My first tallow

[penelopejane]

Ha, I think I have just the thing. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I'm helping my wife sew some hand puppets for her classroom(she teaches 3rd grade). Pretty sure the fabric we are using is muslin. Looks like I'll be heating my tallow up one more time.



I did strain it through a fine sieve between the 2nd and 3rd boils, but it's not getting any more out at this point.

DH is getting quite used to asking me " did you borrow my.... To make soap?" [emoji2][emoji2][emoji2]

 

[lenarenee]

Ha, I think I have just the thing. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I'm helping my wife sew some hand puppets for her classroom(she teaches 3rd grade). Pretty sure the fabric we are using is muslin. Looks like I'll be heating my tallow up one more time.

I did strain it through a fine sieve between the 2nd and 3rd boils, but it's not getting any more out at this point.

What a smart woman! I run into so many parents, child care, providers and even teachers who think 3rd graders have outgrown things like puppets, wooden blocks, and pretend play. Learning requires using all 5 senses and imagination!!

No need for you to be embarrassed - you're making educational tools.

 

[gdawgs]

What a smart woman! I run into so many parents, child care, providers and even teachers who think 3rd graders have outgrown things like puppets, wooden blocks, and pretend play. Learning requires using all 5 senses and imagination!!

No need for you to be embarrassed - you're making educational tools.

It's an end of the year project for the kids. They receive a blank puppet, then they have to work in groups to decorate them, write a script, then present their play to the class. They have fun doing it. It seems like all the fun has been sucked out of school these days. Everything is about meeting state/federal standards. No time left for fun educational things.

Hmmm, can we do some chemistry/soap making in class???? Too dangerous now days, but back in the day they probably did.

 

[gdawgs]

The muslin did the trick. My tallow is a beautiful white now! Thanks for the advice. How do you guys store your tallow and how long is it good for?

 

[lenarenee]

The muslin did the trick. My tallow is a beautiful white now! Thanks for the advice. How do you guys store your tallow and how long is it good for?

I'd recommend refrigerating or freezing your hard work!

Fannie and Flo's lard and tallow is bht, edta and citric acid free but sealed in airtight bags, and they recommend leaving it out at room temp, although there's no issue if it's 'fridge/frozen.

The commercial stuff, I leave in the garage, but it never gets too warm or cold there.

 

[lenarenee]

It's an end of the year project for the kids. They receive a blank puppet, then they have to work in groups to decorate them, write a script, then present their play to the class. They have fun doing it. It seems like all the fun has been sucked out of school these days. Everything is about meeting state/federal standards. No time left for fun educational things.

Hmmm, can we do some chemistry/soap making in class???? Too dangerous now days, but back in the day they probably did.

Third graders can absolutely be capable of viewing a live demo. However I'd recommend that all observers wear gloves, as curious kids love to touch, even when they truly intend not to.

My 3rd grader is well versed in soap safety and helps measure, mix (by hand only) and drops swirls her own loafs. She has her own safety getup too. But then she's getting a fairly unique education at school, where they even do dissection in science class. Hands on stuff and plenty of safety procedures are normal for her.

 

[gdawgs]

My tallow soap is just turning a month old, so I tested it out tonight. It has a very nice feel to it, unfortunately I scented it with peppermint EO, and that has pretty much completely faded and now it smells basically like the tallow. It doesn't exactly make me want to jump in the shower with it.

I'm thinking I might have to do another exercise in rebatching and do some re-scenting. I have quite a few sampler bottles from BB, so it might be a good use for a few of those.

I'm getting ready to make a batch of shaving soap, and it sounds like beef tallow makes a great one. Now I'm kind of wishing I had saved my tallow for this. Oh well. Live and learn.

 

[wbocrafter]

I just rendered my first batch of tallow. I asked our local butcher shop if they had any suet/fat to sell and they told me they gave it away. Someone on the forum told me to ask them if they would grind it up for me which is something I never would have thought of. I asked and they did. So I've melted the fat down, left it harden & I just finished boiling it with water. Do I strain it again & boil it again or is it ready to put in refrigerator and solidify?

 

[kc1ble]

After I render mine, I just strain it and let it harden, it will be great.

 

[nikkisessence]

Do I understand correctly that you already filtered and then melted back down in water? If so, then you should be able to pop in the fridge, remove the hardened fat, and package. When I water render, I wrap the fat into a muslin/kitchen towel to dry and then when dry, store slabs in freezer bags in the freezer. Someone else here will probably have a better way. The above is what I do.

 

[reinbeau]

To me the better way is to omit the water entirely. I grind the tallow up in my meat grinder, and then I render in an enameled cast iron stock pot over low heat, as it melts I ladle it into a big pouring bowl through regular cheesecloth, then I pour it into the freezer containers through a butter muslin - very fine cloth. No water, no salt, no baking soda, just dry rendered tallow. It's lovely, creamy white stuff when I'm finished and to my nose it doesn't smell any different than cooking a roast beef dinner.