Bandaged cheddar - lard versus dripping

[staples]

Is it possible to use dripping instead of lard for a small bandaged cheddar? We don't have any lard on hand (and the local supermarkets only sell dripping).

I made a bandaged cheddar last year using tallow, which actually tasted just fine, but we don't have any of that on hand now, either.

I'm using goat milk.

Thanks!

[Aris]

I think that would be the next best thing since it will become solid at cold temperature and it is a stable fat.  About the flavor, i don't think larding is used to flavor the cheese, i think it is used to protect the rind from molds and other micro organisms.

[MrsKK]

I've never noticed any flavor from using lard when bandaging cheese.  I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "dripping" - here, the drippings are what is in the bottom of a pan when roasting meat, which includes a lot of juices, as well as fat.

If that is what you mean, I would skim the fat off the top, melt it down and then strain it to make sure there are no meat bits in it.

The main effect I've seen from using lard to coat cheese is that it keeps it from drying out.  The surface will still get mold on it, especially with bandaging.

[staples]

Thank you both for your replies, Aris and MrsKK.

I think of 'dripping' as the same thing as you do, MrsKK - but this dripping is a solid block of fat that comes pre-packaged from the supermarket (without much information on the packet). I've never used any sort of dripping for anything, so wasn't sure whether it would have some sort of really strong flavour/aroma that might accidentally taint the cheese (I'm new to cheddar). But so long as it acts the same way as lard, then it ought to be fine.

I'll give the dripping and bandages a go, and let you know how I get on.

[Tomer1]

Is it some kind of margarine? hydrogenated veg oil?

Ive used it before to keep my cheddar kosher and it was fine except for the fact that I had some mold problem which is more likely because I havent bandaged correctly and repressed.

[linuxboy]

dripping is the beef version of lard. Lard is from pigs, dripping is from beef. Same function, feel free to use, works the same way.

[fied]

Lard is the clarified version of dripping - from whatever animal. Dripping is what it says it is - drippings from the meat as it roasts. As such, it will have  meat residues in it. To clarify dripping, lift it off the meat juices, put into a pan and add c. three times the amount of boiling water to it, boil for twenty minutes and leave to cool. Scrape off the fat from the top and discard water and residue. Then reboil the clarified dripping until all steam evaporates from it; that's when it usually stops spitting. Leave to cool; it's then lard.

This is the case in the UK now. In times past here (and I tend to this usage), lard was the name for pig fat, raw or clarified; all other was fat called by the animal's name - beef fat, lamb fat, mutton fat, etc. Dripping was the name for all fats and juices dripping from the meat while roasting. In the US it might be that dripping and lard are the same thing but named differently in  different states, or are as lb. says in the above post. Cultural and temporal confusion, eh?

Best to check with the seller.

[Tomer1]

Sounds like an aweful lot of work and energy to produce a rather unsubstantial amount of fat from a roast.

[linuxboy]

I might be wrong, I didn't realize it was more complex than the source. But regardless, rendered fat is rendered fat and will work fine for bandaging.

[zenith1]

To add to the discussion:

How to Melt (Render) Animal Fat

Beef fat is called tallow and pig fat is called lard. Poultry fat is too soft to be used by itself, but it may be used in a ratio of about 10% with tallow or lard. Bear fat may also be used but it must be melted (rendered) quickly after the bear has been killed because bear fat will quickly become rancid. You may also use the fat from farm animals such as sheep or goats, and a variety of wild animals, such as beaver, opossum, raccoon, and groundhog. If there is any lean meat still attached to the fat, cut it off and make sure you only use the fat to make grease.

Melting animal fat is called rendering. Rendering should be done outdoors or in a well ventilated area. The smell of melting animal fat will make most people nauseous. Cut the animal fat into small pieces about one-inch cubed and put them into a pot with about 1/8 inch of rainwater and cook over low to medium heat. Gradually add the fat to the pot and stir to keep the hot grease and solid pieces of fat circulating. As you stir be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent any fat from sticking to the bottom and burning. Do not burn the fat or allow it to smoke. If it starts to smoke then you are applying too much heat and you are burning the fat or grease.

One pound of fat will yield about 2.25 cups of grease. Most of the fat will melt into a liquid but some small solid particles will not melt and these are called cracklings. After melting the fat, allow it to cool slightly, and then strain it through a clean thin cloth and store it in a sealed container until it is needed. The cracklings will be on the top surface of the straining cloth. Save the delicious cracklings for use in other cooking recipes.

