Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Is beef tallow making a comeback?

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 167 posts

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#81

Post by UncleMeat »

m000 wrote: post #48

As an outside observer of this beef tallow trend, it looks to me a lot like a fad driven by some internalized machismo: "It's not proper food if it's not from a dead animal." While this is not unique to the US, apparently believers of this in the US reached a critical mass enough to make it public policy. I don't doubt that one can find health benefits in beef tallow. But I also vividly remember ads in the 80s and 90…

This is my vibe too. There is a huge masculinism effort across not only the Trump administration but broader society. Just look at the number of "cereal, but for MEN" products that have cropped up in the last couple years.

Relatedly, it is crazy to me that people don't see the value in gender studies as an academic field when so much of the past couple years has revolved around gender.

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#82

Post by Rendello »

elric wrote: post #78
Rendello wrote: post #7

I made it a few years ago. Tallow is trendy (and thus expensive), but you make it by rendering suet which is basically a throw-away product at butcher shops. Lots don't even bother selling suet, which is a pain. Rendering was just slow-cooking and removing the little pieces, then you're left with candle wax you can cook with. I thought the candle wax consistency was a coincidence, but it was the main way to make cand…

If I understand it correctly, tallow is made from beef or mutton. The same principle can be applied to pork fat -- and presumably any other herbivore? -- to create lard. Which is is also delicous for fries.

Yes, the difference is that tallow is solid at room temperature, so great for preservation. I was planning on making pemmican with it, but slicing, drying, and pulverizing hundreds of tiny strips of meat seemed like a lot of work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#83

Post by bowmessage »

halostatue wrote: post #79
bowmessage wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For large groups of people it's off limits due to personal dietary restrictions So you’re proposing that the FDA should promote a vegan diet to cater to the lowest common denominator?

Not sure how you got that from anything I’ve written, because it’s not what I said. What I said is the FDA shouldn’t be promoting junk recommendations as if it were gold-standard science. There are good scientific reasons to avoid animal fats in one’s diet. There are no good scientific reasons to add them back to one’s diet. In moderation, they aren’t harmful and may indeed improve the flavour or texture of certain d…

How do you incorporate Vitamin B12 into your diet?

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#84

Post by bowmessage »

throwaway-11-1 wrote: post #59
bowmessage wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The omega6:3 ratio and PUFA content of tallow is favorable. Canola and other seed oils are made using toxic solvents which are not full removed from the final product.

have you seen the amount of antibiotics, hormones and ammonia used in meat production?

In some meat production, not all meat production, yes.

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#85

Post by halostatue »

bowmessage wrote: post #83
halostatue wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure how you got that from anything I’ve written, because it’s not what I said. What I said is the FDA shouldn’t be promoting junk recommendations as if it were gold-standard science. There are good scientific reasons to avoid animal fats in one’s diet. There are no good scientific reasons to add them back to one’s diet. In moderation, they aren’t harmful and may indeed improve the flavour or texture of certain d…

How do you incorporate Vitamin B12 into your diet?

I'm not vegan, but ovo-lacto vegetarian, so B12 deficiency isn't anything I've ever had to worry about.

With appropriate fortified foods (synthesized bacterial sources adding B12 to nutritional yeast, plant milks, etc.), vegans don't need to worry about it either.

A quick bit of research suggests that as much at 16% of meat eaters have B12 deficiency, so it's a systemic problem.

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#86

Post by geremiiah »

m000 wrote: post #48

As an outside observer of this beef tallow trend, it looks to me a lot like a fad driven by some internalized machismo: "It's not proper food if it's not from a dead animal." While this is not unique to the US, apparently believers of this in the US reached a critical mass enough to make it public policy. I don't doubt that one can find health benefits in beef tallow. But I also vividly remember ads in the 80s and 90…

Aren't Americans the kind of people who will cut the fat and gristle out of their rib-eye and leave it on the plate? And it was like a thing of pride to not eat the fatty part because look how rich we are ... Now they suddenly all into slurping beef tallow. What?

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#87

Post by technothrasher »

franktankbank wrote: post #64
bloaf wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We all know there has been a replication crisis across many different disciplines of science. I think that the set of things we actually know about nutrition and health is a lot smaller than the experts think. However, the problem is that the public has also come to that conclusion. The public has gone on to decide "that means my incredibly weakly-evidenced idea is just as good as the expert opinions" which does not…

Lived experience is not really weak evidence though. Personally I use tallow minimally but it seems like a really good high flash point oil.

> Lived experience is not really weak evidence though.

Lived experience is definitely weak evidence because it is riddled with bias. This is why we have blinded studies.

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#88

Post by Aeglaecia »

m000 wrote: post #48

As an outside observer of this beef tallow trend, it looks to me a lot like a fad driven by some internalized machismo: "It's not proper food if it's not from a dead animal." While this is not unique to the US, apparently believers of this in the US reached a critical mass enough to make it public policy. I don't doubt that one can find health benefits in beef tallow. But I also vividly remember ads in the 80s and 90…

i dont think it takes machismo to say that frying in animal fat is tastier than frying in whatever the hell constitues canola oil , as well your american breads and pastas are probably significantly less healthy than the european equivalent

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#89

Post by Aeglaecia »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #27
bowmessage wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beef tallow has a favorable omega 6 to omega 3 ratio and low levels of PUFAs, compared to seed oils and other cooking fats. I recommend reading the article.

> tallow has a favorable omega 6 to omega 3 ratio Source for Americans needing more omega-6-fatty-acid intake? > seed oils Do we have evidence around seed oils? Or is this the new homeopathy?

id recommend you look into the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio , the tldr is that the ratio of omega 6 to 3 is way out of balance in the modern western diet , from my viewpoint this has been spurred on by oils such as soy and canola which are very high in omega 6

Re: Is beef tallow making a comeback?

#90

Post by esperent »

koolba wrote: post #31
lylejantzi3rd wrote: post #23

Tallow is popular right now, but plain old butter is just as good, easier to work with, and doesn't make everything it touches taste like beef.

> and doesn't make everything it touches taste like beef. That last one is not necessarily a bad thing. You haven’t truly had popcorn till you’ve had beef tallow popcorn.

It's great until it cools down and the fat hardens. Then it's gross.
Post reply on HN