chuck_35550 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Does anyone render their own lard? Commercial lard is hydrogenated and I was wondering if it makes such a difference in cooking; would it make a difference in the quality of soapmaking? Does anyone use commericial organic, non-hydrogenated lard? If so, where do you find the stuff and do you notice a difference in the quality of your soap? TIA Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwantItgreen Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 (edited) First off, I render my own tallow. I use lard, too. Store bought so far, but not a lot. When I need more, I'll ask my local butcher for it, he'll probably give it to me like he does the tallow. Anyway, to find organic lard would be a challenge; my guess is that the people who raise organic pork, use every bit of the carcass for themselves. In order to raise organic pork, you need organic corn and soybeans to feed them. Plus the feed conversion is lower. I'm pretty sure the lard my mother rendered years ago was harder than the store bought lard I'm using now, if my memory serves me correctly. Isn't hydrogenation what turns a liquid oil into a hard oil? I'm thinking of soybean on soapcalc. The liquid has an almost opposite fatty acid profile as the hydrogenated soybean. Yet the home rendered lard I'm guessing will be harder that the store-bought.Sorry I wasn't any help. I live in the Midwest and will always use animal oils in my soap. Edited December 30, 2011 by IwantItgreen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 You can get non-hydrogenated lard from Columbus Foods. I don't know that it's "organic", though.Commercial lard IS hydrogenated because it keeps the consistency stable and makes the lard less subject to rancidity.I've not soaped with the non-hydrogenated stuff, but I have some leftover from a project at work so perhaps I'll give it a shot. Probably, though, the only way to see a difference is to soap 100% lard.If you are really curious about the hydrogenation thing, give Mike at Columbus Foods a call. He's a really cool guy and if he has time, he'll discuss it with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share Posted January 2, 2012 I've done a little homework and am somewhat astounded by the fact that leaf lard (the best lard taken from internal organs and the kidney area) is going for over $11.00 per pound! The oleic content is supposed to be superior and the results are supposed to be worth the effort. Suggestions were to ask your butcher to sell you the fat and then render in a crock pot. Youtube has a few good videos and I highly recommend the blog "Chickens In The Road" for more information. HTHSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck_35550 Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 I may have a lead on a "leaf lard" source. The oleic content is supposed to be higher and the resulting quality is supposed to be different in texture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemistryman Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I recently was curious about using lard so I went to my local butcher, part of a chain, and bought some lard. It was not like you find in a supermarket. Colour: tan. Smell: pig. Consistency: very soft at room temp. I tried making CP using it at 40% of the recipe, and I ended up throwing away the entire batch. It worked great as soap, except the bar was softer than my usual bars, but the piggy smell was still there; even with the fragrance I could smell it. Totally disgusting. Ugh. Never again. I gave the lard away to someone who isn't bothered about clogged arteries... now I use only vegetable bases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwantItgreen Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Sorry about your experience with lard. When I render lard or tallow, it is white and hard. If you keep the temps low, no smell comes through the soap. I would feel cheated if I couldn't soap with tallow or lard. Guess what our ancestors soaped with? Palm? nope. Tallow. Lard was saved for cooking with; like melt in your mouth, delicious, flakey, pie crusts!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lsg Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 We butcher our own beef and pork, so I do have access to the fat. I render lard in an old crockpot. Make sure to cut off all the discolored spots and pull off any membrane. You can grind it or cut it up in cubes. Put it in the crockpot and turn on low. Check ever hour or so. When the fat is melted, strain it through a clean cotton pillow case or dish towel. You will have to throw the pillow case away after using for straining, becuase you will never get all of the grease out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chemistryman Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Sorry about your experience with lard. When I render lard or tallow, it is white and hard. If you keep the temps low, no smell comes through the soap. I would feel cheated if I couldn't soap with tallow or lard. Guess what our ancestors soaped with? Palm? nope. Tallow. Lard was saved for cooking with; like melt in your mouth, delicious, flakey, pie crusts!! I know, it's delicious. I already had the heart surgery, so I need to stay clear of it now. . . grin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IwantItgreen Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 (edited) Don't you ever wonder how our ancestors could eat the way they did and not have all the health problems people have today? I think the answer to that is: hard work. They actually worked, and worked hard all day, everyday. We go to the gym (or should) lol. Edited January 25, 2012 by IwantItgreen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chefmom Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 I have rendered my own, and used it for soap. In my soap I didn't notice any difference between using the grocery stores hydrogenated lard and my lard. My lard was much softer, and wasn't firm like shortening, but creamy.I even made a 100% lard soap, just to see what "Great-Grandma" would have used, it's okay, and useable, but the smell of the soap, well.....let's just say that I would call it "essence of last night's Pork dinner" scent. It lathered, but not as nice as a mixture of oils etc. The mice enjoyed it!! I couldn't believe when I opened the box and found a LOT of mice droppings inside the box. The other soaps (we moved and I forgot they were in that cabinet) were untouched, but the lard soap was enjoyed by all !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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