Rancid Lard?

[Blaundee]

MIL rendered a bunch of lard & froze it... then the freezer got unplugged for a few days. She hates the thought of throwing out the lard, so I told her I'd ask y'all if there's any way to salvage it. (she was going to make soap with it)

 

[so lucky]

Have you checked to see if it really is rancid? Did it refreeze when the freezer got plugged back in?

 

[~gd]

The thing about lard [and many fats and oils] is that exposure to air causes it to go rancid not the temperature! Cold will slow the process as it does most chemical reactions but I can walk into a country store here in NC and buy lard that has never been in a refrig let alone a freezer. The secret is the packaging. A old time lard bucket is metal and has a tight friction fit lid [much like the cans that ladies down here use for gifts filled with home baked goodies] getting the lid off the first time can be a hassle since buckets are usually hot filled and as the air in the headspace cools a vacuum is formed. The newer packaging is plastic With a miliar [spell checker says that is wrong] liner or a series of bags. anyway it is the same plastic used to seal out oxygen by food savers. the goal is the same with metal can or plastic KEEP THE LARD AWAY FROM AIR. folks have been doing this for years and we can reach 110f in the shade during a few days in the summer. 90f at midnight. As the lard is used it is more likely to go rancid as the air replaces the used lard. Replace the Lard with hot water and the lard will float. ~gd

 

[k15n1]

... Replace the Lard with hot water and the lard will float.

So just pour hot water into the container? What if you didn't use enough for the water to melt the fat? I usually use 1 C or less and I don't know if that's enough hot water to partially melt the remaining lard.

Anyway, back to the original question, I'm fairly certain that the lard is fine. Even if it's rancid, can't you just scrape off the top layer? And if you're making it into soap, I don't think there will be a problem.

 

[Blaundee]

Have you checked to see if it really is rancid? Did it refreeze when the freezer got plugged back in?

It's rancid. Not horiffic, gag-you rancid, but it is rancid All of the meat & sheepskins in there are goners

 

[Blaundee]

MIL had thought she had read somewhere that there were ways to salvage rancid lard, by adding vinegar or baking soda or something- but she doesnt remember what she read or where. I thought if anyone would know it would be y'all.

 

[ORChick]

Lard is a very stable fat, and doesn't go off as quickly as, for example, oils do. When I render lard, I pack it rather like ~gd explained above - I ladle the clean, liquid fat into clean pint jars, put simmered, warm but dry canning lids on, and let the jars cool. I then feel perfectly comfortable keeping these in a cool pantry.
However, that doesn't answer your question . I am not a soap maker, but I know there are many sites having to do with making soap. And I also think that I have read somewhere that there are ways to deodorize fats for soap making. I did a very quick google search, and didn't find anything specific, but you, or your mother, might want to take a bit more time than I did, and see what you can find. I'm sure there are soapmaking forums where more experienced soapers could answer your question.

 

[~gd]

MIL had thought she had read somewhere that there were ways to salvage rancid lard, by adding vinegar or baking soda or something- but she doesnt remember what she read or where. I thought if anyone would know it would be y'all.

Well my nose is just about shot but my taste buds still are ok. I save bacon fat on the stove top to fry eggs in and when they taste a bit old I refine the fat. WARNINGS heat the fat just enough to warm it to a liguid, I do the refining inside but until you get the hand of it I suggest you do it outside. In another container add 1/2 teaspoon washing soda/quart of warm water and desolve it. for bacon grease I use equal amounts of grease and soda solution. Spme fizzing may be seen if the fat is very rancid. shake well and allow to settle into two layers. The lard will be the top layer. The bottom will be like soapy water discatd it since it will smelly rancid. If you intend to eat it wash at least 2 times with plain water [otherwise it will taste soapy. If you are going to make soap I would also wash it at least once to remove the smell] what you have done is convert the short chain acids of the various fats to a very low grade of soap. Isually the 3 and 4 carbon atom chains smell the worst, the refined lard should be white to light yellow solid mass [the yellow comes from overheating the fats] The process can be scaled up but I suggest you try it out on a small scale first.~gd

 

[Britesea]

Thanks ~gd, that was very helpful. Now if I could just figure out a way to get rid of the triglycerides in the commercial lard I bought before I found out it was hydrogenated.... I guess I'll just use this stuff to make soap

 

[~gd]

Thanks ~gd, that was very helpful. Now if I could just figure out a way to get rid of the triglycerides in the commercial lard I bought before I found out it was hydrogenated.... I guess I'll just use this stuff to make soap

i think you are confusing triglycerides with trans fatty acids.