Pork fat is melted internal pork fat and lard, i.e. subcutaneous fat. For a long time, pork fat, along with other animal fats, was criticized by scientists and doctors, it was blamed for increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and other troubles. Today, fat has been rehabilitated and is re-entering culinary practice. True, buying animal fat in the store is still problematic. It is much easier to melt it yourself at home. How to melt pork fat and will be discussed in this article.

What is useful pork fat

For many years, the refusal to use pork fat was explained by the risk of high cholesterol, which is the main cause of heart and vascular diseases. It was classified as one of the most unhealthy fats and all our attention was turned to vegetable oils. Now many studies show that they do more harm than good.

Animal fats are made up of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Most of the monounsaturated fatty acids are oleic acid, the acid found in olive oil. It is for the high content of oleic acid that this oil is considered one of the healthiest vegetable oils.

Saturated fats are also important for the human body. We need them to absorb and assimilate fat-soluble vitamins and some other nutrients. For example, when we drink skim milk fortified with vitamin D, there will be no benefit in it, since saturated fat is needed for its absorption. And if it is not enough, then no vitamin will be absorbed.

In addition, pork fat is rich in vitamins A, E, Omega-3 fatty acids. Not only that, this fat helps absorb and absorb these important nutrients and vitamins.

The low level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in pork fat means that this fat is slowly oxidized, it does not become rancid, i.e. it can be stored for a long time.

Pork fat has a high smoke point, i.e. it can be heated to higher temperatures without fear of release of carcinogens. It is suitable for frying at high temperatures that many vegetable oils cannot provide.

Which fat to choose

Pork fat is not the same in quality. For different needs, you need to take different fat for rendering fat.

Firstly, the quality of fat depends on what and how the pig was fed.

Secondly, from what part of the pig carcass will you melt fat.

To make it easier to figure out which fat is better, for which culinary needs to melt fat from which part, take note of these tips.

Salo or bacon. This is subcutaneous fat, which is usually salted. But it can also be taken for reheating. It is sold in the market or in the store in pieces. This fat is great for frying and stewing.

Fat from the abdomen or undercuts. Soft layered fat with meat. Mostly bacon is made from this part. This fat is suitable for frying.

Internal fat or internal fat. This is fat that is located on the internal organs of the pig. It is cut off in layers, soft. This is the purest fat. After melting, the fat will have a white color, practically odorless and tasteless.

The fat rendered from such lard is highly valued by bakers. It is added to the dough, pies are greased to get a fragrant beautiful crust. It always stays soft.

How to melt pork fat at home

The technology for preparing and rendering pork fat is the same regardless of which part of the carcass you will melt it from.

You can melt fat on the stove, in the oven, in a slow cooker. There are two different ways to get fat.

wet way. Place the chopped fat in a saucepan with a little water. Turn on the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce so that the water boils a little and melt the fat until it melts in the water. Cool and pour into a jar. This method is suitable for both rendering internal fat and fat.

Dry way. In this way, you can melt fat on the stove, oven, slow cooker, pan. Heat the dish in which you will melt the fat, and place the chopped fat in it. In this way, you can render both interior fat and lard. During the melting of fat by this method on the stove or in a slow cooker, periodically stir it with a wooden spatula.

How to melt lard into fat

First you need to cut into small cubes, no larger than 1x1cm in size. like this

The finer the fat is cut, the faster it will melt and you will get more finished fat. You can twist it in a meat grinder.

Transfer the chopped bacon to a bowl. Add water. For 1.5-2.0 kg of fat, about 200-300 grams of water.

Cover with a lid and put on the stove. As soon as the pan warms up well and the first bubbles appear on top, reduce the heat. Fat must be melted at the lowest possible temperature. When rendered at a high temperature, the fat is melted faster, but it turns out darker in color, and may even be brown.

About once every half an hour, the fat should be gently mixed with a wooden spatula. The whole process of rendering such an amount of fat can take from 4 to 5 hours.

Strain the melted fat through a sieve to separate the cracklings, and pour into clean, dry jars. Once cooled to room temperature, put in the refrigerator.

How to render pork fat in the oven

What is good to melt fat in the oven is to prepare it, put it in a pan and you can go about your business while the fat is melted.

Preparation of fat is the same as for rendering on the stove. First you need to finely chop pieces of bacon or visceral fat. The smaller the better. Can be twisted in a meat grinder.

Put everything in a pan that can be put in the oven. It is good to melt in cast iron.

Preheat the oven to a temperature of about 105-110 degrees. Put the pot in the oven. The melting time depends on the amount of fat. The more fat, the longer the fat is rendered. You can carefully remove the pan and mix. Just be very careful not to burn your hands with grease.

Separate the melted fat from the cracklings and pour into glass jars.

How to drown internal pork fat

The internal fat is soft and layered. Almost all of it melts.

Cut fat into small pieces. Place in a saucepan.

Add about 500-100 ml of water depending on the amount of fat. You don't need to pour a lot of water. It turns out a softer consistency compared to fat from rendering lard.

Put on the stove on a small fire. After about an hour, check the pan and stir. It is very important at the very beginning not to let the fat burn.

When melted, it will form cracklings, which will gradually settle to the bottom.

Strain the melted fat through a sieve or gauze and pour into jars.

Regardless of what you are rendering fat from, the most important thing at the initial stage is to clearly regulate the temperature. If the heating of the plate is strong, then the fat may burn.

Until the first melted fat appears, you need to monitor this process and mix the fat in time.

As soon as a certain amount of fat is rendered, the remaining pieces will boil in it, giving off fat.

It needs to be stirred periodically. This will ensure that all pieces of fat are melted more evenly.

It is not necessary to melt the fat until the cracklings are crispy. They should remain soft and light. They can then be sautéed separately to make them brown and crispy. They can be used to stew potatoes or other dishes. Fried cracklings can be sprinkled, for example, on potato salad.

Properly rendered fat in a glass jar should be pale yellow in color. When it freezes it will turn white.

Before pouring it into jars, cool the fat so that the jars do not crack and your work is not in vain.

Keep fat in a cool place. You can freeze.

Pork fat can be stored in such conditions for a long time, more than a year.

How to use pork fat

Pork fat can be used in the same way as vegetable oil. It can fry meat, vegetables, stew. Make the dough on pork fat. Only for baking it is better to take only internal fat and preferably in the kidney area.

Deep frying is the name of cooking fat and at the same time a cooking technique in which this fat is used.

Deep frying is usually melted interior lard, sometimes with the addition of vegetable oil, placed in a special deep deep-fryer, resembling a tureen, but without a stand-leg, and brought to a state of quiet boiling by overheating.

Deep-frying is always pre-filtered before something is fried in it. After roasting, it is filtered again and used repeatedly. Therefore, the minimum dose of deep fat is 1 kg lard or 1 liter melted fat.

