Kat’s Musings

Tag: seed oil

  • Beef Tallow: The Timeless Fat Making a Modern Comeback

    Beef Tallow: The Timeless Fat Making a Modern Comeback

    In a world obsessed with the latest superfoods and wellness trends, sometimes the best ingredients are the oldest ones. Beef tallow—rendered beef fat—has been used for centuries in cooking, skincare, and household goods. Today, it is experiencing a resurgence as people seek natural, stable alternatives to highly processed seed oils. Whether you are a home cook, skincare enthusiast, or simply curious about traditional fats, beef tallow deserves a spot in your pantry (and maybe your beauty routine).

    Beef tallow is the rendered (melted and purified) fat from beef, typically from suet (the hard fat around the kidneys and loins) or trimmings. When rendered properly, it becomes a creamy, white-to-pale-yellow solid at room temperature that melts easily for cooking.

    Its fatty acid profile includes a mix of saturated fats (like palmitic and stearic acid), monounsaturated fats (like oleic acid), and some polyunsaturated fats. It also naturally contains fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, especially when sourced from grass-fed cattle.

    Before vegetable oils dominated supermarket shelves in the 20th century, tallow was a kitchen staple. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used it for skincare and soaps. Traditional cooks relied on it for frying, baking, and preserving food due to its stability.

    Fast food chains like McDonald’s famously fried French fries in beef tallow until the 1990s for superior flavor and crispiness. Sounds amazing, right?!  Now, as concerns about ultra-processed oils grow, tallow is back on menus and in home kitchens.

    A tablespoon of beef tallow provides about 115 calories, mostly from fat. It is stable at high heat and contains no trans fats when rendered cleanly. Grass-fed versions offer more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and vitamins.

    Potential benefits:

    • High smoke point (around 400°F/204°C), making it excellent for frying without breaking down into harmful compounds.
    • Rich flavor that enhances savory dishes.
    • May support skin barrier function when used topically due to fatty acids. 

    Beef tallow excels in high-heat applications:

    • Frying: Crispy French fries, chicken, or fish and chips with restaurant-quality results.
    • Searing: Perfect crust on steaks or burgers.
    • Roasting: Toss vegetables or potatoes for golden, flavorful sides.
    • Baking: Use in pie crusts, biscuits, or cookies for flakiness and subtle richness.

    It adds a savory depth that vegetable oils cannot match.

    I have not personally tried it (yet ), but tallow’s composition closely mimics human skin oils, making it a popular natural moisturizer. Fans report it helps with dryness, eczema, and even acne for some due to its non-comedogenic properties in pure form. It can be used as a balm, lip moisturizer, or base for DIY soaps and candles. 

    Beef tallow represents a return to whole, traditional foods. It is versatile, flavorful, and nutrient-dense when used thoughtfully. Source it from reputable, grass-fed suppliers for the best quality, and enjoy it as part of a balanced diet.

    Whether you are frying up dinner or soothing dry skin, this “liquid gold” might just become your new kitchen (and bathroom) essential. 

  • My Passion for Nutrition (pt. 2)

    My Passion for Nutrition (pt. 2)

    Let us talk about something a little less emotionally serious. It is still very serious to me. I am referring to seed oils. These include canola, which comes from RAPE SEED. They also include soy and sunflower. My boyfriend and I decided that sunflower is the least unhealthy one so I can eat it a little. Corn is the worst. The stuff that is in everything from chips to salad dressing. 

    This is something that I have been wanting to write about for a while now. But it is difficult to get any studies or information on. Mainstream doctors, and even the based AI: Grok, say they are fine. They even claim they are heart-friendly. But dig deeper, and the bad side creeps out. First: seed oils are loaded with omega-six fats. Your body needs some, but the Western diet slams you with twenty-to-one ratios against omega-threes. That imbalance leads to chronic inflammation—think joint pain, gut issues, even cancer. 

    A recent twenty-twenty-six study on colon tumors had significant findings. Ultra-processed junk filled with these oils creates pro-inflammatory sludge around cells. This process basically turns your gut into a war zone. Tumors never heal no matter what measure you take. Then you have oxidation. 

    Fry fries all day? (A food that I love). They spit out toxins like aldehydes—a chemical linked to DNA damage, heart disease, even Alzheimer’s. Real-world fast-food chains reuse vats of toxic oil nonstop. 

    Processing is another red flag: chemicals, bleaching, deodorizing. Residues might be low, but why risk it when butter or olive oil skip the factory drama? And of course oils are cheap (have you noticed how the country loves to use cheap ingredients to poison us?!) they are everywhere in junk food. Obesity, diabetes, metabolic messes all coincide with the seed-oil boom since the seventies. It all started after we had leftover corn oil from the world war. People used it to lubricate the engines of the tanks. 

    When using whole fats (coconut, avocado or just butter or ghee), people report clearer skin and better energy. States are pushing for criminalizing seed oils —Louisiana and Texas label laws, school bans, etc .  We need to begin with the younger generations in order to fight against this madness. 

    RFK Jr. types (like me!) call seed oils poison. They should be outlawed because they quietly wreck  everyone’s health while Big Food profits. Big Food does not care. Food companies are forming partnerships with chemical companies. This is done to profit off the consequences that result from our food (see Bayer purchasing Monsanto). Thus you should go avocado, coconut, ghee. Cooking at home is also beneficial since you know what you are actually eating. Balance your fats. Your body will thank you and you will not be subservient to the fast food industry.