Evening star., 1941-02-05

partment of Agriculture. And,
though some fats serve more than
one Of these purposes, no single fat
is equally suitable for all uses
Facts to help the homemaker
when she buys and uses fats and
oils are given in the new leaflet 2O4
Fats and Oils for Cooking and
Table Use" A free copy NAV be
ootalned from the United States
department of Agriculture. Wash
lngton, D. c. Following are some
common questions about these prod
ucts answered in this publication
BUYING FATS.
~ ABOUT how many different
kinds Of fats and oils are available
on the market?
A. Those in common use are but
ter, oleomargarine. lard. HYDRO
genated fats. compounds and cot
tonseed, olive, soybean. corn and
peanut oils. Thrifty cooks also often
buy suet and salt pork render them
at home, and use them to give special
fiavors to fried foods.
@. What are hydrogenated fats
and compounds?
A. These fats include many of the
well-knoWn brands of household
cooking fats on the market today.
A "hydrogenated' fat usually is
made from an oil-or a mixture of
oils that has been treated with
hydrogen to change it from the
liquid oil to plastic, semi solid
form. A compound is a mixture
of fats, OF oils. or of both. Com
pounds. hydrogenated fats. and lards
all look pretty much alike.
@. What facts can you learn from
reading a label on fats and oils?
A. First of all, you can learn how
much you are buying and thus COM
pare the economy of different sized
packages Also you can find a list
of ingredients that tells what the
fat or oils is made of.
If it's an animal fat that has
been prepared under Federal Meat
Inspection. there appears on the
container the mark of the Federal
Meat Inspection Service. ~. S. In
spected and Passed by the U. S. De-
partment of Agriculture" This
stamp means that the fat, when in
spected, was found to be good
wholesome food and that no false
or misleading information was on
the label 1t seems, too, that the
true name of a fat will appear on
the label. Such a true name might
be pure lard" rendered pork fat"
pure lard, beef fat added" refined
and hydrogenated lard or maybe
compound. composed OF vegetable
and animal fats"
Still other labels may give facts
about the way the fat has been
manufactured, which sometimes are
clues to its quality. Or it may have
on it a grade name that describes
its quality.
Some of the butter you will find
on the retail market is Government
graded. Graded butter often has on
it a certificate of quality that gives
its score and the date of grading.
Highest scoring butter is U. S. SO,
which has fine" favor. Next Is
U. S. 90, with a pleasing" flavor.
Both are firm, and light or medium
in color and in amount OF salt.
According to law, butter must be
made only from milk or cream, with
or without added salt and color. and
have in it not less than 80 per cent,
by weight, of milk fat.
COOKING WITH FATS.
@. What is the best kind of fat
to use for frying croquettes. dough-
nuts and other foods in deep fat?
A. A number of fats are good for
deep-fat frying. First, you want
a fat with bland flavor But, more
important. it must be fat with a
high smoking point" That is. the
fat must be able to stand high
temperatures without beginning to
smoke.
When fat begins to smoke it starts
to break down chemically. During
this breakdown the fat gives off an
odor that irritates the nose and
the throat. Food fried in it will
not only taste unpleasant, but may
actually be irritating to the digestive
tract. Also, fat if saved to be used
again, will turn rancid much more
quickly once 1t has been heated
to the smoking point.
Good fats for deep-fat frying are
vegetable oils except olive oil, the
hydrogenated fats, some of the COM
pounds and high-quality Iards.
Q. What fats are suitable for