When deep-frying, the food product or product is lowered into it as a whole, until completely immersed - either with a special spoon or on a special grid - and frying usually takes 1-2 minutes, and sometimes less.

Deep-fried products have a smooth, standard, properly fried surface, a beautiful golden appearance, which is why deep-fried frying is mainly used in restaurant cuisine.
(From the "Culinary Dictionary" by V. Pokhlebkin)

- fat for frying potatoes, fish, donuts, various products in the dough. We can recommend the following composition of deep fat: 30% rendered lard, 30% rendered beef lard, 40% refined vegetable oil (olive oil may be unrefined, but this is a matter of taste). To give deep-frying a good taste, you can add a little ghee (3-5%). Nowadays, just any vegetable oil is often used as a deep fat - in this case, mixing various vegetable oils is not recommended.

1. deep frying

Deep-frying is the same yarn in meaning. But only with the complete predominance of oil (medium) over the product. When deep-fried, the food item or product should float, should be completely immersed in oil, but should not reach the bottom of the dish, should not rest on the bottom. This method came to Russian restaurant cuisine already in the 19th century from French cuisine, when we almost forgot about Russian yarn.

Deep frying is ordinary pork kidney, interior fat, melted, strained and heated in a volume of at least one liter (1 kg), placed not in a round pan, but in a special oval deep fryer.

Deep frying is ultra-fast: from a few seconds to a minute, two maximum. Products are simply immersed in hot fat and instantly cooked in it, becoming covered with a delicate, beautiful and even golden crust.

This is how dough products are mainly fried - puff pastries with filling, donuts, brushwood, restaurant potatoes for side dishes, some vegetables to make them crunchy, fish in batter and in dough, fruits in dough (apples).

It is better to take out and lower the products into deep fat not with a spoon or even a slotted spoon, but with a special mesh. On the grid, everything that is deep-fried is dried from excess oil before serving the dish on the table.

Deep frying is convenient and fast in large-scale production. In the household, it is especially convenient to use it when many guests gather, on major holidays. In this case, it is simply irreplaceable: frying goes quickly, the products get a beautiful look, their standardity is precisely maintained.

Deep frying, the fat itself, can be used repeatedly, stored in the refrigerator in a frozen state for a week or two, and, if necessary, reheated countless times, periodically filtering after frying to remove small particles of fried foods (otherwise they will gradually burn and spoil the entire deep frying).

2. Electric fryers

“Friture” is a French word and means a very deep layer of vegetable oil or animal fat in which culinary products are fried. Products do not come into contact with the bottom and walls of the dish, but literally float in oil, by the way, heated to a very high temperature (150-200°C).

Despite the fact that the name is French, this method of cooking has been used in China since time immemorial. However, deep-fried dishes have long been included in Russian cuisine. The famous culinary book of Elena Molokhovets of the late 19th century contains many such recipes: there are Kiev cutlets, veal and lamb legs, rice and egg croquettes, and apples and cherries fried in batter, sweet brushwood, dozens of types of pies...

They say that the poet Eduard Bagritsky incomparably cooked fish "in Odessa style" in boiling butter ...

Handling hot frying requires dexterity, patience, skill, time ... In fact, it is advisable to have some kind of permanent utensils for deep frying, designed exclusively for this purpose. For deep-frying, pans with a thick bottom and walls (preferably stainless steel) are best suited. Usually use pots, stewpans, sometimes deep cast-iron pans. A large, low aluminum pan will do. Cooking oil or vegetable oil should be poured into it, which will not be used anywhere else except for deep-frying ...

However, the 21st century is already in the yard! So you need to buy an electric deep fryer, which will not take up much space in the kitchen, but will make life easier and reduce the time spent at the stove.

Cooking in an electric deep fryer is very easy and convenient even for novice home cooks. Modern devices heat the oil exactly to the temperature set by the thermostat, and a timer with an audible signal keeps track of the set time. Moreover, it is not even necessary to be literate in order to use it, or to have a good memory in order to memorize the cooking time of each dish: all popular dishes are pictographically depicted on the body with a hint of cooking time and temperature.

Please note that in the vast majority of cases, the timer does not turn off the heating at the end of the specified time, but only gives a sound signal that repeats several times. And rightly so, automatic shutdown is pointless here, because the oil has a large thermal inertia, and if the “culinary masterpiece” is not taken out immediately “on a whistle”, it will burn even when the heating is turned off.

In many models, the oil bowl has a non-stick coating, which makes it easier to care for the fryer. A permanent filter protects the air from cooking odors, even appetizing ones.

In some models, a microfilter can also be built in to clean the oil after each preparation. Thanks to this, one serving of oil is used a large number of times.

Deep fryers with "cold walls" have a plastic body and reliable thermal insulation. Even when the oil inside is heated to a temperature of 180 ° C, you can take the case with your hands without the risk of getting burned.

Deep frying until the next frying is usually stored directly in the fryer closed with a lid.

3. IS FRYING HARMFUL?

Once a rumor spread around the world that deep-fried dishes were allegedly harmful because the overheated oil contains carcinogens. In this regard, our favorite pasties, pies, whites and donuts began to pose an allegedly terrible threat to health. We will answer this with stubborn facts - the whole country is fed by the Soviet public catering - and nothing, even the war was won. There is another fact: the Chinese have long cooked most of their dishes deep-fried. And it also seems that they do not complain about the decline in population.

The question of the harmfulness of deep-fried foods is similar to the question of the harmfulness of meatballs. If cutlets are made from good fresh products, then they are useful, and if they are made from all sorts of rubbish from a landfill, then they are harmful. Unfortunately, in the pursuit of profit, often in food service establishments and almost always in industrial deep-frying, fats (including trans fats) that are not very healthy or simply unacceptable in the diet are used. Without a doubt, foods fried in such fats are either unhealthy or harmful. Dishes fried in good deep fat are just as healthy and healthy for adults and children as boiled ones.

In the recipes of Elena Molokhovets (below), animal fats with a high boiling point were preferred. Well, that was in the last century. A lot has changed since then, and deep fats have since become simpler in composition and cheaper.

Modern cuisine often uses vegetable oils for deep fats (by the way, cholesterol is completely absent in any vegetable oils). Why are they better? Without going into details, let's say: firstly, they help reduce unhealthy levels of cholesterol in the body. Secondly; contain vitamin E, one of the main functions of which is to protect cell membranes from the destructive process of oxidation and reduce the risk of developing cancer. And modern refined oils, which we recommend using for deep-frying, do not have a specific sunflower smell.

For those who follow their figure, it will be interesting to know: experts have calculated and found that dishes cooked in "vegetable" deep fat are less high-calorie than is commonly thought. In addition, the modern cooking method preserves vitamins and minerals.

Well, the benefits from a culinary point of view are known. Products sharply lowered into a heated deep-fryer acquire a crispy, fried outer crust. Hot oil immediately "seizes" their surface, without penetrating inside, so the dishes are tender. This is especially liked by children.

4. SOME RULES FOR USE OF FRYING

At first glance, it seems that fryer requires too much oil - 1.5-2 liters - isn't it wasteful? But in fact, it takes 2-3 times less than with ordinary everyday cooking.

You can cook your favorite french fries at least every day, and with careful handling of oil, one “bay” will last for 15-20 cooking cycles. Now estimate how much it takes for 20 frying in a pan? In addition, in the deep fryer, fat does not splatter and does not stain the stove and nearby dishes. In the intervals between cooking, the oil can not be drained, as long as the lid is closed. In a fryer, oil will normally keep for up to 6 months. It is unlikely that gourmets will have the patience to stretch 20 cooking for six months. Almost any transparent refined vegetable oil is suitable for deep-frying, which does not foam when heated and has no smell. Sometimes on sale you can find oil marked on the label: for deep-fried dishes.But never mix different types of oil! Do not add fresh oil to used oil, but completely replace the contents of the bowl.

If the fryer is not designed with an oil microfilter, it is not difficult to manually clean the used oil. To do this, pour it into some saucepan, put filter paper or folded cheesecloth on the bottom of a wire basket, and pour the oil back into the deep fryer through this impromptu filter.

And yet, let's take into account that modern chemists and doctors do not recommend eating oil that has been repeatedly boiled. Boiling fat during frying leads to the formation of new chemicals, in particular acrolein, which sharply irritates the bile ducts. The decomposition of fat is accompanied by the formation of substances that have an unpleasant taste and smell. When frying, it is not necessary to bring the fat to smoke formation and thermal decomposition (over 200 ° C). The temperature to which the oil is brought in modern deep fryers is not higher than 190 ° C.

Protein-containing products (meat, fish) after 5-6 cooking cause the oil to darken. But we'll fix it. Even after cooking the fish, to prevent a specific fishy smell, it is enough to heat the oil to 160 ° C and dip two slices of white bread into it. When the air bubbles around the bread disappear and it becomes evenly brown, it can be taken out; oil will be freed from unpleasant odors. Try to add salt and pepper after the finished dishes are removed from the basket so as not to degrade the quality of the oil.

It's time to change the oil in your deep fryer if:
- it starts to boil when heated;
- acquired a rancid taste or smell;
- became dark, and its consistency - syrupy.

Never pour used oil down the sink! You can irreparably damage the sewers. Let the oil cool and throw it away with other household waste.

Before putting the julienned potatoes into the deep fryer basket, rinse them with cold water (to wash off the potato starch) and pat dry in a paper towel. Then the slices during cooking will not stick to each other. Any other deep-fried foods should also be kept as dry as possible, this prevents the oil from boiling off and prolongs its use.

For french fries and potato chips, old potatoes are better, young potatoes are too watery. When cutting into strips, make sure that the thickness of the pieces is the same.

If you are frying frozen food in the fryer, it should be smaller than usual (no more than 3/4 of the capacity of the basket), as they cool the heated oil. Before deep-frying frozen food, shake it well over a sink to separate small ice crystals.

When deep-frying breaded foods, you can keep the oil clean by placing a paper filter in the bottom of the basket before loading.

5. FRYING OIL

Fats with a minimum moisture content that can be heated to a high temperature are suitable for deep frying. In addition, they should not change the taste, burn and smoke. Such conditions are met by vegetable oil, lard, goose fat, beef kidney fat, vegetable fat, combined fats, etc. You can mix in equal amounts (1/3 each) pork, beef fat and vegetable oil. Fats are always mixed hot. Butter and margarine are not suitable for deep frying. they decompose easily at high temperatures.

Deep frying usually consumes from 200 to 500 g of fat (the thickness of the fat layer should be no less than three fingers). You can put flavoring additives in fat: carrots, parsley and celery roots, onions, garlic, anise, dill seed. But after 3-4 minutes of heating, the additives should be removed by straining deep fat.

It is recommended to leave only carrots: a few peeled pieces of it protect the fat from burning. For the same purpose, you can put peeled potatoes. To improve the taste of fried products, deep fats are sometimes salted.

Some cooks pour a tablespoon of vodka into deep fat, others prefer the same amount of alcohol or rum. Just do not pour into hot deep fat, because. this will result in explosive effervescence and heavy splashing.

Before frying, animal fat - this is especially true for surface (not interior) fat - must be cleaned. To do this, the fat is cut, passed through a meat grinder, then melted in a pan and filtered. Melted, liquid fat is mixed with 1 liter of water (for any amount of fat) and 1 cup of milk is poured. Now the mixture must be strongly salted and, with constant stirring, slowly bring to a boil. After 5 minutes of boiling, allow the mixture to cool, put it in the cold, then remove the "cake" of fat from above.

Vegetable oil and fat for deep frying must be calcined. To do this, put a pan with fat on medium heat and heat until a light white haze appears above the surface of the deep fat. At the same time, fat is cleared of protein impurities and becomes transparent. Dough products are fried in a very hot deep fat - 170-180 ° C. The degree of heating is determined by dropping a few drops of water into the fat. If the drops go under a layer of fat, making a strong crackle, then the deep-frying is not hot enough. If the water, hissing, evaporates from the surface, the deep-fryer is heated to the desired temperature.

You can throw a ball of bread crumb into the fat. If the fat around the ball has begun to move, then the deep-fryer is not very hot. Rapid boiling around the ball indicates hot deep-frying, and the appearance of a slightly perceptible smell of smoke indicates that it is time to start frying.

Perhaps the most convenient way to check the temperature of deep-frying (if there is no thermometer) is to lower a piece of raw potato into it, which should quickly brown without burning. In general, after frying a portion of potatoes, any deep-frying becomes much tastier.

If the deep-frying is poorly heated, the frying time changes, the products are excessively saturated with fat, which affects their quality. But too hot fat also spoils products: they quickly darken, often remaining raw inside. If the fryer is overheated, reduce the heat.

During frying, certain safety rules must be observed. It happens that from too much heat the fat ignites. In this case, immediately stop heating and close the pan with a lid. Never extinguish fat with water or salt - this is dangerous.

Do not deep-fry many products at once. They should float freely in fat. It is desirable that the mass of fat be 4 times the mass of the products that are fried in it at a time (400 g of fat per 100 g of products). Usually they are fried in fat for a short time - 5-7 minutes, and often less. Therefore, in deep fat it is convenient to quickly fry portioned pieces of meat or fish with a massive "invasion" of guests.

The frying time depends on the size of the product and the temperature of the deep fat. Put the products first upside down and turn with a spatula or a wide knife so that they fry evenly. Take out the finished products with a slotted spoon (never pierce them with a fork!) and place on a sieve or on kitchen paper to drain the fat.