(Note: Raw animal fat can quickly become rancid. Therefore raw animal fat should not be saved and then converted into grease at some future date. The best procedure is to render animal fat into grease while the fat is still fresh. Rendered animal fat has a much longer storage life than raw animal fat.)


How to Clarify Bacon Grease (pork lard), Hamburger Grease (beef tallow), and Other Types of Used Cooking Grease, Oil, and Drippings

Measure the amount of used cooking grease (or used cooking oil) and put it into a cook pot. Add an equal amount of water to the cook pot. Measure another one-half the original amount of water and set it aside for later. Add one tablespoon of salt to the cook pot. Bring the mixture to a boil inside the pot. Turn off the heat. Then gradually pour the cold water you previously set aside into the hot mixture.

The mixture will begin to separate into three layers as follows:

    pure fat on top,
    fat mixed with impurities in the middle, and
    water on the bottom.

Carefully ladle the top layer of pure fat into a clean container and save it for future use. Discard the bottom two layers. Label the container with the type of grease that it contains (pork lard, beef tallow, cooking oil, etc.)

                                            The above was from Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.

[fied]

"...Sounds like an aweful lot of work and energy to produce a rather unsubstantial amount of fat from a roast..."

Not really. My mother was a chef and, at home, never bought lard. She'd collect the animal fats from roasts and boiled meats, buy beef suet, then render them all as I described. The clarified fat was used for most daily baking and frying. All fats used were then poured back into the fat pan for reuse, but, once a fortnight, they were all clarified again. The 20 mins. boiling time was important as that killed all micro-organisms. She also made cosmetic cold cream by the same process - usually reboiling and solidifying the animal fats and 10% chicken fat about 4 times consecutively until the fat was soft and whippy. A few drops of Eau de Cologne were then added and whipped in. As it would turn rancid in about a month without refrigeration, she made enough to distribute among family and friends, keeping some for our own use.

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread. Back on course now...

[MrsKK]

Just to clarify a bit, the OP is from New Zealand and said in Reply #3 that the dripping is sold as a prepackaged solid block of fat, so it doesn't sound as though there are any meat solids or juices in it.  I would assume that it is a blending of different animal fats from a rendering plant.

In America, lard is rendered pig fat, while tallow is rendered beef fat.  I render my own of both from the pigs and steers we have butchered each year, using them in cooking and soapmaking.  Next year I am going to start beekeeping and plan on using tallow blended with beeswax to make my own candles.  Not much goes to waste around here.

Regarding the mold on bandaged cheeses, I could never keep bandaged cheeses from going moldy.  So I went to just using lard to coat my cheese while it was ageing.  Very little mold issue and it scrapes easily away along with the lard.  It is kind of messy, but I just keep the cheese on a plastic needlepoint grid.  Eventually much of the lard incorporates into the rind of the cheese, leaving a nice rind on the cheese with little greasy mess on the outside.  Once it gets to that point, I usually vac seal the cheese for further ageing.

[fied]

Bandaged cheeses mostly grow mould; that's the idea. Bandaging allows the mould to grow mostly on the bandage where it forms a kind of crust of different natural moulds, most of which comes off when the bandage is removed prior to cutting, though even that is optional. It's the reason I don't bandage and butter the cheese until it's stopped weeping whey at the end of the drying, post-pressing period - usually 10-14 days.

At least, I did that before I moved to Glasgow, but as every cheese here will develop blue mould (and the natural blue is really aggressive and quite bitter!) within the first few days of drying, I tend to dry salt the cheese for a day or two and leave it to develop a yellowish rind until ready to eat; that is, when I don't wax it after about 6 weeks.

[MrsKK]

Yeah, I've got huge mold allergies, so I prefer to avoid mold as much as possible.  Doesn't bode well for my ever getting into making blue cheeses, though I love them.  I can only eat them when my allergies are really calm, though.

[staples]

My first bandaged cheese went moldy eventually - I tried wiping it with vinegar, but gave up in the end. The mold didn't appear to affect the cheese itself - the bandages just didn't look all that appealing. This time round I am quite tempted to try coating the cheese with dripping, without the bandage - as MrsKK does - but I don't have a vacuum sealer, so it may be better just to stick with the bandages. The cheese is still drying after being pressed at the moment. My recipe is a bit vague about the drying time, so I'm watching it closely - fied how large were your cheeses that you left to dry for 10-14 days?