What do you think?
Rate this book
Fat An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes [HC,2008]
An appealing exploration of the glories of cooking fat—a component of food that's newly fashionable—with history and recipes.Duck fat. Caul fat. Leaf lard. Bacon. Ghee. Suet. Schmaltz. Cracklings. Jennifer McLagan knows and loves cooking fat, and you'll remember that you do too once you get a taste of her lusty, food-positive writing and sophisticated comfort-food recipes. Dive into more than 100 sweet and savory recipes using butter, pork fat, poultry fat, beef fat, and lamb fat, including Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Fennel and Rosemary, Risotto Milanese, Duck Rillettes, Bone Marrow Crostini, and Choux Paste Beignets. Scores of sidebars on the cultural, historical, and scientific facets of culinary fats as well as sumptuous food photos throughout make for a plump, juicy, satisfying read for food lovers. Reviews & AwardsJames Beard Foundation Cookbook Award Single Subject Category IACP International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards, Single Subject Category Finalist"In Fat, Jennifer McLagan sets out to prove what our ancestors instinctively that fat is good for you (not to mention delicious), and offers some science and history to back it up. But mostly Fat is a celebration of the stuff, with sidebars and recipes for everything from homemade butter to bacon mayonnaise."—New York Magazine"Fat isn't simply a it's a celebration of the ingredient that makes everything we eat taste better."—Fine Cooking “A smart, sensual celebration of the flavorful animal fats prized by chefs and shunned by a generation oflipo-phobes.”—People“Persuasively arguing that the never-ending quest for “health” has gone too far, McLagan's elegant and informed look at this most maligned ingredient is appropriately unctuous. . . . Her mixture of science, cultural anthropology and culinary imagination are intoxicating, making this a crucial work on the topic.” —Publishers Weekly *Starred Review* 7/21/08 Web Pick of the Week!
Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
18 people are currently reading
1655 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 19, 2016
Perhaps I'm biased in my rating because I love the title. It used to be my nickname. Affectionately. (I think) (I hope).
In seriousness the author writes well and her enthusiasm for fat is infectious. When I was a teenager, influenced by the low-fat diets of the 1980s, I cut out a lot of fat and didn't eat deep fried foods for quite a while. And as expected, one loses a taste or desire for it so that fried food eventually tasted unappealing.
The author says in the introduction:
"We have never been more obsessed with diet, exercise and cutting the fat out of our food as we are in the new millennium , and never have we been fatter or unhealthier. Our approach to food is schizophrenic: if we enjoy a meal that has a lot of flavour, and therefore fat, we punish ourselves with a salad and a low-fat dressing from a bottle.
There is something fundamentally wrong when, in a society of plenty, we fear what is on our plate, seeing our food as poison (or alternatively as medicine). I would argue that we are not just frightened of fat, but we are also fearful of pleasure. Eating is essential to life, and it is a pleasure that we can share with friends and enjoy in public. It should be a happy experience, not a tortuous trial. How did we come to this?"
My younger self could relate to the above. Fortunately, I think I now have a pretty healthy relationship with food and pleasure. I even run a cookbook club where we spend one Sunday a month indulging in wonderful food that we cook for each other.
Having said that, there was a recipe for tamales in this month's Mexican book that called for Lard to be whipped till light and fluffy and a couple of us felt reflexively uncomfortable with this. Such was the strength of the ingrained message that saturated fat is bad for us.
It's therefore quite helpful to have a book like this one to lure us back to a balanced view. The author includes lots of brilliant pieces of trivia like Bog Butter (yes butter that was stored in bogs, some for a couple of thousand years).
Or this one on Salo:
In Ukraine, pork fat, called salo, commands such a special place in the national psyche that poems and songs have been written about it...At the 2006 festival in Lutsk, in northwestern Ukraine, the competition winner swallowed 1 kg of salo in just 20 minutes, without the aid of bread or vodka. After his winning performance, he told reporters he could have eaten more!
