Lard V no Lard
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I always use lard in my unscented goat milk soap and I've never smelled anything remotely "oinky". I give lots of this soap away and no-one has ever told me that they can smell anything unpleasant, in fact most people have told me they love the fresh smell of it, even though it's completely unscented!
At 39p for 250g lard is certainly much cheaper to use than palm oil and, to my mind, gives a much better lather and "feel" against the skin.
I love using lard and am currently re-jigging a lot of my recipes to replace palm oil with it.
At 39p for 250g lard is certainly much cheaper to use than palm oil and, to my mind, gives a much better lather and "feel" against the skin.
I love using lard and am currently re-jigging a lot of my recipes to replace palm oil with it.
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It could have helped. But again, some of us do have sensitive sniffers. My lard did not smell piggy when I used it but I am still waiting for those soaps to cure.
I am by no means an expert on the topic however from my experience there are several contributing factors to lard having a porkie smell. Regular lard is rendered from the intermuscular (meat) and subcutaneous (skin) fat. Grind or chop the raw fat yourself so you can make absolutely certain that you have trimmed every bit of skin and muscle tissue away. Render over low heat to avoid "frying" the fat. Once the fat has liquefied, filter it well to remove any trace of cracklin. Then, in a clean kettle bring the filtered fat to 255°F (this is the temperature lethal to salmonella, e-coli, campylobacter, listeria, staphylococcus, clostridium, botulinum, etc.). Let the fat cool and it will be as odor free as possible and ready to use, or store airtight for future use. I hope this is helpful!
I use this recipe most often:
Lard 65%
Olive Oil 15%
Coconut Oil 15%
Castor Oil 5%
Superfat 5%
Lard 65%
Olive Oil 15%
Coconut Oil 15%
Castor Oil 5%
Superfat 5%
artemis
Mostly Harmless
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I love autocorrect. I sometimes think we need a whole separate thread just for the "corrections." At least, I assume it was autocorrect: I don't want to encounter any possessed lard in the grocery aisle.
annalee2003
Well-Known Member
This is my go to recipe! I've added 10% Avocado oil to it the last couple of batches though.
I've never smelled any sort of "pork" smell while using lard. It makes a great hard, creamy bar of soap and I oddly enjoy scooping it out of the container that it comes in (kinda like butter). Love the pure white color it makes as well.
Arthur Dent
Well-Known Member
I tried subbing half the lard with Walmart GV shortening (with palm and tallow) as Susie suggested in another thread and added 1tbsp sugar ppo, and oh my its good!
This is my plan next.
I used to use Palm (when I was just following Brambleberry Beginner recipes) and I loved how hard the bars stayed, even in a wet environment like a shower.
While I love the creamy feel of my Lard bars, they seem to fall apart and get sloppy quickly in the shower. So I think I may try adding some GV Shortening to my next batch.
BrewerGeorge
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it's a busy recipe, but I haven't found one I like better than 25% GV shortening, 25% lard, 25% HO-something, 20% CO and 5% castor.
Half GV, half lard (for the hard oils) has never smelled on me, gives a respectable time for swirls, and makes a fantastic bar. Really, though, I guess it makes sense, since it includes all three of the most common hard oils.
You'll love it. I keep waffling back and forth on whether I like the all lard or lard/GV best.
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I rarely use lard in my soaps but when I do, it's can be really nice. For me though, I have an excellent nose and can smell it, so I have to let it cure forever. I usually HP it (no scent, or color) and let the bars cure for at least 6-8 months and much longer... usually. For instance, I've been using this soap exclusively for about a month and I made 16mths ago. It could just be my imagination, or my wanting it to be that good, but it's the best soap I think I've ever used with absolutely no scent whatsoever.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
I make "old fashioned lye soap" with 100% lard for a geezer pal of ours. He's in his 90's and loves it. It reminds him of when he was a kid, growing up in Texas. I've tried sneaking in a little of this or that and he always catches it! He likes the 100% lard the best. In exchange, I get home grown tomatoes. 
Dangalang, there is definitely oink coming from that lard bar. DH used it this morning so it was already damp and wafting when I got to it. It's from the batch I probably overheated. I should try a bar from the other batch but I'm not ready to face it yet! I might try just adding 10% to the next batch and slowly going up from there if I like it. I'll try the GV shortening too. This thread has been very helpful, thanks!
Kittish
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I'm thinking I'd just as soon not encounter any possessed lard anywhere, really.
What would you use to exorcise possessed lard anyhow? Blessed tofu?
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
or Angel Food cake? or Hot Cross buns?I'm thinking I'd just as soon not encounter any possessed lard anywhere, really.
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I'll try this around or before my b-day, if I can get some more NaOH.
What on earth is GV shortening?
