What is the difference?

Suet: 

What is Suet? Beef suet is the hard, white fat that surrounds the kidneys and loins of the cow. It has a slightly crumbly texture and feels almost dry to the touch. Suet has a melting point between 113°F (45°C) and 122°F (50°C).

1. • Traditional Uses: Suet was historically used in making calorie-dense pastries, puddings, and pies due to its high smoke point. It was a stable frying fat.

   • Taste: Suet itself doesn’t have a strong flavor; it primarily contributes richness and moisture to dishes.

Tallow:

1. • What is Tallow? Tallow is the rendered or melted-down version of suet. You can make at home: just melt suet over low heat until it turns into a liquid fat. Tallow is versatile and can be used for cooking, basting, sautéing, deep frying, or even as a spread. It also can be made into cosmetic items such as balms and lotions and it is extremely beneficial to our skin.

   • Tallow is nature's original skin care product and works better than the man-made products that began to replace it in the 20th century. Modern-day research has confirmed the traditional wisdom of our ancestors. Tallow contains abundant natural fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) and fat-soluble activators, which are found only in animal fats and which all promote skin health. Tallow also contains fats like conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, and palmitoleic acid, which has natural antimicrobial properties. No plant-based skincare ingredient or product can remotely compare to tallow in its power to nourish and heal the skin. This fact is not surprising since we are animals and not plants. 

   • Historical Significance: A few generations ago, beef tallow (rendered suet) was the primary cooking oil. It has a high smoke point and a long shelf life at room temperature.

   • Nose-to-Tail Eating: Using tallow ensures we utilize the whole animal in our cooking, a practice our ancestors valued.

In summary, beef suet is the raw, hard fat surrounding the kidneys, while tallow is the rendered and clarified version of suet. Both have been used for generations in cooking and offer unique qualities for various culinary applications and skincare.