FAQs

What is tallow?
Tallow is a type of rendered fat, primarily made from beef or mutton fat around the kidneys, used in cooking, soap making, skincare, candle making, and as a lubricant. This is one of our most popular items. Our grass-fed and grass finished beef tallow is perfect for everyday use. Exceptional quality and choice.

What is "Soft" tallow?
We call Soft Tallow our grass-fed and grass-finished beef rendered Back Trim Fat. We use the same artisanal, double-filtration, proven method to render our regular tallow. It is softer than our regular tallow, and it melts very quickly, similar to Coconut Oil. This type of fat can replace liquid oils or seed oils in Skin Care formulations, whipped tallow, and cooking. 

How is tallow made?
Tallow is made by rendering the fat from the meat, which involves melting and purifying the fat to separate it from meat pieces, water, and impurities.

What are the uses of tallow?
Our grass-fed beef tallow can be used in various applications, including cooking (as a substitute for butter or oil), the production of soap, creams, and candles, as a lubricant in industry, and some traditional medicines. It can be also used to polish wood and season cast iron pots.
Please also notice that pure tallow usually has a hard texture, not soft, but it melts very quickly.

Is tallow healthy?
The healthiness of tallow can depend on the context of an individual's diet and health. Tallow is high in saturated fats, which some dietary guidelines recommend limiting. However, it also contains monounsaturated fats and is used in some culinary traditions as a preferred fat source. Tallow is a great choice for skincare because it contains a wide range of nutrients that are highly beneficial for the skin.

Can tallow be used in vegetarian or vegan diets?
No, tallow is animal-derived and unsuitable for vegetarian or vegan diets.

How should tallow be stored?
Tallow should be stored in a cool, dark place, preferably at or below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It can be kept at room temperature, but refrigeration can extend its shelf life. Contact with water must be avoided; otherwise, mold can grow.
If you buy a large container of fat, keep some in a glass container for daily use and refrigerate the rest.

What is the difference between tallow and lard?
Tallow is rendered fat from beef or mutton, while lard is rendered fat from pigs. They have different flavor profiles and uses in cooking and other applications.

Can tallow be used in all types of cooking?
Tallow is versatile and can be used for frying, roasting, and baking. However, its flavor may only be suitable for some dishes. Also, consistency may vary based on season and batch. Sometimes, the fat is hard, while other times, it is softer. We don't homogenize, bleach, or deodorize it. The end product may vary from batch to batch, depending on what nature provides us.

How can tallow become odorless and white?
To thoroughly deodorize tallow, it must be wet rendered, which has some benefits and challenges. You can wet render our tallow to meet your specific needs. Here you can find a quick tutorial video on how to wet render tallow.

Our premium beef tallow is derived from grass-fed and grass-finished cattle. We do not deodorize or add artificial scents, making it ideal for cooking. This fat is unadulterated and maintains its natural fat constituents, which makes it perfect for creating skincare products (This has been the experience of many of our clients and ours, too!). Although it has a mild natural beefy scent, it undergoes thorough dry-rendering and double-filtering to ensure maximum purity. Some people may not like the smell, so you can add essential oils or herbs to mask it. (It takes a few days to curate).
We ask our customers to contact us for returns or to consider exchanging for one of our skin therapeutic balms if the product they received doesn't meet their expectations.

Why is my tallow grainy?
Tallow can become grainy or crystallize due to temperature sensitivity. When heated, tallow, which is a solid ingredient, turns into a liquid, and upon cooling, it separates into fats and liquid. If it doesn't cool properly or if it goes through multiple heating and cooling cycles in less-than-ideal conditions or during the summer months, it can develop a grainy texture. To stabilize grainy tallow, you can reheat it to 175-200 degrees Fahrenheit and hold it at that temperature for 1 to 12 hours, depending on the type of project you are working on. For projects like whipping tallow or making candles, it is preferable to leave it at that temperature overnight.

How is whipped tallow and skincare creams made?
Visit www.thefatladytallow.com/recipes, for recipes and basic formulations.