Actual schmaltz, with onions or not?

January 9, 2015 12:55 PM

My friend wants to give a surprise gift of schmaltz (rendered chicken fat, not the metaphorical kind) to a Jewish friend of hers who is from Chicago, and wants to know whether or not to use onions. So, does anyone have a strong opinion either way? Apparently with no onions it's more subtle and nutty. But is it better with onions? Which method would be her best bet?
posted by oxisos to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Yes, it's better with onions. Use the Splendid Table's recipe.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:07 PM on January 9, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'm not 100% sure of this, but if I'm going to store the schmaltz for more than a few days, I like to strain it when it's hot and liquid because I feel like it will last longer without getting yucky that way. Otherwise, I'd be worried about the onions decomposing and going rotten. So I guess it depends on the quantity of schmaltz, if it's anything more than half a cup or so then I would do it without the onions.

I love cooking onions (and other stuff) in the schmaltz itself, so it's not like onions can't get into the equation later.
posted by cacao at 1:39 PM on January 9, 2015 [1 favorite]

I would cook it with onions, strain it for storage, then eat the onions with the grieven. (Be moderate in the last stage.)
posted by kenko at 1:50 PM on January 9, 2015 [3 favorites]

(Be moderate in the last stage.)

Do not listen to kenko on this, that person just wants more for themself. Lots of grieven + onions + schmaltz = Jewish soul food/relish of the highest order.
posted by bluejayway at 3:19 PM on January 9, 2015 [4 favorites]

Yes onions. By the end, the onions and the skin (which, following Ruhlman, I'd collectively call gribenes) should look more or less identical, like fantastic chickeny bacon bits.
posted by supercres at 3:31 PM on January 9, 2015

Depends on what you're going to use it for. If you're making a sweet kugel, you probably don't want onions. Otherwise, yeah, onions.
posted by jeffamaphone at 4:16 PM on January 9, 2015

Onions. The onions caramelize and the skin becomes crispy delicious. If you want to break tradition, cracking a nutmeg and letting it steep in the gentle fat adds another dimension of flavor.
posted by jadepearl at 5:51 PM on January 9, 2015

Yes onions, but strain them out of the shmaltz and present separately.

In my family the cracklings are called gribnes.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:00 PM on January 9, 2015