I doubt I will ever like fat nearly as much as that. Nor would I even want to do so. However, this book has made me crave soaking my crusty bread into the fatty juices of a deliciously roasted chicken or a slice of the fragrant fat from a rib roast.
Mmmm...delicious!
In seriousness the author writes well and her enthusiasm for fat is infectious. When I was a teenager, influenced by the low-fat diets of the 1980s, I cut out a lot of fat and didn't eat deep fried foods for quite a while. And as expected, one loses a taste or desire for it so that fried food eventually tasted unappealing.
The author says in the introduction:
"We have never been more obsessed with diet, exercise and cutting the fat out of our food as we are in the new millennium , and never have we been fatter or unhealthier. Our approach to food is schizophrenic: if we enjoy a meal that has a lot of flavour, and therefore fat, we punish ourselves with a salad and a low-fat dressing from a bottle.
There is something fundamentally wrong when, in a society of plenty, we fear what is on our plate, seeing our food as poison (or alternatively as medicine). I would argue that we are not just frightened of fat, but we are also fearful of pleasure. Eating is essential to life, and it is a pleasure that we can share with friends and enjoy in public. It should be a happy experience, not a tortuous trial. How did we come to this?"
My younger self could relate to the above. Fortunately, I think I now have a pretty healthy relationship with food and pleasure. I even run a cookbook club where we spend one Sunday a month indulging in wonderful food that we cook for each other.
Having said that, there was a recipe for tamales in this month's Mexican book that called for Lard to be whipped till light and fluffy and a couple of us felt reflexively uncomfortable with this. Such was the strength of the ingrained message that saturated fat is bad for us.
It's therefore quite helpful to have a book like this one to lure us back to a balanced view. The author includes lots of brilliant pieces of trivia like Bog Butter (yes butter that was stored in bogs, some for a couple of thousand years).
Or this one on Salo:
In Ukraine, pork fat, called salo, commands such a special place in the national psyche that poems and songs have been written about it...At the 2006 festival in Lutsk, in northwestern Ukraine, the competition winner swallowed 1 kg of salo in just 20 minutes, without the aid of bread or vodka. After his winning performance, he told reporters he could have eaten more!
I doubt I will ever like fat nearly as much as that. Nor would I even want to do so. However, this book has made me crave soaking my crusty bread into the fatty juices of a deliciously roasted chicken or a slice of the fragrant fat from a rib roast.
Mmmm...delicious!
February 28, 2013
I'm into most anything that espouses a common sense approach to diet and nutrition right now and this book fit that bill. It's mostly a cookbook with a side of nutritional (is that a word?) history to break up the sections of "fats". Side note: I was kind of surprised at how many recipes involving flour were in this book. If you're gluten-free, this would be important to note that about 30% of the recipes aren't going to be compatible for you without significant tweaking and substitutions.
February 4, 2013
'Twas Jennifer McLagan who first boldly challenged my O-so-modern conceit that fat was bad for you. We now render our own lard from fatback, oven-cook butter into ghee in traditional Hindu manner and are on our way to re-creating the true historical pemmican of the early Canadian fur trade.
August 21, 2008
Who knew fat could be so complicated. Thumbs up on bacon fat spice cookies. Thumbs down on my miserable failure to make bacon mayo.
December 23, 2020
This is literally an entire book about how good fat is and all I can think about is the fact that Jennifer McLagan has now blessed us with a recipe for butter flavoured ice cream
December 10, 2012
I came across this book while doing some research this past year. I took it out of the library, fell in love with it, then had to buy my own copy. I like writers who do their homework, cite their sources, and give me lots of good research as I learn more about a subject. McLagan does all that, then writes about this luscious ingredient with such love and respect, she had me perpetually fighting the urge to put the book down, run to my refrigerator and start spooning lard directly into my mouth. I think this is an important book for grassfed livestock farmers to learn more about the history and culture behind this under-utilized resource we produce on our farms. The writing is compelling and enjoyable, and the recipes are delicious. I suspect even fat phobes could be persuaded by McLagan to sample an unctuous mouthful of beef with the crispy soft fat still attached, and maybe even try some lard cookies (they're truly delicious!).
