Author Topic: How pure is the lovely fat?  (Read 3830 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
How pure is the lovely fat?
« on: April 17, 2017, 06:47:48 PM »
Would this fat be okay to use for the cats? It's such a beautiful fat I hate to waste it! It's the fat that rose from the top of my chicken gravy. The gravy is made with the drippings from one roasted chicken and the bone broth from the freezer from another chicken. (Both chickens are free ranging, certified organic non-GMO project verified chicken)

A little flour for thickening and water were added to the gravy when I made it, of course. Does the flour raise with the fat or is it pure fat? Would it be okay for my girls?

There is nothing else added to the chicken, broth or gravy. No salt, no flavorings, no spices. I cook very plain.

Offline DeeDee

  • P-F's Twitter-er
  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 6013
  • Country: us
  • Barkly & Vlad
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2017, 07:34:47 PM »
Generally, when heated, fat will be clear-ish. I think I'd test it that way first.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2017, 09:53:05 PM »
With your kitties sensitivities... would the good of the gravy be worth the POSSIBLE bad of the flour? 
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Pookie

  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 5441
  • Country: us
  • Proud member of the Wet Food Club
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2017, 10:33:49 PM »
With your kitties sensitivities... would the good of the gravy be worth the POSSIBLE bad of the flour? 

I was wondering about that, too, at least where Mazy's concerned.  But I have no idea what "flour raise with the fat" means so I didn't want to say anything.   :-\
2-4-6-8  Please don't over-vaccinate!
"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2017, 05:00:00 AM »
Lola- not the gravy, just the fat. I wasn't planning on giving it to Mazy cat, she gets her fat with raw skin. Just Jennie and maybe Queen Eva.

Pookie what I am asking is if the flour added to the gravy is in the fat.  When the gravy cools the fat raises to the top, and I skim it off.  (see picture) When fat rises like that, does flour rise with it or does the flour remain in the liquid part of the gravy only?

Offline DeeDee

  • P-F's Twitter-er
  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 6013
  • Country: us
  • Barkly & Vlad
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2017, 06:50:21 AM »
Pookie what I am asking is if the flour added to the gravy is in the fat. 

I know that someone that needs to be gluten free wouldn't be eating it.

Honestly, I've never seen gravy that had any fat rise on it like that except for red-eye gravy, but there's no flour in that.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Pookie

  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 5441
  • Country: us
  • Proud member of the Wet Food Club
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2017, 04:20:24 PM »
Pookie what I am asking is if the flour added to the gravy is in the fat.  When the gravy cools the fat raises to the top, and I skim it off.  (see picture) When fat rises like that, does flour rise with it or does the flour remain in the liquid part of the gravy only?

Thanks for the clarification.  I just asked my mother and she tells me that the flour would stay in the liquid part and not be in the fat.  Which doesn't really make sense to me, but she's a better cook than I am.   :)  And since you're not planning on giving it to Mazy, you might be ok.
2-4-6-8  Please don't over-vaccinate!
"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #7 on: April 19, 2017, 06:59:27 PM »
What did you decide?
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #8 on: April 19, 2017, 07:06:28 PM »
I know that someone that needs to be gluten free wouldn't be eating it.

Honestly, I've never seen gravy that had any fat rise on it like that except for red-eye gravy, but there's no flour in that.

I've never made a gravy that doesn't allow the fat to rise.  I've never even seen a home made gravy that the fat doesn't rise in. It's normal, when a liquid cools, for the fat to rise to the top.

It happens in soup too, haven't you ever noticed that when you make bone broth with a chicken?  :)

Thanks for the clarification.  I just asked my mother and she tells me that the flour would stay in the liquid part and not be in the fat.  Which doesn't really make sense to me, but she's a better cook than I am.   :)  And since you're not planning on giving it to Mazy, you might be ok.

I think your mother is right, but I couldn't find anything about it. The fat, when melted over heat, is crystal clear. Thanks for that recommendation Dee .  I don't think the flour comes up with the fat.

Jennie needs a bit more fat in her diet and I am going to use this fat to add it. She had a very bad time with constipation earlier this week to the point of refusing her breakfast (she's never refused a meal in her life) and  passing a small rock hard poop andregurgitating her lunch (after I went back to work, I found both when I came home again).

 I had to think about it for a while but I realized that I recently had switched her to 2/3 breast meat and 1/3 thigh meat (or beef) each day instead of about half and half, in order to cut calories for her so she can have more to eat.  But it has backfired because the diet is too lean for her.

Queen Eva is almost on the same diet as Jennie with one exception, she gets Rad Cat as 1/3 of her diet.  The Rad Cat has a good amount of fat, especially the lamb and beef which are in her rotation twice a week each. Queen Eva needs and gets way more fat than Jennie but she is a very lean cat.

So I've replaced part of Jennie's breakfast chunk (turkey or chicken breast) with some of that lovely fat, I've replaced it by weight, gram for gram.  Just a little for now, and I'll see if she needs more.


Offline Lola

  • Global Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 11790
  • Country: us
  • Spay or Neuter
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #9 on: April 19, 2017, 07:14:45 PM »
 thumbsup1
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline DeeDee

  • P-F's Twitter-er
  • Charter Member
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jul 2012
  • Posts: 6013
  • Country: us
  • Barkly & Vlad
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #10 on: April 19, 2017, 07:58:35 PM »
I've never made a gravy that doesn't allow the fat to rise.  I've never even seen a home made gravy that the fat doesn't rise in. It's normal, when a liquid cools, for the fat to rise to the top.

It happens in soup too, haven't you ever noticed that when you make bone broth with a chicken?  :)




I know it happens in soups that aren't thickened, but this is the south. We make a browned roux in a pan, and we slowly add flour to make the roux until all the fat is absorbed. There's no fat rising to the top. Just isn't. We don't measure the flour at all. We just add it until it "looks right." Then and only then do you start adding milk to turn it into gravy.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2017, 12:28:16 PM »
I am satisfied with the amount of fat Jennie is getting, regarding her poops.  However she's gained a couple of ounces, so I'm going to have to cut back a tiny bit more on the meat quantity.  She'll still get it in a chunk so hopefully she won't notice she's being reduced a bit.

Today I cut up turkey thighs for Jennie and Queen Eva.  I took the skin off and it is simmering in water on the stove.  I'm going to let it simmer all day.  It wil be interesting to see how much the skin disintegrates.

 Then I will (strain out any remaining skin bits) cool it and let the fat rise.  This fat I know is pure. :)  (Though I think the original fat is too, it melts quickly when taken out and is clear like water when melted)

Offline Middle Child

  • Moderator
  • Motor Mouth
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 9556
  • Country: us
  • Just say No to declawing
Re: How pure is the lovely fat?
« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2017, 06:38:14 PM »
Here's the lovely fat I got from boiling the turkey thigh skin all day.  I cooled it overnight and skimmed the fat off just now. Pure white, from boiling I guess.  The chicken fat was from a roasted chicken of course.  Now Jennie can have some variety with her fat too!  She's passing a lot more fur since adding the fat.  She doesn't bring up hairballs so that stuff must just be hanging around in her all the time.  I'm glad it's helping her.

Tags: