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I did find some lard in the cooking oils section of Wal-Mart, and read the label, and yes, it was hydrogenated. I'm glad elston posted that.
On another note, someone mentioned coconut oil as an alternative. It's expensive, but I did buy some for my daughter to make a "sugar scrub" out of, and I used some to pop popcorn with. Mmmmmmm!!!
Yeah I woul avoid anything like that. Crisco and vegetable shortening etc. aren't what you're looking for.
Non hydrogenated, sustainable palm shortening is a decent alternative though.
I'm glad you like the coconut oil! It can be used for so many things and is so good for you, too.
Surprised there is much lard available as the butcher hog of today is a lot more heavier yet leaner than the butcher hogs of years back.
Genetics gets the credit for heavier, leaner butcher hogs.
While I would agree with you, LESS fat is NOT NO fat.
As lean as the pork has become, chicken has become much fattier. Personally, I am beginning to believe that the lean cuts of pork have MUCH less fat than chicken.
I try not to consume anything wth palm fat. It`s very damaging to the environment and creates tremendous loss of habitat for vulnerable species.
Thus my emphasis on 'sustainable.' While your point is completely legitimate and an absolute concern, there are smaller companies that use ecologically sustainable and socially responsible sources. It's not a 100% bulletproof certification, but it's strides toward protection of the rainforests and endangered species.
Sadly, the demand for palm oil won't go away, so I make a point to avoid food products that contain it that aren't certified sustainable, and in the limited amount that I do buy and use when other fats aren't available or won't work (considering allergies or vegan/vegetarian needs), I make sure that it's from sustainable sources!
I save all the bacon fat and use it in certain things, like just a teaspoon in fresh green beans adds flavor and hardly any calories.
I tried making pie crust with lard, but to me it had a heavy taste. I think it would be good for a savory pie, but not a fruit pie. I might not have used the right kind, though.
Thus my emphasis on 'sustainable.' While your point is completely legitimate and an absolute concern, there are smaller companies that use ecologically sustainable and socially responsible sources. It's not a 100% bulletproof certification, but it's strides toward protection of the rainforests and endangered species.
Sadly, the demand for palm oil won't go away, so I make a point to avoid food products that contain it that aren't certified sustainable, and in the limited amount that I do buy and use when other fats aren't available or won't work (considering allergies or vegan/vegetarian needs), I make sure that it's from sustainable sources!
I'm trying to understand what you mean by 'sustainable'. There's no such thing as natural palm forests. Massive swaths of dense, high-canopy rainforests have to be destroyed to plant oil palms where virtually nothing lives. Even the the sustainable ones are guilty of doing this.
Yup. Agree with others--lard by far and away makes the absolutely best pastries in the world. Everyone needs to drop the artificial vegetable shortening crap. Pure leaf lard is the creme de la creme of lard, you can buy it online or try pestering a local farmer's market enough to see if they can hook you up with some. Many lards in the grocery store in the US contain BHT or are hydrogenated. Making it yourself from leaf fat isn't hard at all.
Sustainable palm oil is produced according to a set of environmental and social criteria defined by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). These 8 principles and 39 practical criteria have been in place since 2008 and define the sustainable production of palm oil. They ensure that fundamental rights of previous land owners, local communities, plantation workers, small farmers and their families are respected and fully taken into account, that no new primary forests or high conservation value areas have been cleared for palm oil production since November 2005, and that mills and plantation owners minimize their environmental footprint. When properly applied, these criteria help to minimize the negative consequences associated with conventional palm oil cultivation.
As I said, it's not 100% perfect but it's making strides to better the situation and avoid any further deforestation or displacement. It's an industry too well established to disappear, so I prefer to support companies trying to make things better and boycott those who don't. I could boycott palm oil entirely, but as I said earlier, there are limited times and situations where it is the best alternative for what I need.
Thank you. Didn't know that. I wonder if the local butcher shop carries it.
As a background info:
I hale from country where lard is considered daily food. Should a pig have lard less than 5 fingers wide, it's not a PIG. Salted canned lard is a delicacy. Smoked, and so on.
So yes, we cooked on lard, ate lard on bread, we enjoyed it many ways possible. One the tastiest dishes I ever ate, Carpathian highlanders "dzyama" is made out of very very old lard. Black rye bread, with slice of lard, salt on top, and garlic clove rubbed on the skin - it's delirious.
You can't buy it here. They simply do not have good pigs.
In regular stores. They sell some thing close to it, Canadian import, but it's too lean. Like I said, they simply do not have the right kind/fed pigs.
Should you have been local to me, as in Seattle area, I could have directed you to a store that actually does have the right one.
In Chicago, there is family owned smoke house that still has good smoked lard and bacon. Bobak's.
Otherwise, you have to hunt for it in the so called "European Deli's", aka "Russian stores" scattered all over the country. And even with that, you likely not to get the right stuff.
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While your point is completely legitimate and an absolute concern, there are smaller companies that use ecologically sustainable and socially responsible sources. It's not a 100% bulletproof certification, but it's strides toward protection of the rainforests and endangered species.