December 31, 2009
I think about what sort of fats to use now when I cook. I think that humanity has developed some irrationa fear of fat, and consequently "we" in America who are not Mexican (they use lard), only cook with olive oil. I knew before this book hit my lap that olive oil was NOT a cooking oil, it turns rancid. My mom has been cooking with 100% saturated unprocessed coconut oil for some time, but she too is afraid of animal fats, well NO MORE!!
This book was excellent. I have cooked a few of the recipes, with some substitutions as Whole Foods could not get me a calfs foot, or a pigs foot, and I won't get meat at the weird non-organic butcher. Anyway, aside from the recipes the history and facts about fat make this one of the better cookbooks I have read. I plan to buy it I like it so much.
This book was excellent. I have cooked a few of the recipes, with some substitutions as Whole Foods could not get me a calfs foot, or a pigs foot, and I won't get meat at the weird non-organic butcher. Anyway, aside from the recipes the history and facts about fat make this one of the better cookbooks I have read. I plan to buy it I like it so much.
January 1, 2009
It was refreshing to read about fat without having it villainized. McLagan offers some history, lots of random facts and quotes, and some recipes I'm determined to try. (The librarian asked whether I checked out cookbooks for reading or recipes; whenever I try for just the former, I just end up getting hungry anyway.)
I did get a little intimidated by the amount of preparation the author asks for, especially in a society where it's unlikely your local butcher will sell you lard. Recipes are laid out clearly, though, and the non-recipe parts are engagingly written.
I did get a little intimidated by the amount of preparation the author asks for, especially in a society where it's unlikely your local butcher will sell you lard. Recipes are laid out clearly, though, and the non-recipe parts are engagingly written.
July 7, 2015
Part cultural history, part culinary science, part cookbook, this details the history and effect of fat, and why it should be embraced, not banished.
McLagan makes a very good case for portions and industrial ingredients being the culprit to today’s epidemic of bad health, and argues strongly for a return to more natural ingredients in more natural serving sizes.
September 28, 2011
LOVE. Ohhh, the butter chapter. Fantastic.
July 24, 2017
I enjoyed the explanations about the different fatty acids and the information regarding the optimal balance between omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. The history of some of the foods discussed was interesting. Many of the recipes take so much time, that if you work full time and have kids, they are just not feasible.
dnf
May 26, 2023I added this to my list thinking surely I'd be able to find it somewhere. Perhaps Scribd, Kindle, Kobo, if not those places maybe archive.org or even my local library.
I can't find this anywhere. It seems McLagan's publisher delisted the book? I'm curious as to why - since it was published in 2008 maybe the research used is outdated?
I can't find this anywhere. It seems McLagan's publisher delisted the book? I'm curious as to why - since it was published in 2008 maybe the research used is outdated?
March 17, 2021
Informative. I am making better decisions regarding fat and my needs for food
November 18, 2021
Delectable history, tidbits, and, of course, recipes.
August 31, 2015
“For all the Jack Sprats out there – you’re wrong!”
This is the dedication for my new favorite cookbook, Fat by Jennifer McLagan. I’m not alone in loving this work; the James Beard Foundation gave the coveted “Cookbook of the Year” award to this title. More than a simple collection of recipes, McLagan included extensive food histories, nutritional information, world-wide food folklore, and step-by-step instruction on everything involving fat.
The book is divided into four different sections – butter (“Worth it”), pork fat (“The King”), poultry fat (“Versatile and good for you”), and beef and lamb fats (“Overlooked but tasty”). Each section has a 10 page spread giving an overview of that types of fat included within the chapter. For example, the beef and lamb fats chapter touches on suet, bone marrow, marbling, tallow, and dripping. An extensive introduction, bibliography, and index round out the structure of the book.