Usually fried products are eaten immediately after cooking, hot and not reheated, because. this greatly impairs their taste.

Fryer can be used many times. Pour a little hot water into the cooled deep-fryer and stir well. Water, along with impurities, will remain at the bottom of the pan, and fat will rise to the top. It must be collected and stored in a dark, cold place (refrigerator).

Deep-fried DESSERTS and useful tips for making batter

6. Deep-fried recipe from Elena Molokhovets

“Each time, excess fat must be cut off from freshly bought beef, cut into small pieces, melted in a saucepan, put in the same fat, which is removed from the broth; strain all this through a sieve and keep in a cold place; boil it before use; this deep fat with the addition of fresh, can be used several times, each time filtering through a towel; or it is better to boil it two or three times with finely chopped Antonov apples, which cleanse the fat, taking away the bad smell and taste from it, strain it through a napkin into an ant pot and put it in a cold place. For frying donuts, brushwood and other pastries, it is better to take goose, and in the absence of its lard, which can be mixed with Russian butter; boil it before use; for every pound of this fat, pour 1 tablespoon of alcohol or strong vodka, and then dip donuts into it, etc. Then clean the deep fat also with apples, as mentioned above, or simply strain and put in a cold place.Beef fat and lard are best melted as follows: chop both very finely, pour cold water and cook until all the fat has melted, then strain it, take it to a cold place; when the fat hardens, put it out of the pan in order to drain the water, which, if not all boiled away, will remain at the bottom of the pan.

Oil Information

Roasting, from the point of view of cooking, is divided into six types: frying, frying, sautéing, spinning, deep-frying and frying in oil vapors. The boundary between them is the ratio of oil and fried product.

In all types of frying, however, it is extremely important to observe one condition. This is the overcooking of the oil you are going to fry in. Only overheated oil does not burn, does not smoke, does not smoke and remains transparent, clean from the beginning to the end of cooking, and everything fried in such oil does not have an unpleasant taste and smell.

HOW TO IMPROVE VEGETABLE FATS Method one. Pour the sunflower oil into a frying pan in a half-centimeter thick layer and set the heat to medium so that the oil is hot, glowing, but not boiling. Outwardly, it remains motionless, but after 2-3 minutes it will brighten, and after a couple of minutes a white, barely noticeable smoke will appear above it.Throw a pinch of coarse salt into the oil. It will bounce off the surface of the oil with a bang, and if it falls into it, it will make a characteristic shooting sound. This means that the oil has overheated. Excess water, gases, suspended particles and other impurities that accidentally got into it were boiled out, evaporated. It has become cleaner, denser, more uniform and will no longer change during further heating, it will be easier to fry on it.

Method two. Another way to improve the oil is to use not one type of oil or fat, but a mixture of different fats or oils: sunflower oil and mutton fat, sunflower oil and lard, olive oil and chicken fat, etc.

Third way to improve the oil is to add spices (onion, garlic, anise, fennel, dill seeds) to it at the time of heating in small amounts, which must be removed after 2-3 minutes, as they burn, char. These spices will add aroma to the oil, make it cleaner, and also beat off the specific smells of oil and fats. (It's convenient to deep-fry these spices in a pouch made from thin 100 percent cotton fabric tied to a cotton thread - but not in synthetics!)

WHICH OIL IS BETTER?

Vegetable oils Vegetable oils are the most common type of fat widely used in nutrition. They are extracted from finely ground heated seeds and fruits by pressing (squeezing) or extraction. Due to their composition, vegetable oils are physiologically very active, and their nutritional value is determined by the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in them, which our body needs to build cells. That is why vegetable oils must certainly be included in the diet of a person of any age, even a baby.

Sunflower oil is one of the best types of vegetable fat (second only to olive oil). Salads, vinaigrettes are seasoned with it, sauces and gravies are prepared on it, fish and vegetables are fried, it is used in baking.

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is widely used as the main raw material in the production of margarine and mayonnaise, as well as in the manufacture of canned vegetables and fish. Sunflower oil goes on sale refined and unrefined; refined oil can also be deodorized, that is, odorless.

Refined sunflower oil - transparent, golden or light yellow in color, does not emit sediment during storage, has a slight smell of seeds. Unrefined oil is darker in color and has a strong specific odor; it forms a precipitate during storage.

Corn oil

Corn oil - light yellow color, transparent, odorless. It goes on sale only in a refined form. It has no advantages over sunflower or even soybean, however, this oil contains a certain amount of useful accompanying substances, due to which it is very popular.

Soybean oil

Soybean oil is most common in Western Europe, the USA and China. In terms of world production, it is in first place (with a slight lag in second place - palm oil). In food, it is used only in a refined form; it is straw-yellow in color, with a strong odor. Soybean oil is used in the same way as sunflower oil. Soybean oil is better than others for baby food, as it contains substances necessary for the formation of the central nervous system and visual apparatus. It is similar in composition to fish oils: they contain the same polyunsaturated acids.

cottonseed oil

Cottonseed oil is golden yellow in color and has a slight taste and smell. It goes on sale only refined (unrefined cottonseed oil is toxic). It consists of a mixture of liquid (70-75%) and solid (25-30%) fats. During storage, the latter form an abundant flocculent sediment. When cooled to 0°C, cottonseed oil solidifies completely, and upon subsequent heating, it melts and becomes transparent. Cottonseed oil is mainly used in the hot processing of various products. For dressing salads, a special salad oil is produced: solid ingredients are removed from cottonseed oil by freezing.

Olive oil(!)

Olive oil occupies a special place among others. It is most valuable in the nutrition of children and adults.

The percentage of fatty and polyunsaturated acids in it is not so high, but it is absorbed better than others. It is not produced in our country, and it costs much more than any other. The high cost of the product is also due to its special properties, due to which olive oil is often introduced into medicines and cosmetics: lotions, creams, etc.

Olive oil is well tolerated even by people suffering from digestive disorders, diseases of the liver and gallbladder. Moreover, doctors even recommend such patients to take a spoonful of olive oil in the morning on an empty stomach. It has a slight choleretic effect. A spoonful of sunflower oil in a similar situation can provoke hepatic colic.

Olive oil prevents cardiovascular diseases. It has been found that the inhabitants of the Mediterranean rarely suffer from cardiovascular diseases due to the so-called Mediterranean diet, which includes many vegetables, fruits, fish and cheese, but relatively little meat and butter. The main source of fat there is olive oil.

Olive oil, like any other oil, can be refined, that is, cleaned. As a rule, oil of not very high quality is subjected to refining. It is used most often in cooking. Connoisseurs value unrefined natural cold-pressed olive oil. It has a specific smell and taste, in general, unusual for our consumer. But it is this oil that is most valuable and nutritious. It is ideal for preparing vegetable, fruit and vegetable and fruit salads, appetizers with crab and shrimp. Olive oil makes excellent hot dishes; it is used in the production of high-grade canned fish.

