The difference between suet and tallow?
I just received a couple kilograms worth of raw lamb suet from a butcher free of charge. My understanding is that the fat surrounding the kidney (which this is) is suet and that rendered fat (starting from suet or otherwise) is tallow.
Tallow, to my understanding, has a much longer life that this raw suet that I have. I'm planning to render the suet down but was wondering if I could still use in recipes that call for suet after it has been rendered? Is it better in the raw state or does it make no difference?
My main usage would probably be in pastries and tortillas.
Best Answer
If you're making tortillas and pastry dough, you'd want to use the rendered suet = tallow.
If you're making something like a traditional English Christmas pudding or a spotted dick, you'd want to use the un-rendered (but cleaned and shredded) suet.
Either one would last pretty much indefinitely in the freezer. Suet would have a shorter lifespan at room temperature (since it's still got bits of meat attached).
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Quick Answer about "The difference between suet and tallow?"
Beef Suet is the hard fatty part of the cow that surrounds the kidneys. Beef Tallow is the rendered down fat from Suet. To make Beef Tallow, simply place Suet over low heat to render out the liquid fat. Both Suet and Tallow have been used for generations as an energy source, baking ingredient and cooking oil.Is tallow made from suet?
Tallow is Beef Suet that has been rendered. Lard is Pork Leaf Fat or Back Fat that has been rendered. Rendering is the first step to make the suet or fat easily usable.What is the difference between suet and beef fat?
Suet, as opposed to muscle fat, contains a higher level of a triglyceride known as glyceryl tristearate, otherwise known as stearin. The result is that suet has a higher melting point and congealing point than regular fat. This little point of trivia is important in order to understand the old English recipes.Are lard and suet the same?
The main difference between suet and lard is that suet is the hard white fat we obtain from cows and mutton while lard is the semi-solid we obtain from pigs. Suet has not undergone rendering while lard has undergone rendering.Is lard the same as tallow?
The basic difference is what animal these fats come from. Lard is Pork Fat. Tallow is Beef Fat. (Tallow may also include lamb or other ruminant fat, and even if that's true, the following would still be generally true.)What is Tallow and How is it Different from Suet?
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