How to Choose the Right Lard: Simple Ways You Didn’t Know About

Lard is a unique product. Savvy housewives know how to use it in almost everything: both as ingredients in complete dishes and in frying.

What is good bacon?

There are three factors that define bacon: density, firmness, and thickness.

  • Color. Lard should be smooth, so that there was a uniform light pink shade and a thin layer of meat (but remember, we do not need meat, but fat).
  • Smell. Lard should smell like straw and smoke. It is like being greased with straw, that’s why it smells so. Some hostesses take a lighter with them to the market and light a small piece of lard. If the smell does not irritate us – we take it confidently.
  • Elasticity. To check the freshness of the lard, you can pierce the skin with a match. If the skin pierces, it means it is fresh. But the skin should be firm. Remember, the match must not go in like butter, it must “resist” a little. This “trick” will not work on salted lard. But where there is a large layer of meat, the match should go in tight.

The thickness of the fat depends on the part from which the fat was removed. Also, pay attention to the label – if it is missing, there is a risk to buy an uncertified product.

What kind of fat is healthier

It is recommended to find bacon at the market with the remains of bristles. This is a pledge that in front of you is tender Ukrainian meat, most likely without harmful additives. All the rest is meat grown on hormones and antibiotics.

Gamma-linolenic acid, which is contained in raw bacon, perfectly fights against the aging of body cells.

But it is better not to eat old bacon. Many unscrupulous sellers are trying to make Hungarian lard from such yellow lard: they treat it with various spices, hiding the defects.

Remember: there are conditionally two kinds of lard – farm, and home. Farm pork will contain a lot more muscle tissue, homemade – more fat. Separately, back fat goes on salami (so that the structure is rigid), and side fat goes in cooked sausages because it is soft and evenly distributed.

There are also general’s lard-slashes, which are only 6 kg per pig. Butchers call it the most valuable part, and this general’s bacon is much more expensive.

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Written by Emma Miller

I am a registered dietitian nutritionist and own a private nutrition practice, where I provide one-on-one nutritional counseling to patients. I specialize in chronic disease prevention/ management, vegan/ vegetarian nutrition, pre-natal/ postpartum nutrition, wellness coaching, medical nutrition therapy, and weight management.

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