Granny's lye soap redux

[ngian]

No one I knew had a "recipe" written down, as the amount of lye needed would depend on the fat you happened to have as well as your water (the water used to make the soap, and the water you use the soap to wash with).

If you have rustier water the amount will be different than if you use the rainbarrel water. Some batches came out nice and sudzy while others could peel the bark off trees. And you never share soap! What your neighbor makes may clean no better than a bar of wax or strip off a few layers of skin if your home water is much different.

That is very interesting. So minerals in hard water react with the alkali while making the soap and also hard water makes a "stripping skin's oil" soap more gentle?

 

[penelopejane]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. However, it is your opinion.

I avoid palm oil and PKO due to environmental concerns. But that is my opinion, and I do not force it down anyone else's throat.

Yes, I agree, Susie. I avoid palm oil for environmental concerns and because I am highly sensitive to it in food (it is in most processed foods in Oz!).

 

[topofmurrayhill]

Shortening shouldn't be used in food because of the trans fat content. The substitute for lard is palm oil, not palm kernel. It works beautifully.

That's why vegetable shortening no longer contains trans fat. It's now made by transesterification instead of hydrogenation.

 

[Susie]

That's why vegetable shortening no longer contains trans fat. It's now made by transesterification instead of hydrogenation.

That is awesome news! And very true! Even Great Value!

http://www.shopwell.com/great-value-shortening/shortening/p/7874235298

 

[dosco]

Maybe you aren't old enough to have lived through the whole "Eggs are bad. No, eggs are good. Carbs are great, carbs are horrible. Low fat/cholesterol diets are a must, no, it is not the fat you eat that is the problem." rigamarole of whatever little tidbit the media chooses to scream, "The sky is falling!" about this week, but I have. And I while I am a nurse, and I follow all the current reliable, verifiable medical information, I still fail to get on whatever bandwagon the media is touting this week. I have a really strong feeling that trans-fats are the next thing we hear about not being as bad as they thought.

Indeed.

You might find this interesting: http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/fattyacids2.html

Especially the chart about halfway down the page.

I use grapeseed oil a lot nowadays.

-Dave

 

[Arimara]

Maybe you aren't old enough to have lived through the whole "Eggs are bad. No, eggs are good. Carbs are great, carbs are horrible. Low fat/cholesterol diets are a must, no, it is not the fat you eat that is the problem." rigamarole of whatever little tidbit the media chooses to scream, "The sky is falling!" about this week, but I have. And I while I am a nurse, and I follow all the current reliable, verifiable medical information, I still fail to get on whatever bandwagon the media is touting this week. I have a really strong feeling that trans-fats are the next thing we hear about not being as bad as they thought.

I grew up with those guidelines. Mom ignored it. I had eggs a few times a month if I was lucky.

 

[shunt2011]

I too grew up with biscuits and. Pie crusts among other yummy thing my grandmother made with lard or shortening. I still make her biscuits and pie crust. Very similar to the one posted She was from the upper peninsula of Michigan and made the best Pasties ever. Her other specialty was fried chicken and nobody in the family has been able to match it.

 

[Arthur Dent]

You guys are making me crave biscuits. That's something that isn't in my mom's notebook, grandma's biscuit recipe. I called my 90 year old dad, he thinks he has his mother's recipe somewhere... if he can just find it.
Failing that I'll have to try the one posted earlier. Unfortunately, my wife's idea of biscuits is the old "thump 'ems".
Getting back to soap for a moment, I had fully intended to make the 95% hog soap tonight, but forgot to take my lard out of the freezer this morning. I dislike trying to chop up frozen lard, so I'll have to wait.

 

[dosco]

... but forgot to take my lard out of the freezer this morning. I dislike trying to chop up frozen lard, so I'll have to wait.

Hot process, man!

-Dave

 

[Arimara]

Hot process, man!

-Dave

Impatient, are we? :mrgreen:

 

[Soapmaker145]

That's why vegetable shortening no longer contains trans fat. It's now made by transesterification instead of hydrogenation.

The substitution was made without any long term studies to show safety. The same was done when trans fats were substituted for lard and tallow. Unfortunately, even short term studies (3 to 4 weeks) have shown adverse effects to the most vulnerable populations (people who are already sick) when minimally modified fats are used. We don't have long term studies but we will in a decade or two.

In the meantime, I dug up my recipes for empanadas and biscuits to make this weekend with organic palm oil since I don't have any food grade lard or tallow right now.

