Lard can be reused if done properly. Many people use lard as part of the frying process to more completely cook their foods and to add an extra layer of flavor to certain foods that they try.
It is a lovely way to get more flavor from the foods that you love, but make sure you also consider how you may reuse lard after you have already put it through the frying process once.
After all, there is no reason to be wasteful about something like this. There are many people who would love nothing more than to have access to lard for cooking, so make sure you are resourceful with what you have.
Quick Navigation
Be Mindful Of How Much Heat You Use
The first way to get more use out of your lard is to be mindful of how much heat you use on it in the first place. You won’t get any use at all out of it if you overheat it from the start.
Thus, you should never heat your lard above 360 degrees Fahrenheit or 185 degrees Celsius. Doing so makes the lard unusable and can make it harmful to consume.
Thus, you don’t want to take a chance like that when you are attempting to get multiple uses out of your lard.
Obviously, if you can’t even get one use out of it, then you are certainly not going to get multiple uses.
Bear that in mind as you work through the ways that you heat lard. There are many ways that it can go wrong if you allow it to.
Check The Quality Of The Lard Before You Attempt To Reuse It
There are a lot of reasons to check on the quality of your lard before you attempt to reuse it in the cooking process.
You need to make sure it is still safe for human consumption. Believe it or not, that is one of the biggest factors for determining if you can use it again or not.
The National Institutes Of Health makes it clear that every time that lard or any cooking oil is reused, the quality of the material lessens:
Overall, deep-frying deteriorates the quality of the oil. The choice of frying oil or fat depends on many factors such as availability, price, frying performance, flavor, and stability of the product during storage.
There is no getting around the fact that it simply won’t be as good as it was the first time around.
People tend to know that when they are reusing something. However, they still opt to do so because they are attempting to get as much life out of their cooking supplies as they possibly can.
They aren’t necessarily as worried about the quality of the lard that they are working with as they are about the ability to get extra life out of it.
This could be a monetary thing, or it may just be because they don’t like to be wasteful.
Always check to make sure the lard does not have:
- A bad smell – If there is a noticeable unpleasant odor coming from the lard, you should refrain from using it in cooking. Lard should be a relatively neutral smell to it, but if there is a bad smell, you want to avoid using it at this time.
- Issues you can see visually – Another way to check on the quality of the lard that you are about to use is to do a simple visual check. Is there anything that you spot on the surface of the lard that makes you want to think twice before moving forward? If so, you might want to forego the second use of that lard at this time.
Proper Storage Enhances Your Ability To Get More Life Out Of Lard
Anyone hoping to use lard more than once must understand that they need to store their lard properly to have any hope of pulling that off at all.
You aren’t going to get another chance to cook with the lard that you are using now if you don’t keep it stored properly to begin with.
Proper storage of your lard includes the following steps:
- Keep it sealed up in an airtight container that will not leak
- Store in a dark and cool place in your pantry. You do not want to leave it too exposed to room temperature settings. Try to keep it at least a little cooler than the room
- Do not let the temperature of your home increase above 75 degrees Fahrenheit at any time
Not abiding by any of these factors may make it possible for the lard to go bad before you even get to use it once, let alone multiple times.
You should take this into consideration as you work towards getting more value out of the lard that is stored in your home.
Consider Putting It In The Refrigerator
A way to ensure that you follow all of the safe storage steps mentioned above is to store your lard in the refrigerator.
It is probably safer to do it this way anyway because you don’t have to worry about the temperature that you set your home at, or any other factors for that matter.
You will know for sure that your lard is safely kept in the fridge. That said, you will still need to make sure that it is stored in an airtight container at all times.
Always remember that there are risks associated with reusing lard for multiple meals. If you can avoid doing so, you should probably take that avenue.
Purchasing more lard to use for your next meals is preferable to getting sick and having to pay high medical bills because you were trying to squeeze extra life out of your lard.
When you think about it in those terms, it starts to make more sense why you would want to go ahead and purchase more lard. Think about the risk versus reward balance with things like this, and then get more lard to use when you are cooking.
FAQs About Using Lard for Frying
Here are a few FAQs about Using Lard for Frying.
Is lard good for frying?
Lard is a solid fat animal product produced from the rendering of pure pork fatback, meaning it does not contain any impurities like those found in vegetable oils. The lard that’s most recommended for frying has a high smoking point, meaning it will withstand high heat without getting damaged, unlike less dependable fats such as butter or margarine.
Can I use lard instead of vegetable oil?
Yes, you can use lard instead of vegetable oil for frying. Lard is a good choice for frying because it has a high smoke point and doesn’t contain unhealthy trans fats like vegetable oil does. However, it’s important to choose pure lard and not the hydrogenated kind, which contains harmful trans fats.
Is lard better than oil for frying?
Sometimes. Lard has a higher smoke point than most oils, meaning it can be heated to a higher temperature before it starts to smoke. This makes lard a good choice for frying foods that require a high heat, like chicken or fish. However, lard is also higher in saturated fat than most oils, so it’s not the best choice if you
Is animal fat healthier than cooking oils like canola oil or olive oil?
When comparing animal fat to other oils, animal fats provide more vitamins A, D and E than vegetable oils. Fats are also less damaging on the body’s cholesterol levels because they do not contain cholesterol. That said, it’s not exactly “healthy”.
Is cooking with lard healthy?
Sort of. Lard is a saturated fat, which means that it has a higher level of cholesterol than unsaturated fats. However, lard is also a mono-unsaturated fat, meaning that it has one double bond in its fatty acid chain. This makes it a healthier option than other saturated fats. It’s not healthy, but also not as awful as other fats.
What can I do with pork lard?
You can fry food with lard, in addition to making pastry dough (like a pie crust!).
Is beef tallow and lard the same thing?
Lard is made mostly of pig fat whereas tallow consists of both pure fat and muscle tissue. That’s why lard has a milder flavor, but also why it requires an overnight salting process to get rid of the pork odor.
Lard is a rendered version of bacon grease or pork fat — it is edible and has been consumed for centuries.