Real olive oil is easy to distinguish from fakes and surrogates by putting it in the refrigerator for several hours. In natural olive oil, white flakes form in the cold, which disappear at room temperature.

Peanut, sesame and rapeseed oils

Peanut, sesame and rapeseed oils belong to the group of the least healthy vegetable oils. They have much less polyunsaturated acids and relatively many fatty acids with a large molecular weight. These products are used abroad for the production of margarine products (ersatz butter) and canned food, as well as for salads and frying - for the same purposes as all vegetable oils.

Palm oil

Palm oil is nutritionally the least valuable of all vegetable oils. It ranks second in terms of world production after soybean. It is firm in texture and looks like pork fat. For cooking, it is used by the poor in a number of countries of the East, where, for religious reasons, pork fat is not consumed.

In most countries, this cheap oil is used to make low-grade margarines (replacing expensive sunflower oil) and is included in heat-resistant industrial deep fats. Most of the palm oil produced is used to make cheap soaps. Palm oil is eaten only when heated - it is unsuitable for cooking cold dishes and dressing salads due to its high melting point (+28-32°C).

WHAT IS REFINED OIL

Refining is the purification of oil from various contaminants: residual pesticides and other harmful impurities. The oil is treated with alkali, free fatty acids, phospholipids are removed from it; the product is stratified, the purified oil rises up. Then it is washed again and filtered.

It is cleaned, but at the same time almost loses its taste and smell. It is for this reason that not everyone loves refined oil. Some prefer the smell and taste of a natural product and believe that cleaning is fatal for it. But it should be noted that we eat vegetable oil every day, and if it contains some harmful substances, then gradually accumulating in the body, they can contribute to various diseases. Therefore, the refining of most vegetable oils (with the exception of olive and sunflower) is also necessary for safety reasons (and unrefined cottonseed oil, even in a small dose, immediately causes severe poisoning).

In addition, only a small part of the nutrients is lost during refining, so the nutritional value of refined and unrefined oil is approximately the same.

KLYAR - a protective shell for the product during frying

Liquid unleavened dough (battery), salted

Ingredients: - flour - 250 g, - eggs - 1 pc., - refined vegetable oil - 10 g, - milk or water - 100 g, - salt - 2 g.

Grind the egg yolks with vegetable oil, add milk (or water), in which the salt must first be dissolved. Pour the sifted flour, stir well, and then add the beaten egg whites and mix again slightly. This dough is used in the manufacture of some fish, poultry, deep-fried vegetables in dough.

2. A mixture of eggs and flour. It is used for frying food on both sides and for frying in a small amount of fat.

3. A protective shell of whipped to a thick foam protein and flour. The shell is white, airy, it is used for all types of heat treatment and for confectionery.

4. Breading with flour and egg. The product must first be rolled in flour, and then moistened in a beaten egg.

5. Breaded in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Products are rolled in flour, dipped in egg, and then rolled in breadcrumbs.

6. White protective shell made of protein, starch and water. This mixture is used for frying in a small amount of fat.

7. A thick shell of water starches. This mixture is used for deep frying. The color after roasting is dark red.

8.

The list of food products is so wide that it can be very difficult to list them, especially if you take into account the gastronomic preferences of various nationalities. In our article, we will talk about one of the rather exotic products - lamb fat (or fat tail), which is not as common in Ukraine and the Russian Federation as in some other countries of the world. Is it worth believing the benefits of such an unusual culinary ingredient and how it can be used for medical purposes - read on.

Chemical composition

If you look at the indicated product from the “inside” side, you will notice a very rich chemical composition, represented by B vitamins, vitamins A and E, as well as fatty esters (in particular, sterol and phosphatide), carotene, caprine, laurin, selenium , magnesium, copper and zinc.

Together, these components guarantee the normal functioning of the body, proper metabolic processes and protection from the harmful effects of the environment.

The calorie content of lamb fat is quite high and amounts to 897 kcal per 100 g of product. There are no proteins and carbohydrates here at all, but fat is as much as 97% (the remaining 3% is water). Moreover, there is more saturated fat here than in the usual pork and beef lard.

What is useful mutton fat

The relationship of all these components provides great benefits for humans, and even more than other products of animal origin.

This is not difficult to verify, just by looking at the effect of a fatty product on various systems and functions of the body:

1. reproductive system. In large quantities, saturated fatty acids can harm a person, but in small doses they are necessary, as they normalize the overall hormonal background, preventing the development of impotence in men and infertility in women.
2. brain activity. A large amount of vitamin B1 is a real find for people involved in hard mental work. It has a good effect on memory and analytical capabilities, preserves brain cells and prevents their aging.
3. The body's immune forces can be strengthened thanks to vitamin A, which is part of mutton fat. People who regularly use the product for culinary purposes suffer from colds less often than others and quickly get rid of existing diseases.
4. organs of vision. It should be noted a positive effect on the activity of visual analyzers and improved blood supply, thereby maintaining visual acuity.

In addition, the antioxidants present in the product accelerate the recovery processes in the body and significantly reduce the risk of cancer. It is not for nothing that the sages of the eastern countries call mutton fat a "fount of youth", considering it a good source of energy.

Important! Even despite its high calorie content, the product is very well absorbed and does not overload the human digestive system. However, to saturate the body and replenish its lost energy, a small amount will be enough.

In addition to all the benefits, mutton fat protects a person from ultraviolet radiation and maintains natural beauty.

How to use mutton fat in cooking

In our country, the described product rarely takes pride of place on the kitchen shelves, but at the same time, there are many dishes prepared with its participation (most of them are not only healthy, but also very tasty).

In which countries is it popular

Lamb fat gained particular popularity among Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Turkmens, Tajiks and representatives of other eastern peoples. All of them use it both raw and melted, in particular, for frying various meat and vegetable dishes.

In a liquid state, the product is excellent for baking, although it can often be added to tea or other drinks. Such a drink will be especially useful in the cold season, as it not only warms, giving the body strength, but also increases its resistance to colds.
If you wish, you can also use mutton fat as an independent product, or you can add other vegetable or animal fats to it, which will only complement the taste of your dishes.

Did you know? Even if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, 50 g of fat per day will not provoke weight gain, but will saturate the body with the energy it needs. After the age of 40, this product will prevent constipation and contribute to the removal of bile from the body.

What dishes are cooked on it

The first and most famous dish prepared using the described fatty product is the traditional Uzbek pilaf, which, with its presence, acquires a special aroma and good taste.

Barbecue made from offal does not do without a similar component, but for this purpose, fat is used only for frying, which makes the dish soft, with more pleasant taste.