McLagan truly believes that one of the problems with the modern diet is its fear of fat. She starts developing this thesis in her dedication, expands on the sentiment within the introduction, and continues to discuss specifics within the beginning pages of each chapter. “Fat, we reasoned, was why we packed on the pounds and got ill, so we banned animal fat from our lives” (page 2). She makes a good point – as a whole, North Americans are still obese, unhealthy, obsessed with exercise… and eating less animal fat than ever before. The animal fat sources that she examines are rich in monounsaturated fats – different beasts than the hydrogenated and polyunsaturated fats found in an average American diet. McLagan not only looks at the nutritional benefits of eating more fat, she also examines the reasons why it’s so pleasureful. She includes many interesting “fat” quotes and phrases in the margins of the pages, reminding us how fat wasn’t always such a taboo thing to be called. I loved the variation of sources – Shakespeare sits next to German folklore next to Dorothy Hartley.
McLagan highlights many fascinating history tidbits about fat. Did you know that the Indian Mutiny of 1857 was, in part, due to a misunderstanding between Indian sepoys and the East India Company over the loading procedures of the Enfield rifle? The design required the sepoys to bite off the casing before pouring out the gunpowder, but the casings were said to be greased with lard (pork fat) or tallow (beef fat), distasteful to both Muslim and Hindi soldiers. Rebellion ensues, and the British government has to take over control of the subcontinent. Other interesting anecdotes include the origins of the name “Fat Man” for the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan, history of Bolladagur day in Iceland, and discussing the chemistry of the soap lady at the Mütter Museum.
But this is more than just a book that preaches at us – at its core, Fat is a cookbook. With its gorgeous photography, I wanted to eat everything on the pages, even if it was just a picture of lardo and persimmons. The endpapers are really a magnified picture of caul fat, delicately lacing the contents of the book. McLagan prefaces every recipe with great instructions and stories. And there are a lot of decadent recipes in here – Fat Fat-Cooked Fries, Sauteed Foie Gras with Gingered Vanilla Quince, Bone Marrow Crostini, Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter, and a ridiculously mouth-watering Salted Caramel Sauce. Cooking with real fat sources doesn’t seem easy; many recipes require a great deal of preparation work, but McLagan assures us that the payoff is worth the effort.
Of course, there’s a waiting list a mile long for this book at the library, so I had to give up my copy too soon, well before I was able to cook any of the recipes for myself. But I’ve not so subtly hinted about my love for this book to my friends, plus I have a birthday coming up… One can only hope. I promise there will be a roast goose for any generous gift-givers in the future, though.
This is the dedication for my new favorite cookbook, Fat by Jennifer McLagan. I’m not alone in loving this work; the James Beard Foundation gave the coveted “Cookbook of the Year” award to this title. More than a simple collection of recipes, McLagan included extensive food histories, nutritional information, world-wide food folklore, and step-by-step instruction on everything involving fat.
The book is divided into four different sections – butter (“Worth it”), pork fat (“The King”), poultry fat (“Versatile and good for you”), and beef and lamb fats (“Overlooked but tasty”). Each section has a 10 page spread giving an overview of that types of fat included within the chapter. For example, the beef and lamb fats chapter touches on suet, bone marrow, marbling, tallow, and dripping. An extensive introduction, bibliography, and index round out the structure of the book.
McLagan truly believes that one of the problems with the modern diet is its fear of fat. She starts developing this thesis in her dedication, expands on the sentiment within the introduction, and continues to discuss specifics within the beginning pages of each chapter. “Fat, we reasoned, was why we packed on the pounds and got ill, so we banned animal fat from our lives” (page 2). She makes a good point – as a whole, North Americans are still obese, unhealthy, obsessed with exercise… and eating less animal fat than ever before. The animal fat sources that she examines are rich in monounsaturated fats – different beasts than the hydrogenated and polyunsaturated fats found in an average American diet. McLagan not only looks at the nutritional benefits of eating more fat, she also examines the reasons why it’s so pleasureful. She includes many interesting “fat” quotes and phrases in the margins of the pages, reminding us how fat wasn’t always such a taboo thing to be called. I loved the variation of sources – Shakespeare sits next to German folklore next to Dorothy Hartley.
