SC - crendering chicken fat

[Philip & Susan Troy]

KarenO wrote:
> 
>     My turn for questions!
> 
>   Does anyone know what the process for rendering chicken fat for pie crust?
> I've been making chicken stock,  and my roomie  tells me tales of how a
> former co-worker used to render the chicken fat to make her pie crusts.
> I've been cooling the stock, and skimming off the fat layer,  even freezing
> some.

You can do that, but another method would be to pull the neck and apron
(abdominal) fat off the raw chicken, then freeze it until you have a
pound or two, or more, then render that. You can render fatty portions
of skin, too. A good method is to very gently simmer the fat with a
little water, until the skin and connective tissue soften, allowing for
the fat to render more efficiently. When the water has cooked off, the
real rendering begins, but the process ends up being faster and better
in the long run because there's less potential for browning of the fat.  
 
> Also, can I freeze the fat  (as is now) and finish the process later?

Yuss.

I've never had a piecrust made with chicken fat. Maybe knoedeln, but I
guess it would work.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com