How was bacon grease used in ww2?

During WWII, the U.S. government urged citizens to donate their excess bacon fat to the army. A whole committee was even created for it: The American Fat Salvage Committee. The fat was used to make glycerin which in turn was used to make bombs.

What was grease used for in ww2?

During World War II, the U.S. government urged Americans to save excess fat rendered from cooking and donate it to the army to produce explosives. It turns out that bacon fat is good for more than sprucing up bitter greens—it's also pretty good for making bombs.

How do you make a bomb out of bacon grease?

Was there grease in ww2?

During World War II, the U.S. government launched drives for steel, rubber and ... grease. Even after the end of WWII, the government was calling for housewives to donate saved grease from cooking.

Why did Grandma save bacon grease?

Sure, saving bacon grease might sound strange, but it has its fair share of perks. Not only does it keep food from sticking to your pan, but it also pumps up the flavor when added to eggs, potatoes, greens, cornbread, and other recipes.

How Bacon Helped Fight The Nazis. - WW2 Military History

What is the difference between lard and bacon grease?

It's rendered pork fat and you can use it in so many different ways. The main difference between lard and rendered bacon fat is the taste. Bacon drippings (the fat that drips off of bacon when you cook it) is going to have a strong bacon flavor, where lard is taste-neutral.

Why did they ration butter in ww2?

“By Christmas of 1942 a serious shortage of butter and other fats had developed” and throughout 1943 and 1944 butter was rationed at home to make sure everyone got a little with plenty left over for the troops. So there you have it. As a simple rule of thumb guns-vs-butter and tradeoffs works.

What was the butter ration in ww2?

Ration books worked on a coupon system, so people could only purchase their entitlement and no more. A typical person's weekly ration allowed them 1 egg, 2 ounces each of tea and butter, an ounce of cheese, eight ounces of sugar, four ounces of bacon and four ounces of margarine.

What was margarine made of during ww2?

Post-WWII. During the Second World War and immediate post-war years amid rationing in the United Kingdom, only two types of margarine were available: a premium brand and a budget brand with whale oil being used in its manufacture.

Is bacon grease flammable?

Bacon grease is made by melting the fat on bacon and then allowing it to congeal. Most of the time, it's not a problem at all but if you run a sloppy kitchen in which frying pans are not regularly cleaned then bacon grease could start a fire.

How is nitroglycerin made from fat?

Nitroglycerin is made by nitrating glycerin with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid. Glycerin is the backbone which bonds with fatty acids to make triglycerides, the main constituent of vegetable oils and animal fats. You can nitrate many molecules by mixing them with a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid.

Who discovered fried bacon?

Salted pork belly first appeared on dining tables thousands of years ago in China. Pork curing methods spread throughout the Roman Empire, and Anglo-Saxon peasants cooked with bacon fat. Until well into the 16th century, the Middle English term bacon or bacoun referred to all pork in general.

Which food was rationed after WWII but not during the war?

Read more in our online classroom. As World War II came to a close in 1945, so did the government's rationing program. By the end of that year, sugar was the only commodity still being rationed.

Should you keep bacon grease?

Although many of us grew up with relatives who stored their bacon grease in a jar or can set on the counter or on the back of the stovetop, food safety experts don't recommend storing it that way now. Instead, store the grease in the refrigerator (up to 3 months) or freezer (indefinitely).

Why do people save fat?

There are two main reasons it stores fat so well: To have energy beyond the amount of stored glucose, known as glycogen, you can hold in your muscles and liver (they can only hold so much), and.

How many eggs were you allowed in WW2?

Eggs 1 fresh egg (plus allowance of dried egg) Sweets 12 oz every 4 weeks.

What was the last item to be rationed?

Meat was the last item to be de-rationed and food rationing ended completely in 1954. One way to get rationed items without coupons, usually at greatly inflated prices, was on the black market.

What was a child weekly ration in WW2?

Children's rations were slightly different to adults. Children were entitled to extra food that was considered essential for healthy growth, such as milk and orange juice. The National Milk Scheme provided one pint of milk for every child under 5. Fruit and vegetables were not rationed but were in short supply.

What was sold on the black market in WW2?

The black market for meat showed how luxury goods were worth bending the rules. Another large black market was one for gasoline. Due to need on the warfront, gasoline was in high demand and low supply. In addition, rubber was in low supply due to Japanese control of eastern rubber plantations.

Was margarine used in the war?

Lard was removed from rationing on March 3, 1944 and shortening and oils on April 19, 1944, but butter and margarine were rationed until November 23, 1945. Butter required a higher number of points than margarine, so “oleo” margarine became more popular.

Why is lard no longer used?

Poor lard didn't stand a chance. In the 1950s, scientists piled on, saying that saturated fats in lard caused heart disease. Restaurants and food manufacturers started to shun lard. It's only been in the last 20 years that nutritionists have softened their view on saturated fats like butter and lard.

Is bacon grease healthier than butter?

Nutritionally speaking, bacon fat is actually lower in saturated fat and higher in the good monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than butter. According to the USDA, a tablespoon of unsalted butter has 102 calories, 12 grams of fat and 2 miligrams of sodium; salted butter has 90 miligrams of sodium.

Did Crisco used to be lard?

Crisco, you may recall, was made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, a process that turned cottonseed oil (and later, soybean oil) from a liquid into a solid, like lard, that was perfect for baking and frying.