McLagan highlights many fascinating history tidbits about fat. Did you know that the Indian Mutiny of 1857 was, in part, due to a misunderstanding between Indian sepoys and the East India Company over the loading procedures of the Enfield rifle? The design required the sepoys to bite off the casing before pouring out the gunpowder, but the casings were said to be greased with lard (pork fat) or tallow (beef fat), distasteful to both Muslim and Hindi soldiers. Rebellion ensues, and the British government has to take over control of the subcontinent. Other interesting anecdotes include the origins of the name “Fat Man” for the second atomic bomb dropped on Japan, history of Bolladagur day in Iceland, and discussing the chemistry of the soap lady at the Mütter Museum.
But this is more than just a book that preaches at us – at its core, Fat is a cookbook. With its gorgeous photography, I wanted to eat everything on the pages, even if it was just a picture of lardo and persimmons. The endpapers are really a magnified picture of caul fat, delicately lacing the contents of the book. McLagan prefaces every recipe with great instructions and stories. And there are a lot of decadent recipes in here – Fat Fat-Cooked Fries, Sauteed Foie Gras with Gingered Vanilla Quince, Bone Marrow Crostini, Prosciutto-Wrapped Halibut with Sage Butter, and a ridiculously mouth-watering Salted Caramel Sauce. Cooking with real fat sources doesn’t seem easy; many recipes require a great deal of preparation work, but McLagan assures us that the payoff is worth the effort.
Of course, there’s a waiting list a mile long for this book at the library, so I had to give up my copy too soon, well before I was able to cook any of the recipes for myself. But I’ve not so subtly hinted about my love for this book to my friends, plus I have a birthday coming up… One can only hope. I promise there will be a roast goose for any generous gift-givers in the future, though.
April 10, 2012
This book didn't need to convert me to its philosophy; I am well versed in the beginning chapters concern regarding the lies we've been told about what to eat. I've even made "baconaise" before reading about it in this book, because I frequently make mayo, and why not use bacon fat instead of butter? For anyone discouraged by the first attempt, do try again - with warm room temperature egg yolks.
But still, I was surprised by novel recipes that I am aching to try (bacon fat cookies?!?), and new ideas for ingredients I know and love. I enjoyed the sayings in the margins from various cultures and countries. It's a reminder of what humans have historically considered a valuable part of our diets, and when you eat this "rich" food you'll know why.
But still, I was surprised by novel recipes that I am aching to try (bacon fat cookies?!?), and new ideas for ingredients I know and love. I enjoyed the sayings in the margins from various cultures and countries. It's a reminder of what humans have historically considered a valuable part of our diets, and when you eat this "rich" food you'll know why.
April 25, 2009
In line with Pollan and all today's foodies, McLagan says out with the oils and hydrogenated fats, and in with the animals fats and butter. She gives some nice background to the dishes and concise but helpful reviews of all the fats. She gives really basic details about how to find, treat, an use the fats, but I found a good deal of recipes to be a little over my head. That being said, if I had a few hundred bucks to spend on kitchen utensils I could probably make a lot of this stuff, and it all sounds very tasty.
May 6, 2009
This book is 100% legitimate. Fat is the most misunderstood component of our diet and you can see that in virtually every weight loss program there is. But knowing how to use fats well is a million times better than not knowing and removing them from your daily intake. Besides, fat tastes good, and amen to the Lord making it clean. This book is full of great information on what fat is, how it works in our bodies, and how to use it in the kitchen. This also might be the best food porn I've ever seen.
October 3, 2010
I don't normally review cookbooks, but I love a good confirmation bias. The history of fats is well done, and the recipes are inspiring. I am going to start making my own butter - which gets its own chapter at the top of the heap and is written such that you imagine a teenage girl lying on her stomach with her head propped up on her hands while kicking her feet around and mooning over it.
The only problem is that it's hard to FIND the fats in question around here since everyone is so aggro "health conscious" though I may have better luck at some of the ethnic markets.
The only problem is that it's hard to FIND the fats in question around here since everyone is so aggro "health conscious" though I may have better luck at some of the ethnic markets.
