Until the middle years of the 20th century, animal fats including lard and beef suet were often used for cooking and baking. They fell steadily from favor as the medical profession began to understand the nature of saturated and unsaturated fats, and how our body uses them. As a rule, unsaturated fats such as vegetable oil are liquid at room temperature, while saturated fats such as beef fat solidify.
Saturated Fats
You've probably heard the terms saturated and unsaturated fats, and may even know the difference between polyunsaturates and monounsaturates. However, few laypersons understand what exactly a saturated fat is. Scientists describe all fats as triglycerides, because they have three molecules of fatty acids joined together by a short carbon molecule called glycerol. Those fatty acids have a number of carbon atoms, which can bond to hydrogen or to each other. If they're all connected to hydrogen atoms, the fat is said to be saturated. If some of the carbon atoms are bonded to each other instead, the fat is unsaturated.
Characteristics of Saturated Fats
Most fats contain both saturates and unsaturates. Unsaturates make a fat softer and more liquid, while saturates make it harder. That's because the carbon to carbon bonds change the shape of the fat molecule, preventing it from setting into a rigid crystalline structure. Saturated fats, filled with hydrogen bonds, make a very orderly structure and therefore harden at room temperature. Saturated fats are slow to become rancid and break down, which gives them a better shelf life than unsaturated fats.
Beef Fat
Beef fat can be rendered from various portions of the carcass. Most beef fat is referred to as suet, but the extra-hard white fat that surrounds the kidneys is called tallow. Suet was traditionally used in Britain to make steamed puddings, and the crust for meat pies. Tallow was prized as a deep fry fat, because it was slow to break down and develop off flavors. Beef fat is split almost evenly between saturated fats and monounsaturates. This makes it one of the most saturated of fats, and it's quite hard at room temperature.
Beef Fat and Health
Doctors and nutritionists have been warning diners away from animal fats in general, and beef fats in particular, for decades. It has been implicated in elevated risk of heart attack and stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and many other health problems. However, since the end of the 20th century, the medical profession has slowly and cautiously rehabilitated beef fat to some degree. It is a good source of omega-6 fatty acids, and grass-fed beef is high in omega-3s. Beef also contains heart-healthy conjugated linoleic acid and vaccenic acid, which the body metabolizes to conjugated linoleic acid.
References
- "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen"; Harold McGee; 2004
- "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes"; Jennifer McLagan; 2008
- Beef Research.org: Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Dietary Beef
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