Rendering (Animal Products)

Rendering converts raw animal fat into a purified, shelf-stable cooking fat, such as lard from pork fat, tallow from beef suet, schmaltz from chicken fat, or clarified butter from butter, by applying heat, through boiling in water, steam or dry heat, that separates the fat from the protein and connective tissue around it. The process yields both the rendered fat itself and a solid protein byproduct left behind once the fat has melted and been strained away. Rendered fats keep far longer than raw fat and are used across cooking, baking and food manufacturing wherever a stable, high-heat cooking fat is needed.