Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-28
ECONOMICAL CHOICE OF FATS
FOR TABLE AND KITCHEN
Office of Home Economics, U. S. Department OF
Agriculture, Offers Suggestions for Selec7
ton of Important Foods Practically All Fats
of Equal Food Value-Diference in Price
Dependent Chiefly on Flavor and Color.

Washington. Dec. 27-F1avor and
color have an important bearing on
the prices which must be paid for the
various edible fats used in the home,
since all are regarded as wholesome
when Of good quality and practically
the same amount Of energy is derived
by the body from each. The house.
keeper therefore must decide usually
what she is willing to pay for relative
ly superficial properties in the foods.
These facts are pointed out in a re-
Department Of Agriculture. Bulletin
400, Fats and Their Economical Use
in the Home" prepared by the Office
of Home Economics Of the Depart
ment. In discussing the selection of
fats for special uses the bulletin says:
In general it pays always to buy fats
of such good quality that none will
have to be thrown away through spoil
age. In some instances higher
priced article may be more economical
in the end, as for example. clean,
sanitary butter. as compared to a
cheaper, but less sanitary product.
In some instances. where taste or flaw
or only is involved. less expensive
table fat may answer quite satisfac-
torily the purpose of a more expensive
one. For example, the chief use of
table oils is as an ingredient of salad
dressings, and when a characteristic
flavor is not especially desired. good
grades of cottonseed and peanut oils,
having bland flavor, may be used,
when these are less expensive than the
corresponding grades Of olive oil.
Fats used for shortening, that is. in
mixture with coughs. ETC.. influence
the appearance. flavor. texture. COM
position, keeping quality, and cost of
the foods in which they are incorpor-
ated. In selecting shortening fats
flavor and odor are to be considered.
but attractive appearance and color
are Of less importance, since in cooking
these are usually masked. Other
qualities being equal, those culinary
fats are more economical and desir-
able which possess the best keeping
quality; that is, the least tendency to
become rancid. Also for general use
shortening fats give the best results
soft to be easily mixed with the other
ingredients of the dough at ordinary
temperatures.
ISls used as a medium for cooking
in such operations as frying should be
carefully selected, since they influence
the flavor. appearance, and texture of
the foods cooked in them, as Is evil
dent when one recalls the bad flavor
impaired to fried foods by burned or
rancid fat. Preference should be
given to fat which does not scorch
too readily at the temperature, most
commonly used for frying. Expert
ments in the laboratory of the Office
of Home Economics indicate that
butter and lard scorch at lower tenn
perature than beef or mutton fats and
cottonseed, peanut, or coconut oils.
For this reason, therefore, the latter
fats are preferable for deep frying,
which requires high temperature.
Economical Use Of Fats
1t is waste. the bulletin points out,
to use more fat than a good recipe
calls for. 1t is well known that too
much butter makes a cake soggy.
while salad dressing with too much
oil tastes fat" The following are
additional examples of ways in which
economy may be secured. 1t is more
economical to stir butter into cooked
vegetables just before they are served
rather than while cooking, and the
flavor thus impaired is more pro-
nounced. Furthermore, If added be-
fore cooking much of the butter is
lost unless the water in which the
vegetables are boiled is served with
them. Instead Of adding butter to
vegetables many people cook fat ham,
bacon, or salt pork with them and
relish the characteristic flavor thus
impaired.
Saving Fats That Would be Thrown
Away
Much fat may be saved by home
rendering of the trimmings from fat
meat. The following method of render
ing fats, found to be very satisfactory
in the laboratory of the Office Of
Home Economics, may be applied in
the home. The fat is cut finely with
an ordinary household meat chopper
or sausage grinder and is then heated
in a double boiler until completely
melted. The melted fat is then
strained through a rather thick cloth
medium fine huckaback. for instance)
to remove the finely divided bits Of
tissue. The advantage Of this method
is that since the material to be rem
dered is finely divided the fat separ-
ates readily from the inclosing tissue
at temperature very little above it's
melting point and there is no danger
Of scorching it as In the older open
kettle method.
After the fat is rendered 1t must
usually be clarified. A fairly sue
cessful household method for clarity
ing fats is as follows: Melt the fat
with at least an equal volume of wa
ter and heat for q short time at a
moderate temperature. with occasional
Let the mixture cool, remove
the layer Of fat. and scrape off any
bits Of meat and other material which