Q and A: using lard or tallow and canning on a ceramic cooktop

Using lard or tallow

I got the book on LARD from Grit magazine but it said nothing about using tallow from beef instead of lard from pigs. We don’t have pigs but do a steer. Can I use it the same way? Is it nutritionally the same?

Also wanted to know about my milk bucket. I have a lovely enamel bucket but dropped it the other day and chipped the bottom edge. It doesn’t leak but now has no enamel in that little spot. Is it harmful to the milk and do you know of any way to cover that spot. I asked at our local coop store and they said they have nothing food grade to paint over that spot. I like the bucket a lot and am sorry to have to let it go if it is no longer safe.

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

Tallow doesn’t taste as good, in my opinion, nor bake as well as lard does, due to its higher melting point. You can certainly use it; it is fat and is nutritionally about the same as lard.

Your milk pail is still safe, but will tend to rust at that spot, so be sure to always wash and dry the bucket well. Our ancestors sure didn’t toss a bucket because it was dinged up a bit! — Jackie

Canning on a ceramic cooktop

I have a ceramic cooktop and have had difficulty using a canning pressure cooker. Could you recommend a brand that may work better than others?

Lorri Erickson
Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho

All electric stoves can be a bit difficult to can on when using a pressure canner due to their inability to regulate their temperature exactly like you can do with a gas range. Instead of recommending a brand of canner, I recommend that you pick up a propane stove (an apartment-size one, for example) or a two- or three-burner portable propane burner to use instead. Some folks even use a turkey fryer to can on. You can either can in your house, the basement, or even in the garage or another clean outbuilding.

I like my All American canner as it has no gasket to replace. But all modern canners are great. And safe to use. — Jackie