Tallow

Tallow is an animal fat, rendered from animals, for human consumption.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Tallow is distinguished from lard, in that lard is rendered from pigs, while tallow is rendered from ruminants, herbivores whose diets consist of plant matter with a lot of cellulose, which derive energy from cellulose broken down for them by gut bacteria. So the animals tallow coms from include: cows, sheep, goats and horses.

Tallow can be used as a substitute for butter, in baking.

For decades there has been a complicated debate over which fats are healthiest for human consumption.^[4]

References

↑ "Butter vs. other fats". Webexhibits. 2026-02-16. Archived from the original on 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Beef fat/Tallow/Suet has a high smoke point 400°F/200°C, and a rich subtle beef flavor that combines well with potatoes and is ideal for deep-frying and sautéing. It adds another layer of flavor when sautéing beef or vegetables. Beef fat also adds richness to savory pie pastry. Suet (kidney fat), with its milder flavor can be used in sweet preparations as well. Suet’s firmness results in very light dumplings and pastries and doesn’t need to be rendered – just finely grated.
↑ "Is Beef Tallow Healthier Than Butter & Which One Fits Your Diet?". Seed Oil Scout. 2026-01-16. Archived from the original on 2025-02-11. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Tallow is a type of rendered animal fat used in cooking for centuries. It’s essentially a rendered form of beef or mutton fat. Tallow has a high smoke point (up to 420°F) and can withstand higher temperatures without burning, making it suitable for frying and roasting.
↑ Jordan Hanger (2024-01-15). "Cooking with tallow vs butter". Ninjacue. Archived from the original on 2025-08-10. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Since we make tallow from beef or mutton fat, it has an umami flavor that adds a beefy and savory note to dishes.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 "Seed oils vs. butter and other animal fats: Which is healthier? Experts settle the debate". Today magazine. 2025-02-18. Archived from the original on 2025-02-18. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Many critics promote swapping seed oils for animal fats like butter, beef tallow and lard. Just two decades after the fat-free era of the early 2000s, people are now fighting about which fat is best.

[webexhibitsButter-1] "Butter vs. other fats". Webexhibits. 2026-02-16. Archived from the original on 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Beef fat/Tallow/Suet has a high smoke point 400°F/200°C, and a rich subtle beef flavor that combines well with potatoes and is ideal for deep-frying and sautéing. It adds another layer of flavor when sautéing beef or vegetables. Beef fat also adds richness to savory pie pastry. Suet (kidney fat), with its milder flavor can be used in sweet preparations as well. Suet’s firmness results in very light dumplings and pastries and doesn’t need to be rendered – just finely grated.

[seedoilscout2025-02-11-2] "Is Beef Tallow Healthier Than Butter & Which One Fits Your Diet?". Seed Oil Scout. 2026-01-16. Archived from the original on 2025-02-11. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Tallow is a type of rendered animal fat used in cooking for centuries. It’s essentially a rendered form of beef or mutton fat. Tallow has a high smoke point (up to 420°F) and can withstand higher temperatures without burning, making it suitable for frying and roasting.

[Ninjacue2024-01-15-3] Jordan Hanger (2024-01-15). "Cooking with tallow vs butter". Ninjacue. Archived from the original on 2025-08-10. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Since we make tallow from beef or mutton fat, it has an umami flavor that adds a beefy and savory note to dishes.

[today2025-02-18-4] 4.0 ^4.1 "Seed oils vs. butter and other animal fats: Which is healthier? Experts settle the debate". Today magazine. 2025-02-18. Archived from the original on 2025-02-18. Retrieved 2026-02-16. Many critics promote swapping seed oils for animal fats like butter, beef tallow and lard. Just two decades after the fat-free era of the early 2000s, people are now fighting about which fat is best.

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