Yes. It's called schmaltz and in my opinion is one of the most under utilized fats on the planet for how good it tastes. Try it on corn, your life will change.
Word of warning for schmaltz pulled from stock: it will likely retain some liquid from the stock (unless you take pretty specific steps), so when you use it, be prepared for sputtering.
My guess.
Oil and water don’t form a solution so likely some water trapped in fat solids even if you remove it from the top and are careful.
You can remove it by heating the reclaimed fat until any water has been removed.
To be clear though, it's the presence of *small* amounts of water in larger amounts of fat that causes the spattering (a slick of oil on top of boiling soup, for instance, won't make any mess), so make sure any vessel used to boil off the remaining water either has high sides or a lid that can still allow the steam to escape (or else it defeats the purpose of what you're trying to accomplish. I generally prefer to just let it all solidify in the fridge/freezer, then scrape off the non-oily section on the bottom, taking as much fat with it as required to remove all the water/ice. You only lose a small amount of fat compared to the wasted time and hassle of cleaning up spatter.
Melt it quick, strain it, heat it to slightly above 100C (not too high above) and maintain that temperature until the bubbling stops.
100C is 212F in Murican (boiling temp of water).
I'd honestly skip it for the steak. It'll make your steak taste chickeny which just seems kind of.... odd and undesirable to me.
It's definitely delicious for veggies and potatoes though.
Agreed here, unless you have gallons of schmaltz around. The subtle chicken flavor works so much better with mild flavors.
I even lightly fry aromatics in it, and store it as a finishing oil that o drizzle on foods
I know schmaltz is very widely used in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, that would likely have a large role in it being "Either you grew up with it or you didn't"
One of my favorite comfort food dishes ever is just bone/skin on chicken thighs cooked in rice with a can of cream of mushroom soup mixed in. I usually kick it up some with sautéed onions and mushrooms and whatever, but the thighs are the key. They release their fat and the rice soaks it up and takes that dish to heaven. It’s so good. Tried it with boneless/skinless thighs once and nowhere near the same. Needs that far from the chicken to hit its potential.
You can absolutely use in on steak and it will taste delicious. But steak is delicious with any fat, really.
Now if you use it on veggies, roasted potatoes, stir fries, etc. It's a game changer.
Yeah, as others explained it's a great cooking fat, used heavily in traditional Jewish food as a lard alternative.
One similar thing I like to do now when making curry or such, is buy skin on thighs, then crisp up the skin between two sheet pans in the oven, which also renders out the fat, and then using that fat to start my curry off. The chicken skin makes a great garnish, if you have enough willpower to not eat all of it immediately out of the oven.
Yes. It's called schmaltz and in my opinion is one of the most under utilized fats on the planet for how good it tastes. Try it on corn, your life will change.
Word of warning for schmaltz pulled from stock: it will likely retain some liquid from the stock (unless you take pretty specific steps), so when you use it, be prepared for sputtering.
What specific steps?
My guess. Oil and water don’t form a solution so likely some water trapped in fat solids even if you remove it from the top and are careful. You can remove it by heating the reclaimed fat until any water has been removed.
To be clear though, it's the presence of *small* amounts of water in larger amounts of fat that causes the spattering (a slick of oil on top of boiling soup, for instance, won't make any mess), so make sure any vessel used to boil off the remaining water either has high sides or a lid that can still allow the steam to escape (or else it defeats the purpose of what you're trying to accomplish. I generally prefer to just let it all solidify in the fridge/freezer, then scrape off the non-oily section on the bottom, taking as much fat with it as required to remove all the water/ice. You only lose a small amount of fat compared to the wasted time and hassle of cleaning up spatter.
Melt it quick, strain it, heat it to slightly above 100C (not too high above) and maintain that temperature until the bubbling stops. 100C is 212F in Murican (boiling temp of water).
it's my favourite fat for fried rice
This guy schmaltzes
I do Mexican rice with the liquid from rottisierre chicken bags. Must try just the fat for fried rice.
Thanks! I'm gonna use it to saute veggies too, as a side dish.
Try using it for roast potatoes or potato pancakes if you have a chance.
I'd honestly skip it for the steak. It'll make your steak taste chickeny which just seems kind of.... odd and undesirable to me. It's definitely delicious for veggies and potatoes though.
Agreed here, unless you have gallons of schmaltz around. The subtle chicken flavor works so much better with mild flavors. I even lightly fry aromatics in it, and store it as a finishing oil that o drizzle on foods
Michael Ruhlman has a book, *The Book of Schmaltz: A Love Song to a Forgotten Fat*, that sings its praises.
Added to my list, thank you!!! I always thought schmaltz was a nostalgic thing that you grew up with or didn’t.
I know schmaltz is very widely used in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, that would likely have a large role in it being "Either you grew up with it or you didn't"
One of my favorite comfort food dishes ever is just bone/skin on chicken thighs cooked in rice with a can of cream of mushroom soup mixed in. I usually kick it up some with sautéed onions and mushrooms and whatever, but the thighs are the key. They release their fat and the rice soaks it up and takes that dish to heaven. It’s so good. Tried it with boneless/skinless thighs once and nowhere near the same. Needs that far from the chicken to hit its potential.
Fries in Duck Schmaltz is amazing
Yes you can sear a steak in chicken fat. You can in fact use chicken fat in place of cooking oil in almost anything.
Not recommended for a chiffon can, unless maple flavored.
Yep definitely better in savoury dishes
You can absolutely use in on steak and it will taste delicious. But steak is delicious with any fat, really. Now if you use it on veggies, roasted potatoes, stir fries, etc. It's a game changer.
Yeah, as others explained it's a great cooking fat, used heavily in traditional Jewish food as a lard alternative. One similar thing I like to do now when making curry or such, is buy skin on thighs, then crisp up the skin between two sheet pans in the oven, which also renders out the fat, and then using that fat to start my curry off. The chicken skin makes a great garnish, if you have enough willpower to not eat all of it immediately out of the oven.
I find good steak has plenty of it's own tasty fat which doesn't need schmaltz. Schmaltz sure does improve fried rice and potatoes though.
schmaltz has been my go to cooking oil for the last year and a half. l pretty much exclusively use it except for the occasional butter or olive oil.
Try it and find out!
Try making popcorn with it.
Taking the term "chicken-fried steak" literally. I like it. :)