Frequently Asked Questions
How do I buy your products?
We don’t sell direct to stores or to adventurous home chefs, so we can’t guarantee that your local store has our butters and fats. Look for Aux Délices des Bois 82% Fat Butters in the Dairy, Specialty Cheese, and Meat counters of these stores. And sometimes (shhh) we pack for national or regional supermarket chains under their own label.
Pork fat, pork lard, cooking fat, bacon grease and now … Bacon Fat?? Clarify, please!
One of Amy’s aha! moments in culinary school was a Gallic glare and incredulous rebuke when she uttered the words “bacon grease”. “We do not call it grease!” came the haughty response. Rather than considering rendered fat a by-product (which it is) or throwaway (it’s not), we think of it as a smoky, multi-talented ingredient. We are all the richer for it. Now, here’s a quick ID for the others. Lard = pork fat. Subsets are Leaf Lard (usually for pastry) and Fatback (think salt pork). Pork Belly= converted to bacon or guanciale.
Why are we called M.A.D. Foods?
Rhymes with “glad”??? M.A.D. is shorthand for Marché aux Délices, our initial mad dash into specialty mail order in the giddy '80s. Of course, if you'd like to speculate on other meanings, feel free to share 😊.
Provenance?
M.A.D. Foods Culinary Fats are all American and sourced from farm co-ops and bacon producers. M.A.D. Foods’ butter and mix-ins are sourced in the USA, with the exception of few terroir-dependent ingredients.
Seriously, what claims do your products make?
Aside from claiming to transform your spiritual life, M.A.D. Foods is proud to share our products' "free-froms" and "you bets". 82%+ butterfat content leaves regular butters in the dust. We don’t whip, add, alter or otherwise adulterate our butters. No rBST, no artificial growth hormones, no artificial additives, no GMO ingredients, no antibiotics, no hydrogenation. Cage-free ducks are just that. Beef Tallow and Duck Fat are simply rendered fat. They benefit from a tiny amount of natural, neutral, non-allergenic antioxidants.
Why is my jar of cooking oil liquid one day and solid the next?
It is normal for animal cooking fats like Beef Tallow, Duck Fat, and Bacon Fat to separate at room temperature. All those fatty acids doing their separating and recombining thing. Feel free to give the jar a good shake to get ‘em back together. Beef Fat and Duck Fat range in color from ivory to yellow, depending upon origin and diet. Minute traces of bacon spices may linger in the bottom of the Bacon Fat.
What about allergens?
The butters contain dairy (noooo, really??). If garlic is your bugaboo, check the Lemon Herb Garlic Butter for clues. Gluten's not an issue in any of our products.
What’s special about cage free ducks?
We harvest our duck fat from a special variety of ducks called Mulard. They basically own the farmyard and we leave them to create their own pecking order. Their heroic fitness produces the luscious, life-affirming “liquid gold” made famous by French fry aficionados and global gourmets.
What about fat storage?
Once opened, store the animal fats in the fridge. They freeze well, too, if you’re thinking it’ll be a while.
Duck Fat 101: What You Need to Know
Why is duck fat hard at room temp?
Duck fat is naturally semi-solid or firm at room temperature because it’s rich in saturated and monounsaturated fats — just like butter or lard. Cooler kitchens = firmer fat.
How to use it?
💡To melt it, just gently warm it in a bowl of warm water. It becomes silky and pourable in seconds — perfect for roasting, frying, or sautéing.
Smoke point?
🔥 Duck fat has a smoke point of 375°F (190°C) — higher than butter, lower than some oils. That makes it ideal for golden-crisp potatoes, searing veggies, or pan-frying — but not for high-heat wok cooking.
After cooking: How to strain & store it
🥄 Let the used fat cool slightly, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean jar to remove bits.
🧊 Store in the fridge (up to 6 months) or freezer (up to a year). Reuse it until it starts to smell off or darken too much.
Pro tip: Always use clean utensils when scooping stored fat to keep it fresh longer.
What are all those awards that crowd the pages?
Ummm.. . shameless self-promotion?
Specialty Food Association sofi awards
Startup CPG Shelfie Awards
Beef Tallow 101: What You Need to Know
What is Beef Tallow, anyway?
Beef Tallow is edible fat, rendered from cows. It is a solid, milky white cooking and baking fat. It appears firm yet is spoonable, whether just opened or refrigerated. I t has a mildly beefy flavor. Beef Tallow is free of artificial additives. Our jars of Beef Tallow contain just beef and a miniscule trace of denatured rosemary extract, which prevents oxidation.
How to use it?
💡Generally, high smoke point fats are heated over a very hot fire to produce a crisp sear, crunchy coating, or quick fry.
Smoke point?
🔥 Beef Tallow has a smoke point of 400°F (204°C) — indicating its suitability for high heat sauteeing. That makes it ideal for French fries, wok-searing, grilling, and roasting.
After cooking: How to strain & store it
🥄 Let the used fat cool slightly, then pour it through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean jar to remove bits.
🧊 After opening, store in the fridge or freezer. Use before it gets dark or develops unpleasant aroma.
Other uses?
Due to its solid state, Beef Tallow works well in pie dough and biscuits – a bonus for carnivores and keto followers. It provides a flaky, crispy, browned crust.
Beef Tallow is a skin care favorite, used as a moisturizer. Just remember where your dog is as you apply it; you may end up with lots of doggy kisses.