Video: recipe for pilaf with lamb fat

Other popular Asian dishes that use this product in their creation include:

• puff pastry with onion and meat;
• kebabs;
• Tatar noodles cooked in a slow cooker;
• pie "Balish";
• samsa;
• lamb skewers.

In addition to these goodies, many others can be prepared simply by replacing similar fatty components of animal origin with lamb fat.

Traditional medicine recipes

Alternative medicine boasts an abundance of recipes, including those with the participation of animal raw materials, and given the enormous benefits of lamb fat, it is not surprising that it has become one of the main components in the preparation of effective medicines for a wide variety of ailments.

When coughing

In the simplest version, melted medicine is used for compresses or rubbing, although a drink made from equal parts of milk, honey and fat itself will be no less effective.

In the latter case, before use, it is advisable to heat the mixture in a water bath until all components are completely dissolved. This composition perfectly fights dry and wet coughs and can even help with bronchitis.

Important! At high temperatures, the use of a “fatty” drink is highly undesirable, as it can only aggravate the situation.

Another possible option for using mutton fat in the fight against coughing is the following recipe: for 200 g of the product, take 250 g and 4-5 finely chopped leaves, mix everything well and transfer the mixture to a clean, tightly closed jar.

The finished drug can be stored in the refrigerator (and for quite a long time), and you need to use it three times a day for a tablespoon before the main meal. To enhance the taste, you can add a tablespoon, only it must be of high quality.

For preventive purposes, the same composition is consumed 0.5 tablespoon 2-3 times a day, half an hour before meals.

For joint pain

To eliminate joint pain, only unsalted mutton fat is used, which is applied in a thick layer to the affected areas of the body and is additionally wrapped in cling film.

To ensure the proper warming effect, it is recommended to wrap the limb with a woolen scarf, leaving it for the next week. Once every few days, the old fat is replaced with a new one, while continuing to wear a compress.

If you cannot afford to wear a bandage daily, then melted, necessarily warm, fat should be rubbed into the sore spot every day for a month, performing this procedure mainly at night and additionally using a woolen scarf for insulation.

For varicose veins

With varicose veins, the sebaceous product is cut into thin small pieces and applied to the sore spot, wrapped on top first with polyethylene, and then with a woolen scarf or scarf. Two such compresses a day are enough, and after a few weeks the veins will become less noticeable and almost completely stop hurting.

From a heel spur

A mixture of a whole raw egg (in the shell) with 100 grams of lamb fat and the same amount of vinegar essence will help to cope with this unpleasant problem.
Before use, it is advisable to leave the medicine in a dark place for a day, and then you can moisten a tampon in it and apply it to the spur in the form of a compress, putting on a sock on top. With regular use (every day at night) in a week, the heels will become soft and smooth.

From wen

In the fight against wen, you do not have to prepare a medicine based on mutton fat for a long time. All that is needed is to melt a teaspoon of the product, cool it down a little and lubricate the bulge daily until it disappears completely.

How is it used in cosmetology

The beneficial properties of mutton fat have not gone unnoticed by cosmetologists. World famous brands often use it as one of the main ingredients for their products, in particular, creams, masks and even shampoos. The main benefit of the product lies in its positive effect on the skin, which, with regular use of the product, quickly smoothes and rejuvenates.
In addition, fat tail is able to protect the skin from the effects of frost, so that face masks prepared on its basis will be especially appropriate in winter. Consider several recipes for creating such homemade cosmetics.

Option 1. For good hair growth and strengthening, you can prepare an ointment from a mixture of lamb and pork fat (350 g each) and salt powder (120 g). After thorough mixing, all ingredients are placed in a water bath and heated well, stirring constantly.

In the resulting homogeneous composition, you need to add 120 g of parsley seeds, 15 g of dill seed powder and mix everything well again, leaving the container with all the contents in the same water bath.

After boiling, you can pour the ointment into jars and send it to the refrigerator, so that later it can be rubbed for 10-15 minutes at night (the procedure should be performed daily). After such a mask, oily hair is rinsed in the morning in warm water or in an infusion of nettle leaves.
Option 2. To prepare a nourishing cream for the whole body, pork and mutton fat, butter and beeswax are taken in equal proportions.

As in the previous version, these components must be melted in a water bath, mixed well and poured into a jar for further storage. The finished product can be used daily, applied to different parts of the body, in particular, to those damaged by burns.

Some women simply add the melted product to their standard cosmetics and use it as usual after mixing, only in this case the possibility of an unpleasant odor should not be ruled out.

How to choose when buying

To get the maximum benefit from fat tail, it is important to choose a really high-quality product, not confusing it with goat fat (they look similar, but the properties differ).
This mutton product is distinguished by the following characteristics:

• it is light, almost snow-white;
• dry;
• no unpleasant ammonia odor.

To minimize the risk of acquiring counterfeit or low-quality fat, only buy it from trusted private sellers (preferably from farms) or reputable stores with a good reputation.

Where to store

After purchase, the fat tail is usually immediately stacked to be placed in the refrigerator for further storage. In such conditions, it does not lose its properties and can lie up to 3-4 months.

If you do not yet have the opportunity to engage in reheating, then temporarily freeze the product in order to cook it in the indicated way. The standard storage temperature in the refrigerator is +2…+5°C.

Important! Do not use the fat tail if it suddenly has an unpleasant ammonia smell or the surface is covered with mold. There will be no benefit from such fat, on the contrary, you can harm your body.

How to melt lamb fat at home

Melting the fat tail is not difficult, and all you need is an oven and a container for melting. All actions are performed in the following sequence:

1. A fresh piece of fat is cut into small pieces and poured with cold water for an hour (thus blood clots and unnecessary tissue residues are separated from it).
2. After the specified time, it is taken out of the water, washed well and placed in a cast-iron or clay container, in which the fat must be completely melted.
3. Now it remains to place the pot in the oven for 1.5 hours, after sprinkling it well with water (the temperature in the oven should not be higher than + 150 ° C).
4. At the end of the procedure, the melted fat is taken out of the oven, filtered through a sieve and cotton cloth and poured into a jar for further storage.

A slow cooker can be used as an acceptable alternative to complete the task. In this case, the purchased fat tail is washed well, cut into small pieces or passed through a meat grinder with a fine mesh, in order to melt it later in the multicooker bowl in the “Baking” mode (the process usually takes about an hour).

Then the appliance is set to the “Extinguishing” mode, and the fat tail continues to cook for another 2-3 hours. After filtering, the product is removed in the refrigerator and used as needed.

Important!Whichever method you choose, it's important to stir the fat occasionally to ensure it melts evenly.

Who can't

With all the multifaceted benefits of lamb fat, there are cases when it can harm the human body. First of all, this applies to people suffering from obesity, kidney disease, liver problems, inflammation of the gallbladder and atherosclerosis.
It is also desirable to limit the use of fat tail to people with stomach ulcers or high acidity, due to its high fat content. In some situations, discomfort may occur due to individual intolerance to the product, which should also be considered when buying it.