 

[fuzz-juzz]

Ohhh there's nothing like lard in pastries.
I love it in my fruit pies and also small sweet biscuits.
People from my background make these little walnut and lard biscuits. They are made into discs, baked, put together with apricot jam and rolled into icing sugar. Yummm!
You guys are lucky to have any memory of your grandmas.
My paternal grandma was riddled with arthritis and rarely cooked. While my maternal grandma, she's still with us but she's a hopeless cook lol.
She can't bake a loaf of bread without burning it. Same with roasts etc... all burnt or cooked to a crisp. Hence my mum not being a great cook as well. I learnt to cook from internet, books etc. :/

 

[Susie]

My paternal grandmother was not a good cook. Her specialty was anything that came out of a box or a can.

My maternal grandmother is the one I learned lots from. She had not one recipe written down, and she only liked cooking stuff from scratch. But she sure could cook.

My mom only knew one way to fix meat, broiled. And she was not good at that.

My dad was an amazing cook, and taught me much. I learned how to fix holiday meals from years of making them side-by-side with him. I also took 2 years of Home Ec. in high school. But I still had to learn lots on my own. From TV, the internet, and just trying stuff.

 

[topofmurrayhill]

The substitution was made without any long term studies to show safety. The same was done when trans fats were substituted for lard and tallow. Unfortunately, even short term studies (3 to 4 weeks) have shown adverse effects to the most vulnerable populations (people who are already sick) when minimally modified fats are used. We don't have long term studies but we will in a decade or two.

Sorry, no. Trans fats are a partial by product of hydrogenation. Vegetable shortening is now made without any by products. There's nothing except ordinary fat in vegetable shortening. There are no adverse effects to anyone.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Update:
I went to see my dad tonight, and he handed me his mother's biscuit recipe, written on a 3 x 5 card in my mothers neat handwriting with "Mom Vaughn's biscuits" at the top. Along with it were her cornbread and meatloaf recipes, which I already had. The biscuit recipe is pretty similar to the one previously posted, but now I know how grandma made hers.
Then dad said "I have something else for you if you want it."
We walked into the kitchen and he presented me with grandma's full set of cast iron skillets.
Friends, let me tell you, I almost cried.

 

[lenarenee]

Update:
I went to see my dad tonight, and he handed me his mother's biscuit recipe, written on a 3 x 5 card in my mothers neat handwriting with "Mom Vaughn's biscuits" at the top. Along with it were her cornbread and meatloaf recipes, which I already had. The biscuit recipe is pretty similar to the one previously posted, but now I know how grandma made hers.
Then dad said "I have something else for you if you want it."
We walked into the kitchen and he presented me with grandma's full set of cast iron skillets.
Friends, let me tell you, I almost cried.

Treasure!!! Better than gold!

My mom taught me to cook and for holidays I was known for my perfect gravy and pies and meringue shells desserts. I did not use lard in pie crusts because I could taste meat. I used butter from a local farm.

My grandmother was known as "Grandma Pie" and could pay her accounts due all over town with her homemade pies - I could you not!

(I didn't like her pies - small, slightly overdone, and.....yes..... made with Crisco! :sick

 

[doriettefarm]

How sweet is that? A full set of seasoned cast iron skillets is a major score! My great grandmother made the most heavenly yeast rolls on the planet. At some point she attempted to document her recipe for my mom but when mom tried to reproduce them they turned out like hockey pucks!

 

[Steve85569]

DW has a hard time watching me cook. I learned from my grandmothers. Any cup is a measuring cup if you use it all the way through. a small handful is a 1/4 cup an open hand is 1/3 etc... A Dash of this and a dollop of that and now the texture looks right.

I don't know why folks try to make this difficult - hillbilly cookin' is so simple!

 

[Arimara]

DW has a hard time watching me cook. I learned from my grandmothers. Any cup is a measuring cup if you use it all the way through. a small handful is a 1/4 cup an open hand is 1/3 etc... A Dash of this and a dollop of that and now the texture looks right.

I don't know why folks try to make this difficult - hillbilly cookin' is so simple!

I've always been more comfy and done better when I did not use measuring cups for EVERYTHING. I can't take that kind of pressure outside of flour and sugar.

 

[Susie]

Update:
I went to see my dad tonight, and he handed me his mother's biscuit recipe, written on a 3 x 5 card in my mothers neat handwriting with "Mom Vaughn's biscuits" at the top. Along with it were her cornbread and meatloaf recipes, which I already had. The biscuit recipe is pretty similar to the one previously posted, but now I know how grandma made hers.
Then dad said "I have something else for you if you want it."
We walked into the kitchen and he presented me with grandma's full set of cast iron skillets.
Friends, let me tell you, I almost cried.

I would have just sat down and cried. I lost all of my grandmother's cast iron to Hurricane Rita.