Generally, in speaking of the term "drippings," it meant to include fats that cook out from the roast beef, pot roast, soups and corned beef. This fat is clarified and then used for sautéing. It cannot be used with good results for making pastry and cakes.
To clarify fat: Put the fat in a saucepan and add one cupful of cold water to every pound of fat. Add
One-fourth teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, One-half teaspoon of salt
Bring to a boil and then simmer slowly for ten minutes. Pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth and allow to harden, then cut into pieces. Reheat and pour into jars. Bacon, sausage and ham fats may be blended with beef drippings for frying purposes.
Mutton or lamb fat must be clarified and then blended with ham and bacon or sausage fat. Fat from bacon, ham and sausages may be used for flavoring vegetables in place of butter, for cooking omelets, potato cakes, mush and scrapple. It is a splendid seasoning to use for macaroni, baked beans with tomato sauce, dried beans and peas in soups and when cooking dried lima beans. There is really no need to allow a spoonful of these fats to be wasted. Fats that are not available for table use should be collected and made into soap.
Do not be falsely economical in trying to do deep frying with these fats. They not only will not hold the temperature for successful frying without scorching, but they frequently soak into the food and make it unfit to eat.
The late war has brought many good vegetable oils upon the market that are ideal for cooking purposes and are preferable to the animal fats for all cooking. They not only hold a high temperature without burning, but also they may be used repeatedly if they are strained each time after using. Food cooked in vegetable oil does not absorb the fat and it is more digestible and really more economical.
_First_.--Sautéing--cooking food in the pan with just sufficient fat to prevent scorching. This method is commonly used, but has nothing to really recommend it, as the food absorbs quantities of grease. This makes it difficult to digest.
_Second_.--Deep-fat frying--it is usual to dip the food to be fried in a mixture to coat it and then to roll it in fine bread crumbs and then cook in sufficient fat to cover. This forms an air-tight cover that prevents the grease from soaking through. A few essential utensils are necessary to produce successful results; first, a heavy kettle that will not tilt, and second, a frying basket, so that the food may be removed quickly when cooked.