Did you know? The ancient Romans called salo "lardo", and, interestingly, this name has survived to this day, although it now means« lard» . There is evidence that Emperor Justinian himself at the legislative level obliged his subjects to supply lardo to the army so that all military personnel had enough strength and energy, and this happened about 1500 years ago.

Fats are not only a necessary component of many culinary products, but also serve as a heat transfer and anti-adhesion medium during the heat treatment of products.

Being part of a particular culinary product, the fat should be well combined in taste, smell and texture with the rest of its components. So, fish goes well with vegetable oils, but badly with animal fats (beef, lamb and pork); high-melting heat-resistant fats worsen the consistency of cold dishes perceived by the oral cavity.

If fat is used as a heat transfer medium, especially when deep-frying foods, its characteristics such as heat resistance, low humidity and viscosity when heated, and the absence of pronounced taste and smell are of paramount importance. It is not recommended to use fats containing a significant amount of moisture for frying (butter, margarine), as its evaporation causes a strong splashing of fat. Unless absolutely necessary, highly unsaturated vegetable oils should also not be used for deep-frying, since their nutritional value decreases significantly with prolonged heating.

Changes in fats during heat cooking

With free access to air, the oxidation of fats occurs, which accelerates with an increase in their temperature. At storage temperatures (from 2 to 25 °C), autoxidation occurs in the fat, and at frying temperatures (from 140 to 200 °C), thermal oxidation occurs. There are many similarities between autoxidation and thermal oxidation, although the composition of the resulting products may differ somewhat. Autooxidation usually accompanies and often precedes thermal oxidation, and therefore these two processes must be considered together.

In the initial period of autoxidation, there is a long induction period during which free radicals accumulate. However, as soon as their concentration reaches a certain value, the induction period ends and an autocatalytic chain reaction begins - the process of rapid addition to oxygen radicals. The primary products of an autocatalytic chain reaction are hydroperoxides, which are prone to decomposition reactions, as a result of which two new radicals are formed, which increase the rate of the chain reaction. When two radicals are combined to form an inactive molecule, the chain of an autocatalytic chain reaction can be terminated.

If the fat is heated to a temperature of 140 to 200 ° C in air (conditions that occur when frying foods), the induction period is drastically reduced. The addition of oxygen to hydrocarbon radicals of fatty acids occurs more randomly, bypassing some of the steps that take place during autoxidation. Some fat oxidation products (hydroperoxides, epoxides, aldehydes, etc.), which are relatively stable at autoxidation temperatures, cannot exist for a long time at high thermal oxidation temperatures and decompose as they form. As a result of their decay, a large group of new reactive substances is formed, increasing the possibility of secondary chemical reactions in heated fat and their diversity.

Products formed during auto- and thermal oxidation can be divided into three groups:

products of oxidative degradation of fatty acids, resulting in the formation of substances with a shortened chain;

isomerization products, as well as oxidized triglycerides, which contain the same number of carbon atoms as the original triglycerides, but differ from the latter in the presence of new functional groups containing oxygen in the hydrocarbon parts of fatty acid molecules;

oxidation products containing polymerized or condensed fatty acids, which may also contain new functional groups containing oxygen.

In addition, the products of fat oxidation are usually divided into heat-resistant and non-heat-resistant.

In addition to oxidative changes, with any method of heat treatment, hydrolytic processes occur in fats due to the effect of water and high temperature on the fat (Fig. 3).

In the presence of water, the hydrolysis of fat proceeds in three stages. In the first step, one fatty acid molecule is cleaved from the triglyceride molecule to form a diglyceride. The second fatty acid molecule is then cleaved from the diglyceride to form a monoglyceride. And finally, as a result of the separation of the last fatty acid molecule from the monoglyceride, free glycerol is formed. Di- and monoglycerides formed at intermediate stages contribute to the acceleration of hydrolysis. With the complete hydrolytic cleavage of a triglyceride molecule, one molecule of glycerol and three molecules of free fatty acids are formed.

The predominance of a hydrolytic or oxidative process in fat depends on the intensity of exposure to temperature, air and water oxygen, as well as the duration of heating and the presence of substances that accelerate or slow down these processes. Therefore, the main methods of heat treatment - boiling and frying - differ in the degree and nature of the effect on fat.

Changes in fat during cooking

The fat contained in the products during the cooking process melts and turns into a liquid. The amount of fat entering the cooking medium depends on its content and the nature of the deposition in the product, the duration of cooking, the size of the pieces and other reasons. So, fish, when stewing, loses the fat contained in the raw product (in%): lean - up to 50, medium fat - up to 14, sturgeon - up to 6. Up to 40% is extracted from meat during cooking, and 25 - 40% of the content contained in the bones. they have fat. The amount of fat extracted from the bones depends on their type (tubular, pelvic, vertebrate, etc.), the degree of their grinding and the duration of cooking. Increasing the boiling point when pressure-frying the bones also helps to extract more fat from them.

The bulk of the extracted fat (90 - 95%) is collected on the surface of the broth, and only a small part (3.5 - 10%) is distributed throughout the volume of the broth in the form of tiny fat droplets (emulsified). But even this small amount of fat (about 0.07% of the mass of the broth) makes the broth cloudy, degrading its quality.

The amount of fat emulsified during cooking increases with the intensity of the boil and the amount of liquid in relation to the product. Under the combined influence of these factors, the amount of emulsified fat can increase several times. So, when the ratio between the amount of water and bones changes from 3:1 to 8:1, with a weak boil, the amount of emulsified fat almost doubles, and with a strong boil, more than 5 times.

The partial hydrolytic breakdown of fat during cooking is evidenced by an increase in its acid number. At the cooking temperature (about 100 E C), water and fat are practically mutually insoluble, so hydrolysis occurs at the interface between the fat and water phases. Emulsification increases the contact surface of fat with water, which contributes to its hydrolysis. The presence of common salt and products containing acids in the cooking medium also enhances the hydrolysis of fat. However, the complete breakdown of fats during cooking does not occur, and therefore, along with free fatty acids and glycerol, mono- and diglycerides are always present in the cooking medium.

The high molecular weight fatty acids formed as a result of hydrolysis give the broth an unpleasant greasy aftertaste. The more emulsified and hydrolyzed fat, the lower the quality of the broth.

Free fatty acids are more easily oxidized than in triglycerides. An increase in the acetyl number of fat after cooking indicates the presence of not only mono- and diglycerides, but also hydroxy acids, which are one of the oxidation products. The formation of hydroxy acids during cooking is confirmed by a decrease in the iodine number of fat, which occurs due to the addition of OH groups to unsaturated fatty acids at the site of double bonds.

