Soap Making Rendering Is Where
The Cold Process Method Starts

Before you start mixing lye and producing your own soap, you first have to create one of the key ingredients yourself. In the cold process method, you do this by rendering fat into tallow, a process that separates out the impurities found in animal fat.

Rendering is a messy, smelly process, which may leave you gasping for air, but it is a necessary part of the soap making process. You do not have to enjoy it, but the best idea is to take a deep breath and simply plunge into the rendering process.

Any type of animal fat can be rendered but for the best results, it is recommended that you use beef suet. Suet produces high quality tallow which, when used in your soap, will make harder soap that lasts longer.

You can often obtain tallow from butcher shops, although they may have to order it from their suppliers.

When buying, demand for suet is extremely low. Most supermarkets or large grocery stores will not be able to supply you with it so if needed, you can also ask the butcher to grind the suet for you.

While this may cost a little more, it will also save you time and effort while reducing the melting temperature.

Before you begin the rendering process, you will want to have these things handy:

• A sharp knife
• Safety glasses
• Rubber gloves
• Ladle, either wooden or stainless steel
• Colander
• Primary mold

Ingredients:

• Water
• About five pounds of suet or meat fat
• Salt

Instructions for rendering:

1. Fill your large pot with suet or fat that has been ground (or at least chopped into small pieces. The suet should only fill the pot about half way. This will prevent boil-over and allow for expansion as it melts.
2. Then, add about four inches of water to the pot, as well as two to four tablespoons of salt.
3. Heat this mixture over medium to high heat. At this point, don your gloves and goggles, because the splashes of melted fat will burn you. Gently stir the mixture to a rolling boil, being careful not to allow it to boil over. As you stir, use your spoon to mash any larger pieces of fat.
4. Add water as necessary, which will keep the melted fat from becoming too hot. As you add water, the fat may sputter or splash so be ready for this and watch spatters to ensure they do not catch on fire.
5. Once the suet has mostly dissolved, remove the pot from your stove or hotplate and let it cool. Next, ladle or pour the mixture through your sieve into the primary mold to remove any debris such as meat, gristle, or sinew. The solids you see should be a brown color, as they have been well cooked in the fat/water mixture. If any white pieces of fat remain, you can either cook them with more water and salt or save them for the next time you are rendering fat.
6. Next, place the lid on your primary mold and put it in the refrigerator for 12 hours or more. The tallow will then cool and rise to the surface of the water, making it easier to remove when it solidifies.
7. Once the tallow has hardened, turn the mold over and push the block of tallow into the sink. This will allow any water that remains to drain off. There may be very little water if you have boiled your tallow for a long time.
8. If present, remove the mass of jelly-like goop that remains on the bottom of the tallow. This mass usually results from using lower quality fat such as kitchen scraps or fat which had a lot of meat attached, and will likely not be present if you used high quality beef suet.
9. The remaining block should be firm and white or speckled white in color. Store this block of tallow in the refrigerator until you start making basic soap.

As you can see, this is one of the more intensive aspects of cold process soap making.

Go to soap making for additional information and more soap making tips.