I've got a pint of schmaltz, help!
Yesterday I went to the grocery store and found chicken backs selling for 29 cents a lb, obviously I couldnt walk away without buying, When I asked they threw in about a dozen chicken feet and a ton of wing tips for another dollar. So I made a TON of chicken stock yesterday, I've got about 3 gallons, every pot in the house was used. Like i usually do I put it in the fridge to settle out the fat overnite, today I have about a pint and a bit of beautiful yellow chicken schmaltz. I hate to throw it out and want to know if anyone can suggest a great way to use it? If its going to be wasted I want it on my waist ;-)
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25 Comments:
I've made spaetzle with a large ratio of duck fat emulsified into the dough, I suppose chicken fat would work as well. Then toss the cooked spaetzle in a little more fat, some herbs and cracked black pepper, should turn out well.
NCthenNY at 12:50PM on 12/24/08
Fried potatoes! Nothing better than crispy potatoes fried in schmaltz with fresh chopped parsley. Matzoh balls to float in that lovely stock. I could think of lots of wonderful stuff to make with it - but the food police would haul me off.
Fanciesmom at 1:09PM on 12/24/08
Latkes omg the flavor. Everyone had a bubbie who fried latkes in schamltz.
The post sounds like a title to a great song.
Fry something in it.
JerzeeTomato at 1:11PM on 12/24/08
You can use it as the fat in any roux for just about any savory application and it'll be great. As noted above, any sort of potato cooked in such a thing. You could do a chicken confit (chicken thighs or wings would be especially easy to submerge in liquefied chicken fat).
The only full on recipe I could find online is Emeril Lagasse's here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/chicken-confit-recipe/index.html
He uses olive oil, but using schmaltz instead would be far superior. One great thing about the confit is that it won't use up the fat. Once you eat some of the chicken and don't need to keep as much fat in the container to keep it all covered, you can use the fat for any of the other suggestions you get.
ccbweb at 1:19PM on 12/24/08
I agree with Jerzee - latkes! Failing that, just plain pan-fried potatoes.
brooke29 at 1:21PM on 12/24/08
Drink it. Boy, I envy you.
Chopped chicken liver and all the other ideas posted here. At Sammy's Roumanian they have pitchers of the stuff on the tables. You can hear your artieries crying for help but WHO CARES?
bessfour at 4:40PM on 12/24/08
This is probably a dumb question, but I've heard of many old-fashioned delis keeping schmaltz on the table as a condiment. I always wondered why the stuff didn't go bad or give someone food poisoning, given it was poultry being kept at room temperature for so long?
I guess you could keep it in the refrigerator or freezer and save it, if they leave it out on tables--my grandmother supposedly had a jar of bacon grease she used for frying, although I never witnessed that practice growing up in my own home!
HeartofGlass at 5:46PM on 12/24/08
You are a Jewish grandmother's dream. Every single statement in that post (29 cents a pound??) cries, "I'm Jewish!" :D
I wish I had a suggestion. My grandmother used to do something with schmaltz in cupcake pans but I don't remember what. I like what Fanciesmom says. The only use I can think of is frying bread in it but that seems like a waste.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 6:54PM on 12/24/08
fry some onions in it and add it to mashed potatoes......
use as you would bacon grease.... or just smear it all over your body!!!!!
pooch at 7:09PM on 12/24/08
In my family is wasn't schmaltz unless you fried chicken skin with chopped onions, that rendered fat was schmaltz! I guess you could fry onions with it. I use the schmaltz to coat toast croutons for split pea soup, it's perfect for that. I guess you could fry chicken in it, why not, if you have a large amount.