Since the emulsified fat is in an aqueous medium (non-emulsified fat that floats to the surface is removed), its contact with air is difficult. Due to the limited access of oxygen and a relatively low temperature during cooking, hydrolytic processes predominate, and only partially there is a shallow oxidation of fatty acids to peroxide compounds and monohydroxy acids.

Changes in fat during frying

Of all the frying methods, two are the most common: with a small amount of fat and with a large amount of fat (deep-fried). Deep frying can be continuous (ratio of fat to product 20:1) or intermittent (ratio fat and product from 4:1 to 6:1).

When frying in the first way, the mass of fat is 10-20% of the mass of the product, and the ratio of the heated surface of the fat to its volume is more than 5. The duration of the process depends on the type and size of the product and can vary from 3-10 minutes (portioned pieces of fish) to 1, 5-2 hours (geese, turkeys, large pieces of meat). Despite significant aeration and the action of high temperatures (140-200 ° C), deep oxidative changes in fat are not observed due to the short duration of heating, and fat is usually not used again with this method of frying.

When frying with a small amount of fat heated in a thin layer, it may overheat. Even with short-term overheating (temperature above 200 ° C), thermal decomposition of fat can occur with the release of smoke (pyrolysis). The temperature at which smoke begins to be released from a given fat is called the smoke point or temperature. Different fats under the same heating conditions have different smoke point (°C): pork fat - 221, cottonseed oil - 223, lard - 230. Thus, the smoke point, which is one of the characteristics of the heat resistance of fat, depends primarily on his kind.

The smoke point, in addition to the type of fat, is affected by the content of free fatty acids in it, the ratio of the heated surface of the fat to its volume, and the material of the dishes in which the heating is performed. The presence of even small amounts of free fatty acids in fat significantly reduces the smoke point. So, with an increase in the content of free fatty acids in pork fat from 0.02 to 0.81%, the temperature of its smoke formation decreases from 221 to 150 °C. When heating the same amount of fat of the same type in two frying pans with a diameter of 15 and 20 cm, the smoke point turned out to be 185 and 169 °C, respectively.

Some metals of variable valence (iron, copper, etc.) are able to catalyze the pyrolysis of fat, thus reducing the smoke point.

Apparatus is used at large food enterprises. continuous deep-frying, the heat treatment of products in which is carried out in a large amount of fat (fat to product ratio up to 20: 1). In such devices, fish semi-finished products, potato chips and crackers are fried. An increase in the amount of fat allows you to speed up the frying process, maintain lower deep-frying temperatures (150-160 ° C), reduce the rate of its thermal decomposition and oxidation, and hence the consumption.

In the frying bath, a uniform temperature is maintained, which ensures high quality of the finished product.

In continuous frying, fat is constantly removed from the frying pan with the finished product, and its amount is replenished by automatically adding fresh fat. The amount of fat that is removed with the finished product depends on its type and the total surface of its pieces. So, potato chips are able to adsorb up to 40% fat, donuts - 19-27%.

Deep-frying temperature is also of great importance for obtaining high-quality products without deviations from the normalized mass. If the fat is heated too much, a brown crust will quickly form on the surface of the product, although it remains raw inside. If the fat is not heated enough, the frying process is delayed, which leads, as already noted, to excessive drying of the products. The optimal temperature of fat and the duration of frying various semi-finished products are shown in Table. 1. D.

The higher the fat turnover coefficient, the less it undergoes oxidative changes. As a result of the constant replacement of the heated fat, its degree of oxidation quickly reaches a stable state and subsequently changes little.

The most profound changes occur in fat during periodic deep frying, which is widely used in catering establishments. With this method of frying, fat can be heated for a long time without a product (idle heating) and periodically used for frying various products with a relatively low turnover rate. Sometimes the fat is cooled to room temperature, then heated again, and the cycles of cooling and heating are repeated many times. The probability of fat oxidation with such cyclic heating is even higher than with continuous heating.

An important parameter in deep-frying is the ratio of the mass of fat to the mass of the product to be fried, which must be at least 4:1. Otherwise, when loading the product, the temperature of the fat will decrease significantly (Fig. 4), the frying process will slow down, which in turn will lead to excessive frying and a deterioration in the appearance of the finished products.

Cooking fat is a mixture of animal and vegetable lard, which can be melted at a temperature of 60ºС with the addition of vegetable oils and rendered fats. During production, fats are cleaned of impurities, kneaded according to the recipe, melted and mixed again, cooled and packaged. Cooking fat is absorbed by 96%, it is a high-calorie food product, which is the main source of energy. This type of fat contains vitamins A, K, E, D. During the production of high-quality cooking oil, fermented milk is added, due to which it contains magnesium, calcium and potassium. In order for beta-carotene and fat-soluble vitamins to be absorbed in the human body, it is necessary to consume at least 25 g of fat per day. Fat is the building block of body cells. Moderate consumption of this product supports the beauty and health of women, and vitamin K neutralizes the effect of aflatoxins.

100g of cooking oil contains:

• Water - 0.3.
• Proteins - 0.
• Fats - 99.7.
• Carbohydrates - 0.
• Kcal - 897.

Different composition of cooking oil and its uses

• The composition of culinary (confectionery) fat contains mainly vegetable raw materials, but very often pork, beef and whale lard are present in the composition. Coconut and palm oil are very often the main ingredients of this heat these days.
• The appearance of cooking oil is a white solid with a yellow tinge.
• Confectionery fat is distinguished by the percentage of vegetable and animal fats. But in the composition of this type of fat, vegetable fats, animal fats and food additives of various types are necessarily present.
• In the manufacture of confectionery products, a product of a separate type of cooking fat is used.
• Confectionery fat is an additive that binds together all the components of a particular product of preparation, it improves its nutritional characteristics.

Useful information for those who count the number of grams of a certain type of fat in their diet:

• One teaspoon contains 5g of fat.
• One tablespoon contains 17g of fat.
• One glass contains 240g of fat.

Harm and contraindications for the use of cooking fat

• You need to know that it is the composition of cooking oil that is harmful to humans. It is also very high in calories. But the technology of culinary products cannot exist without this type of fat. It is the main component of pastries, cakes, sweet desserts, baked goods, pies, etc.
• Nutritionists warn about the frequent use of confectionery, which can lead to digestive problems and obesity.
• The largest amount of cooking oil is found in chocolates and chocolate. The chemical composition of this product is poor, there are few active substances, but the digestibility of these confectionery products is very high. The body receives a lot of calories that do not bring benefits, but contribute to weight gain.
• Doctors state the disappointing facts of the use of food products that contain cooking fat, since food additives that are used to prepare this type of fat contribute to the development of cancer.

Cooking oil is used for frying meat, vegetables, fish, for deep-frying and sautéing. Before use, cooking oil is brought to a boil, the resulting foam is collected. This type of fat is widely used in cooking, because it does not smoke when frying, because its melting point is 220ºС.