. It has been done for thousands of years. You typically just cut up the coconut meat, blend and strain.

• Benefits: There are many health benefits including  weight management,  energy, diabetes, brain, antimicrobial and so on.  This is high in vitamin E and quality heart oils which may raise good cholesterol numbers. 
• Baking, cooking, sauteing, skin, hair, oral health (oil pulling)
• Smoke Point: 350F
• Storage: Up to two years in a cool dark place

Avocado Oil: My Favorite All-Purpose Oil

I probably use avocado oil the most in my kitchen. It has a super high smoke point of 500°F, making it perfect for frying. Plus, it’s packed with vitamins E and C, which help with inflammation and heart health. Cold Pressed is best again due to nutrition and flavor. 

• This process involves using the flesh of the avocado, mashed and heated to 122F, and spun to extract. 
• Benefits: It has vitamin E and C  antioxidants, may help reduce inflammation, heart health and vision health. 
• Baking, sauteing, frying, cooking and skin use.
• Smoke Point: 500F
• Storage: Unopened 1-2 years, Opened 6-8 mos and maybe longer in the fridge. 

Other Ways to Use Fats

Not only can you cook with fats, but you can also use them for many other things around your home. For example:

• Soap Making: You can make traditional soaps using fats like tallow and lard.
• Candles: Mix fat with beeswax to make homemade candles.
• Skincare: Creams, butters, lotions, makeup remover, chapstick
• Wood and Fabric Care: Some people use fats like flax oil to condition wood cutting boards or even to waterproof fabrics.
• Season cast iron: Flax seed oil is an excellent option for this.
• Tan hides
• Pet and Livestock skin care
• Beard wax
• Oil pulling for teeth
• Eye care for dry eye and skin

Wrapping It Up

So, there you have it—a beginner’s guide to fats in the kitchen (and beyond)! Whether you’re cooking, baking, or even making soap, fats are super versatile and incredibly useful. Plus, when you render your own fats from high-quality sources, you get to enjoy all the health benefits while reducing waste.

I hope this guide helps you feel more confident about using fats in your own kitchen. Until next time, happy cooking!

Links Mentioned In The Podcast

• The Weston A. Price Foundation
• Price-Pottenger
• Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride Books, GAPS, Neurologist, Neurosurgeon and Nutritionist https://amzn.to/3XSTRd0
• Fats Store Toxins: How Abdominal Fat is Toxic to Your Body | Piedmont Healthcare.
• Make Butter: Raw: HOW TO MAKE BUTTER – THREE DIFFERENT WAYS!
• Pasteurized: How to Make Butter (the EASY way)
• Make Ghee: How to Make Ghee from Butter | GAPS DIET RECIPES STAGE 2 | Bumblebee Apothecary
• Make Lard: How to Render Lard the Right Way | Step by Step Tutorial
• Make Tallow: How to Render and Purify Tallow | ODORLESS, WHITE, WET METHOD | Bumblebee Apothecary
• Schmaltz: How to Make Schmaltz – Rendered Chicken Fat
• My Choice Olive Oil: https://amzn.to/4gCte3C
• Laudemio Quality Olive Oil
• My Choice Avocado Oil: https://amzn.to/4efMp1r
• My Choice Coconut Oil: https://amzn.to/3XT29Sc
• Purchase quality already rendered animal fats: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Fatworks
• Simple Soap Recipe from Mother Earth News: Render Fat to Make Soap at Home
• Podcast on pressing your own oil with Harold and Bevin:  Small Scale Seed and Nut  Oil Production with Guest Bevin Cohen
• Freezing fat in cubes: https://amzn.to/4eAuZwo

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