In days past, lard was the go-to ingredient when it came to greasing cast-iron skillets and frying up extra crispy batches of chicken. But in recent years, the delicately flavored fat has gotten an undeserved bad rap for being unhealthy. Compared to classic butter, rendered leaf lard contains less saturated fat (the bad stuff) and more monounsaturated fats (the good stuff). See? Lard isn’t so bad. Here are few more things you probably didn’t know about lard.
1. It makes the flakiest pie crust.
Combined with butter, lard yields a super flaky and tender pie crust that holds up to hearty fillings, but is easy to roll out.
2. Biscuits, too.
Yearn for light and flaky buttermilk biscuits? Look no further than lard.
3. It’s doesn’t taste like pork.
Rendered pork leaf lard is not bacon grease, nor does it taste like it. Rather than adding a salty, smoky flavor to your sweet baked goods, this fat packs in lots of flaky, moist goodness with little to no added flavor.
4. Lard makes the crispiest fried chicken.
Why is lard our frying favorite? It’s high smoke point means it can get super hot without burning, resulting in the crunchiest, golden brown fried chicken.
5. It’s versatile.
Can you think of any other fat that is perfect for frying, baking, roasting, and greasing? Probably not.
There’s nothing better to cook in than the good old long lasting cast iron skillet. I have skillets of every size, and shape and for every use, from griddle to muffin pans to corn holders.to over the camp fire stews pot. I’ve tried other skillets on the market but I always come back to my cast iron. I keep them hanging on the walls in my for easy access ( and to show them off) it takes a bit of learning how to use them and keep them in good shape. But worth the effort. I’m 71 and my skillets look as good as me, ( actually better.) I could go on singing the praises for cast iron but I’d recommend others should try them and then sing their own praises.