If you are over 60 years old, chances are you saw your mother or grandmother use lard in cooking.
But if you are younger, the practice might seem strange and unhealthy, like cooking up a heart attack.
Not so fast.
Lard is rendered pig fat. It happens to be great for cooking, making the flakiest pastries and biscuits, and the crispiest fried foods. It cooks at higher temperatures without burning or smoking. It doesn't leave a flavor in cooked foods.
Plus, it does have some reasonable nutrition. According to Prevention, saturated fat makes up only about 40 percent of the fat in lard. Nutritionists are increasingly saying that saturated fat isn't as bad as once thought.
In fact, some recent studies have found that eating saturated fat doesn't increase the risk of heart disease. Other studies find that saturated fats can raise good cholesterol when combined with a low-carb and low-sugar diet.
Compared to other animal fats, lard is lower in saturated fat than butter or tallow (beef fat), and higher in monounsaturated fats like those found in Olive Oil.
Lard is 50 percent monounsaturated fat, whereas butter is 32 percent and coconut oil is 6 percent.
Lard also has no trans fats.
Some sources say lard got a bad rap from campaigns advertising shortening as a healthier alternative to animal fats. Bright, white shortening certainly looked prettier than off-white lard. But originally, shortening was made of cottonseed oil, which had little nutritional value. Now shortening is usually made with vegetable oils.
Not everyone gave up lard in the 1940s, though. Beans, tamales, pastries, and pies at restaurants have usually been cooked with lard.