September 2, 2013
Though I liked Fat more than Ms. McLagan's previous book, Bones, it suffers from many of the same issues I had with Bones. a) I wish more work had gone into finding new recipes rather than digging up random lore, quotes and sayings, all of which lent absolutely 0 to the final product. b) Many of the recipes were recycled classics or direct interpretations of someone else's dish as often noted in the headnote. More of the recipes appealed to me in Fat and I learned more about the process of using various fats in the kitchen, but overall the impression left on me was only OK.
December 15, 2008
I have been vindicated! For years I taught my children, "Fat is good. Hot fat is better." This book goes through the history and science of animal fats, and loads the text with scrumptious recipes. The only problem in today's world will be finding a source for spome of the ingredients. I would write more, but now I am on a mission to find Lardo (and no, that's not the fat kid who lives down the block). Buy this book!
January 4, 2010
I'm reading this one little by little and it is great. Chock full of information, recipes and little tidbits (although some of the sidebar stuff is hard to understand out of context), I may consider buying this sometime. It definitely makes me wish I had a good source of unadulterated fats around and makes me want to search them out. So far I'm in the mood for shortbread (although I wonder how well a GF shortbread would work) and lard fried potatoes. I can't wait to read the rest...
March 30, 2012
Love the topic and thoroughly enjoyed exposure to a way of thinking about food that was surprisingly new to me. Wish there was more discussion of other fats or that the title more clearly indicated it was only about animal fats. Would also have liked more illustrations (there weren't any and many recipes begged for them), clearer recipes, and ideas for sourcing unusual ingredients. Fabulous as a read, though, if not 100% practical as a "manual."
January 28, 2009
What a wonderful book! As an athlete and health enthusiast, I take issue with the carb-heavy nature of some of the fat-laden recipes in this book (french fries). However, it is an amazing book that is an accessible rebuttal to modern perceptions of fat. Mrs. McLagan's writing waxes poetic in many areas in an attempt to reconnect us to her romantic notions of our culinary past. It works!
April 22, 2009
A wonderful read for foodies, especially those tired with the low-fat craze and who want to experiment with novel (classic?) ingrediants.
But you'd probably already guessed that, by the book's premise...
My only real complaint is that most of the recipes are impractical for those whose access to food is limited to the local grocery shop.
But you'd probably already guessed that, by the book's premise...
My only real complaint is that most of the recipes are impractical for those whose access to food is limited to the local grocery shop.
November 28, 2009
This is a spectacular book, written by an enthusiastic chef. Why a book on fat? To counter all the fat-cutting books and the questionable food science that took fat from our plates and taste from our food and it also appears health from our bodies. This woman creates a church of fats, I'm there with a tambourine! Can't wait to try some of the recipes.
July 20, 2012
I can't eat butter (allergic to cow's milk) or lard (not kosher) but I still got a lot out of this book. The intro was great: how fat works in cooking, why it tastes so damned good, and why our bodies NEED it. I'm enjoying the chapters on how to use various fats in cooing and the recipes are YUM!!!
Read
March 14, 2013As a self-proclaimed hoarder of bacon grease & duck fat, I certainly did appreciate this giant book. If you're unsure of how to use fat trimmings, grab this book. In our little farm house, fat is not misunderstood. It's cherished and prized and utilized to it's fullest potential. Because you just never know when you'll need a good, clean, hunk of fat to bring out the best flavor in your meals.
November 15, 2014
Some may run away in sheer terror at the idea of reading a cookbook talking about FAT...There I said it...FAT in all of it's glorious forms but I am here to tell you that fat is our friend if used right and this book delves into that idea full on. It breaks itself down by type of fat with anecdotes and science as well as fantastic recipes. To those who are not afraid of food. This is for you.
February 4, 2009
I greatly enjoyed this book. It's full of great information and wonderful sounding recipes that I need to try, even though I probably shouldn't. I think that this is a cookbook I'll be using in moderation, but I will be using in the future.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews