# Beef tallow - tell me about it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 1, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687 "2026-05-01T03:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/21 "2026-05-01T21:42:45Z")
I do hope they post some clear warnings so they don’t go through what McD did with their fries ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/22 "2026-05-01T21:48:29Z")
I sometimes cook duck and goose, and i save the fat. It makes delicious popcorn! (I pop my corn in a cast iron skillet with enough fat to transfer the heat.) It also makes delicious roast vegetables. Actually not suitable for your vegetarian friends. Also, duck fat has a richness similar to ham, and is good in pea soup if you want to feed people who don’t eat pork. I miss the flavor of McDonald’s tallow-fried potatoes, but i don’t cook with beef tallow. I actually have some onion-infused beef fat that was leftover when i last made oxtail soup. It was so delicious i couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so i melted it, and chilled it in ice cube trays, and now i have a ziplock bag of seasoned beef-fat-cubes in the freezer. I pulled one out recently to saute some vegetable. But i feel a little guilty using it because i can just feel my arteries hardening. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/23 "2026-05-01T21:59:46Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > But i feel a little guilty using it because i can just feel my arteries hardening. Oh, don’t remind me! I’m really trying to be good for the next two weeks - we have an out-of-state friend visiting us then for a week, during which it will be vacation calories (which don’t count until _after_ the vacation, natch) and I expect it’ll take a month to revert to norm. And yes, I have a nice set of purchased duck breasts sitting in my freezer for that occasion. Because even at $15.99 a pound, it was cheaper than steak! Yeah, the unctuous nature of duck, both as an ingredient and a cooking fat is a great draw for me. But in a two-person household, with only me eating meat, collecting a useable amount of fat from my actual cooking is pretty rare. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/24 "2026-05-01T22:09:49Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > I do hope they post some clear warnings so they don’t go through what McD did with their fries They labeled their fries as vegetarian, even tho they contained beef flavoring. McDs had gotten rid of the tallow fries some times before that. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Yup yup. Googling around, I found references to using it for skin care as well as frying French-fries and such. Is the tallow you want to get for skincare or cooking? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/25 "2026-05-01T22:17:43Z")
Checking a couple of supermarket websites, both beef tallow and duck fat appear to be available on the shelf. At Big Y Supermarket, for instance, eleven ounces of duct fat or beef tallow for $12, both from a NYC company called Aux Délices des Bois. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/26 "2026-05-02T00:23:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Most of the groceries I go to have house rendered lard, so it’s the easiest animal fat to acquire. There’s also that hydrogenated shelf-stable stuff, but it’s nowhere near as good (except maybe for baking). I didn’t know this. We were recently given some 8-oz tubs of the shelf-stable stuff. I don’t live in an area where house-rendered lard is a thing. Is the tub-o-lard good for anything other than baking, which I’m not going to use it for? I already keep a small amount of bacon fat around. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/27 "2026-05-02T00:47:02Z")
Oh the lard. It’s good for so many things. Makes the best biscuits and pie crust. Must have for cornbreads and my Mid-dau’s twig and dead leaf muffins. Tea-cakes turn out more tender with lard over other fats. Fried chicken just don’t work as well without lard for frying. Of course, seed oils or a neutral oil in the kitchen. Olive oil and butter have their distinct flavors for certain foods. Lard and Tallow have their particular uses in any kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Varl\_Hobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/91b2a8/32.png) [@Varl\_Hobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Varl_Hobe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/28 "2026-05-02T00:52:56Z")
Well not any kitchen. There are legitimate religious reasons to not use either. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/29 "2026-05-02T01:25:30Z")
> [@Varl\_Hobe](#): > > legitimate religious Those words together make a grating sound in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/30 "2026-05-02T01:26:34Z")
Well, that’s cromulent. And if you’re that way, I’m sure you got nice tasty things as well. I’ll change my “any” to “my” kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/31 "2026-05-02T01:51:43Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > > [@Varl\_Hobe](#): > > > > legitimate religious > > Those words together make a grating sound in my mind. Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/32 "2026-05-02T01:54:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Why is that? No connection to beef tallow, sorry if I went off topic. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/33 "2026-05-02T02:11:04Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > What? No love for lard? It’s by far my most used animal fat in cooking. Up there with bacon drippings, but I don’t cook nearly enough bacon to reserve enough bacon fat for home use (I generally just mix all the animal fats I collect together into one jar of schmaltz.) I gather our favorite spaghetti sauce is made with lard; the label says “pork fat”. [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71eI0LZ1xhL.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71eI0LZ1xhL.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/34 "2026-05-02T02:23:25Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > > > The **Steak & Shake** down the street from us uses beef tallow for their fries and it has billboards on I-95 touting the fact. > > To be clear that is part of their courting MAGA and MAHA consumers. RFK famously promotes beef tallow as healthier than those evil seed oils. _Steak and Shake_ also now has a chief MAHA officer. > > [Steak 'n Shake plan major menu shake-up by June 1 | Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/steak-n-shakes-new-chief-maha-officer-teases-rfk-jr-inspired-menu-shift.amp) Thank you for saying that. I was going to but you did it better than me. Fat has become political and seed oils have been demonized despite there being many scientific studies showing the benefits. I use vegetable or olive oil most of the time. Nothing wrong with that. I can see the use of beef tallow for flavor but doing it for health is giving in to MAHA propaganda. I did see Japanese waygu beef tallow for sale in Costco. It ain’t cheap. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/35 "2026-05-02T02:26:44Z")
So, after wandering around Googleland looking at beef tallow and other critter fats, I wound up ordering smallish tubs of goose fat, duck fat, and bacon grease to try out for cooking eggs and other sauteed stuff, spreading on toast, whatever strikes me as worth trying. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/36 "2026-05-02T02:27:06Z")
I wonder if there is _any_ chemical or taste difference between ordinary beef tallow and wagyu beef tallow? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/37 "2026-05-02T03:10:06Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I actually have some onion-infused beef fat that was leftover when i last made oxtail soup. It was so delicious i couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so i melted it, and chilled it in ice cube trays, and now i have a ziplock bag of seasoned beef-fat-cubes in the freezer. I pulled one out recently to saute some vegetable. But i feel a little guilty using it because i can just feel my arteries hardening. I remember you discussing that oxtail soup fat. If I recall part of the issue was how intense the flavor was? I’m with you but more so though. I don’t feel guilty. These just aren’t fats that I am going to bother stocking in my own kitchen for common use. Put me at a party with homemade fried chicken and biscuits both cooked with lard and I’ll tuck right in. Fries with a meal at a restaurant that are cooked in duck fat or beef tallow? I’m game. But day in day out? I can’t even imagine that. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/38 "2026-05-02T03:16:36Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I wonder if there is _any_ chemical or taste difference between ordinary beef tallow and wagyu beef tallow? I’ve read that there is. They don’t just have more fat, they have different fat. But I’ve never tried wagyu beef. Honestly, the photos don’t look appealing. I can, as a guilty pleasure, eat a strip of fat cap from my steak. But meat that’s got more fat than muscle fiber looks unhealthy to unappealing to me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/39 "2026-05-02T03:18:38Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > But day in day out? I can’t even imagine that. Well, that was more than as month ago, and I’ve used half of one “ice cube”. It’s not going to be a day in, day out thing. But i might give it another try for sauteed vegetables. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687/40 "2026-05-02T04:25:51Z")
The fat around the kidneys is also very “clean”, meaning that it has little connective or muscle tissue in it, and when it’s rendered, it forms the white fat one might associate with lard. Just plain old beef or pork fat is going to have a stronger color and flavor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-tallow-tell-me-about-it/1029687.md?page=3)