(4 minutes read)
At Kitchen, we’ve always believed that great food starts with great ingredients. Fats are the backbone of cooking—they carry flavor, build texture, and handle the heat of the stove.
For years, seed oils like canola and soybean ruled our fryers and pans, just as they’ve dominated kitchens everywhere, touted as healthy and versatile. But as our understanding of nutrition evolves, we’re making a big shift: we’re swapping seed oils for tallow—rendered beef fat—for all our cooking and frying. Here’s why we’re convinced it’s the right move.
Tallow isn’t some trendy newcomer. It’s a time-tested fat, used for centuries before industrial seed oils muscled their way in. Now, it’s making a comeback, and we’re thrilled to bring it back at Kitchen. From its nutritional edge to its cooking prowess and eco-friendly perks, tallow delivers on every front. Let’s dive into the details.
The Health Case for Tallow
Tallow isn’t just a fat—it’s a nutritional gem. Loaded with saturated and monounsaturated fats, it offers a steady, reliable energy source that our bodies process effortlessly. It’s brimming with fat-soluble vitamins—A, D, E, and K—that bolster immunity, strengthen bones, and keep us thriving. When sourced from grass-fed beef (which ours is), tallow also packs conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a natural compound tied to reduced inflammation and even potential anti-cancer effects.
Seed oils tell a different story. Oils like canola, soybean, and sunflower are heavy on polyunsaturated fats, particularly omega-6 fatty acids. A little omega-6 is fine, but today’s diets drown us in them, skewing our omega-3 balance and stoking inflammation. Heat them up, and it gets worse: they oxidize, churning out toxic byproducts like trans fats and aldehydes—stuff linked to heart disease, cancer, and other trouble. Humans thrived on animal fats like tallow for thousands of years; seed oils are a modern invention, and the results aren’t pretty. At Kitchen, we’re betting on a fat that fuels us, not one that fights us.
Tallow in the Kitchen
Health is just the start—tallow’s a culinary champion, too. With a smoke point hovering around 400°F, it’s built for frying, sautéing, and roasting. That stability means it holds up under heat without breaking down into harmful junk. Seed oils might boast flexibility, but they don’t deliver like tallow does.
And the flavor? Unbeatable. Tallow adds a rich, savory depth that transforms every bite. Our fries come out crisp, golden, and so tasty they’ve got customers hooked. I’ll put it this way: “Tallow’s a game-changer. It’s like tasting food the way it’s meant to be.” Seed oils, with their flat, neutral profile, just can’t compare.
Sustainability and Ethics
We’re cooking for today with an eye on tomorrow. Tallow fits our sustainability goals perfectly. As a byproduct of the beef industry, it cuts waste by using more of the animal. We source ours from local, grass-fed farms that practice regenerative agriculture—boosting soil health and trapping carbon. Seed oil production, on the other hand, leans on monoculture crops, heavy pesticides, and practices that wear out the land. Tallow’s not just better for your plate; it’s kinder to the planet.
It also aligns with eating what our bodies are wired for. Tallow’s pure animal fat—no carbs, no plant extras—just the kind of fuel meat-focused eaters swear by. By cooking with it, we’re catering to a rising wave of diners who prioritize ancestral, health-driven diets.
Kitchen’s Commitment
So why the switch at Kitchen? It boils down to this: we want to serve food that’s delicious and genuinely good for you. The case against seed oils is stacking up, and we’re not dragging our feet. Tallow’s a smarter choice, rooted in science and history. Our chefs rave about its cooking power, and we’re confident our customers will love the results.
This isn’t a fad for us—it’s about quality. We’re tuning into what our bodies need and what our community craves. Whether you’re carnivore, keto, or just chasing great flavor, we’ve got something for you. Swing by and try our tallow-cooked dishes—you might even ditch that canola bottle at home.
In the end, tallow’s more than a fat—it’s a return to real food. It’s healthier, tastier, and greener than seed oils could ever hope to be. At Kitchen, we’re proud to champion this shift, guided by the wisdom of how we’re built to eat.
We’ve made the switch—now we fry everything in tallow, choosing a healthier, more sustainable, and flavorful ingredient. We share with you a recipe to try at home and experience it for yourself, here’s one of our new menu favorites: Handcut French Fries
