Rendered duck fat - die, die must try!

You need to go to one of the more up-scale supermarkets or specialist grocers. In Singapore, this would be places like The Market Place or Huber's Butchery (Dempsey Road) or Swiss Butchery (Tanglin Road).

And it's not cheap. A mid-sized jar of duck fat costs about S$10 while goose fat, which is supposedly more "gourmet" costs about $12. Recently I saw a very small bottle of goose fat, enough for preparing at most two or three, selling for over $8.

So for a long time, I hesitated to buy even though I had read that duck and goose fats are delicious and healthy. Click here to understand why rendered duck fat is healthy.

After I started using it, however, I realised that I actually pay a lot more money for a good bottle of olive oil. From that perspective, rendered duck and goose fats might be considered relatively inexpensive.

Actually, I still have not bought - because I decided to make my own. As I shall explain below, it is easy to do.

But first, let me share two recent coincidences that got me started on cooking with rendered duck fat:

1. I bought half a duck from the poultry lady at the market and when I asked her not to discard the duck tail (backside), which I like to eat, she gave me a few extra pieces. These are laden with fat.
   
   I also told her not to discard the fatty skin - because I noticed that she sells duck without the skin, thanks to misguided medical / nutritional advice about chicken and duck skin being "unhealthy". So if I want to make more rendered duck fat in the future, I can get the raw duck fatty skins for free :)
   
   I went home and rendered the fat, based on my memory of how my mother used to render pork lard decades ago. The few pieces of skin and tails yielded enough fat to fill a rice bowl nearly to the brim. I left it in the refrigerator...
   
   
2. Before I could use my newly rendered duck fat, I had my first taste of potatoes deep fried in duck fat, during a Christmas eve party. It was so delicious that I told myself, using a phrase popular in Singapore for describing incredibly good food: "Die, die must try!"

I tried pan frying new potatoes in duck fat. It was not as yummy as the deep fried potatoes, but nice nonetheless. I fried a fish and it came out very well, without the skin being stuck to the pan as it often does. I prepared pasta - spaghetti aglio olio (with garlic and oil) - using duck fat and it was delicious too. This has become my new healthy cooking oil.

To begin, you will need the raw duck fat, either the fat itself or fatty duck skin - especially the skin near the lower abdominal cavity - and, if you don't mind, also the duck tail or backside. If you are friendly with your poultry seller at the market, you could well get this for free.

Cut the skin and fat into small pieces, or, if you are lazy, leave them as they are, and you are ready to go...

But wait. Before you proceed, note that the best rendered duck fat is produced very s...l...o...w...l...y... I read somewhere that it should be done at 170ºF but heck, I do not have a cooking thermometer and I don't think most people do. No need to be so scientific. Just use a small fire.

With a small fire, it helps to use a heavy pot that retains heat. I use an enamel coated cast-iron pot, but a simple clay pot or wok will do just as well. Do not use glass / corning ware or thin-walled steel pots. And never, never use aluminium or non-stick teflon-coated pots, both of which are harmful to health.

There are two ways to render duck fat - with or without water...

Rendering fat without water

This method is very simple - but you need to watch more closely to ensure that the fat does not burn. Also, fat rendered this way will not keep as long as fat rendered using the water method. It should still last a few months if carefully stored in the refrigerator, in a covered jar. Do not use the fat if it has a rancid smell.

This waterless method is recommended for rendering small amounts of fat.

1. Place the raw fat and skin into a heavy pot.
   
   
2. Cook, uncovered, over a small fire. Depending on the heat and the amount of fat, you may need to cook for 45 minutes to well over an hour. You are done when the oil has oozed out and the fat pieces - called cracklings - are golden brown. Be careful not to overcook until the cracklings turn dark brown or black.
   
   
3. Filter the oil to remove residues. Leave to cool and refrigerate. The rendered duck fat will harden and appear white in colour.

Before hardening, the rendered duck fat should be a clear golden liquid. Cloudiness indicates the presence of some water in the fat, which can be reduced by cooking further. It might affect the shelf life but is not a big issue if you are just rendering a small amount to use over a few months.

Also, the water might cause the oil to splatter, so be careful not to add the fat into a very hot pan. Allow the pan to gently heat up and evaporate the water before you turn up the heat.

Rendering fat with water

This method gives better control over the rendering temperature. Ironically, it results in a "purer" fat with lower water content. I am not sure why, but it does. This improves the storage life and also avoids splattering when the fat is added to a hot frying pan.

1. Place the raw fat and skin into a heavy pot. Add enough water to cover the fat.
   
   
2. Cook, uncovered, over a medium flame until the water nearly boils. Reduce heat and allow to simmer. During cooking, the fat will be rendered into the water while the water evaporates. Watch the bubbles during this process. They will get smaller and closer together. When you are left with very tiny bubbles, it means that all - or at least most - of the water has evaporated and your rendered duck fat is ready.
   Depending on the heat and the amount of fat, you may need to cook for 45 minutes to well over an hour. You are done when the oil has oozed out and the fat pieces - called cracklings - are golden brown. Be careful not to overcook until the cracklings turn dark brown or black.
   
   
3. Filter the oil to remove residues. Leave to cool and refrigerate.