creatrice at 7:15PM on 12/24/08
Here's a great recipe using 1 cup of rendered chicken fat. Is that schmaltz? And it ain't chopped liver. Oops, 'cuse me! It IS chopped liver. Not just any ol' chopped liver though, this one is Ina's so you know it's good. Better than good. Better than better!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chopped-liver-recipe/index.html
PerkyMac at 7:21PM on 12/24/08
Okay, this is a weird idea, but here it goes. My son loves dunking fried breaded mozz. sticks in Frank's Red Hot sauce. He also loves Buffalo wing pizza. So, what if you pan fried some breaded mozz. sticks in the schmaltz and served with the wing sauce? Hmm. I think this is one thing I just might have to try.
dhorst at 8:47PM on 12/24/08
Chicken soup, or use as a sub. for broth when making a suace or chicken dish. I roast potatoes in the oven that I mix with schmaltz, S & P, paprika, a little sour cream, rosemary, oregenao, thyme, garlic powder, and poultry season, but use what spices you like.
pjracz10 at 9:30PM on 12/24/08
Man, I am sure learning lots on SE - until I read this thread five minutes ago, I had never heard of schmaltz - I consider myself a fairly confident and knowledgeable cook, so I am amazed by the new information I have garnered from reading posts - keep it up!
When I first joined and started reading threads, I had to post a thread asking who Sandra Lee was. Look how far I have progressed in just a month!
bareneed at 10:45PM on 12/24/08
such wonderful Ideas thank you all. I am keeping it in the fridge. I fried some latkes in some last night, omg the taste is amazing! I guess they were really potatoe pancakes since that was the recipe i used rather than traditional latkes. I used the schmaltz to lube up the griddle, it really did make such a huge difference, just that little bit. I'm planning on roasting some potatoes with more of it. Ya'll are so wonderful thanks for all the great ideas and Merry Christmas to all.
huneybumper at 8:24AM on 12/25/08
When I was a kid we kept kosher and used schmaltz in place of butter with a "meat" meal, e.g., topping for baked potatoes.
If I had some schmaltz I would use it to saute the onions for kasha varnishkes. Mmmm, gotta make me some kasha varnishkes today.
overw8 at 9:22AM on 12/25/08
when we were kids we used schmaltz on everything, instead of mayo on roast beef sandwiches, oh my God, to die for. My mother would collect extra chicken skin for a few weeks and then fry it with onions. We would all eat the bits and pieces. Try potato kugle, chopped liver and kasha varnishkas is amazing.
stoney at 12:05PM on 12/25/08
@overw8: Mmm.... kasha varnishkes.
Schmaltz for latkes sounds good.
Now I'm craving a kosher meat meal and I don't eat meat anymore.
I had a sufganiya (jelly donut consumed on channukah- plural "sufganiyot") with extra powdered sugar for breakfast.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 3:11PM on 12/25/08
use it to make the matzo balls for the soup. the taste is incredible.
if you're a chopped liver fan, it's also delicious to fry the livers in.
use it to make a fleishig noodle kugel -- fry a ton of onions in it, then add them with eggs to boiled noodles and bake.
cybercita at 4:59PM on 12/25/08
I wonder if you could pop popcorn in it? I'm used to using it for chopped liver and whatnot, but I bet it would make really good popcorn, if you're into it...
BangieB at 3:54PM on 12/27/08
This just triggered a memory- a chicken sandwich with schmaltz spread on the rye bread omg so delicious. Chopped liver with onions fried in schmaltz is amazing as is kashe varishkes or toasted egg barley. I'm just saying.
deefine at 4:50PM on 12/27/08
You can send it to ME!!
Rosebud at 5:49PM on 12/27/08
how have i been alive for almost 30 years and NEVER heard of schmaltz before?
gastronomeg at 6:09PM on 12/27/08
I ended up with quite a bit of schmaltz after making the Thanksgiving turkey and it all ended up in my oyster dressing, which was FABULOUS!
hungryinhouston at 6:51PM on 12/27/08
I should clarify: I ended up with the schmaltz after cooking the chickens for chicken stock for the Thanksgiving dinner...gravy, greens, etc. AND the dressing!
hungryinhouston at 6:53PM on 12/27/08