How to Render Suet (Tallow) – 3 Easy Methods

How to Render Suet (Tallow) – Three Easy Methods for Cooking & Historical Recipes

Finding real suet can feel like a scavenger hunt—especially outside the winter months. If you do get your hands on it, rendering suet into tallow is absolutely worth it: cleaner flavor, longer shelf life, and perfect for historic pies, pastries, and frying.

How to Render Suet (Tallow) – 3 Easy Historical Methods

xlix. Bryndons

One of the very first recipes that I wanted to try after receiving Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin as a gift was this one. I am uncertain why I have not tried to interpret this sooner. The instructions are very straightforward and creates an absolutely divine fruit sauce that when paired with the fried noodles is surprisingly modern.

.xlix. Bryndons.—Take Wyn, & putte in a potte, an clarifiyd hony, an Saunderys, pepir, Safroun, Clowes, Maces, & Quybibys, & mynced Datys, Pynys and Roysonys of Corauns, & a lytil Vynegre, [leaf 13.] & sethe it on þe fyre; an sethe fygys in Wyne, & grynde hem, & draw hem þorw a straynoure, & caste þer-to, an lete hem boyle alle to-gederys; þan take fayre flowre, Safroun, Sugre, & Fayre Water, ande make þer-of cakys, and let hem be þinne Inow; þan kytte hem y lyke lechyngys,*. [long thin strips. ] an caste hem in fayre Oyle, and fry hem a lytil whyle; þanne take hem owt of þe panne, an caste in-to a vesselle with þe Syrippe, & so serue hem forth, þe bryndonys an þe Sirippe, in a dysshe; & let þe Sirippe be rennyng, & not to styf.

xlix - Bryndons. Take Wyn, and putte in a potte, an clarifiyd hony, an Saunderys, pepir, Safroun, Clowes, Maces, and Quybibys, and mynced Datys, Pynys and Roysonys of Corauns, and a lytil Vynegre, and sethe it on the fyre; an sethe fygys in Wyne, and grynde hem, and draw hem thorw a straynoure, and caste ther-to, an lete hem boyle alle to-gederys; than take fayre flowre, Safroun, Sugre, and Fayre Water, ande make ther-of cakys, and let hem be thinne Inow; than kytte hem y lyke, (Note: long thin strips) an caste hem in fayre Oyle, and fry hem a lytil whyle; thanne take hem owt of the panne, an caste in-to a vesselle with the Syrippe, and so serue hem forth, the bryndonys an the Sirippe, in a dysshe; and let the Sirippe be rennyng, and not to styf

44. Bryndons - Take wine and put in a pot, and clarified honey, and saunders, pepper, saffron, cloves, mace and cubebs, and minced dates, pine nuts and currants, and a little vinegar, and seethe it on the fire; and seethe figs in wine, and grind them, and draw them through a strainer, and caste there-to, and let them boil all together; then take fair flour, saffron, sugar and fair water and make there of cakes, and let them be thin enough; then cut them like strips and cast them in fair oil, and fry them a little while, then take them out of the pan, and cast into a vessel with the syrup and so serve them forth, the bryndons and the syrup, in a dish; and let the syrup be running and not to stiff.

Interpreted Recipe Serves 1 as main, 2 as side

1 cups red wine (I substituted grape and pomegranate juice for the wine 50/50 mix)
1/4 cup figs (about 4-5 mission figs)
1-2 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. sandalwood (opt)
1/4 tsp. pepper (I used a mix of tri-pepper blend, long pepper, cubebs and grains of paradise)
pinch of saffron
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. mace
2-3 minced dates
1 tbsp. pine nuts
2-3 tablespoons currants
2-3 tablespoons raisins
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Put wine and figs into a pot and bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook till figs are tender. Place figs and wine into a blender, give thanks to the kitchen gods, and grind. Return figs and wine to the pot and add remaining ingredients. Cook until remaining fruit is soft and syrup has thickened.

** Don't have cubebs or grains of paradise? Use the following as a substitute:

2 tbsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. clove
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
opt. 1/4 tsp cardamom

Mix together spices and then use what you need. For the recipe above that would be 1/4 tsp. each for the cubebs and the grains of paradise. Store what you don't need.

I have a confession to make-- to make the noodles, I cut won ton wrappers in half and fried in the same oil I cooked the Trayne Roste in. However, if you want to make the noodles here is the recipe:

Noodles Recipe

1 cup flour
1/4cup warm water
pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp. sugar and salt

Place saffron in warmed water and allow to cool. Once cooled mix all ingredients together until a dough is formed. Add more water if dough is too dry. Let sit approximately ten minutes before rolling dough out and cutting into strips. Fry in oil.

Similar Recipes

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak Breney, put wyne in a pot and clarified hony saunders canelle peper clowes maces pynes dates mynced raissins of corans put ther to vinegar and sett it on the fyer. and let it boile then sethe fegges in wyne grind them and draw them through a strener and cast ther to and let them boile to gedur then tak flour saffron sugur and faire water and mak ther of faire cakes and let them be thyne then cut them bigge lassengis wise and fry them in oile a stonding sewe for sopers and strawe ther on annes in comfets and serue it.

Measurements and Conversions (Temperature and Recipe)

📏 Kitchen Measurements & Conversion Guide

This reference page helps cooks quickly convert ingredients, scale recipes, and adjust between imperial and metric units. Whether you’re preparing for a feast or modifying a modern dish, this chart simplifies your kitchen math.

Need spice conversions by weight?
Visit the full guide: Ounces to Tablespoons FAQ.

Need to substitute one spice for another?
Check out our Spice Substitution Chart.

Looking for a quick conversion?
Click on any section below to expand and view standard U.S. kitchen measurements, converted to ounces and cups for easy reference. Great for cooks, feast stewards, and anyone scaling recipes up or down!

🔯 Dry Measure Conversions

American Standard	Equivalent	Ounces
Smidgen	1/2 pinch	1/32 tsp
2 Smidgens	1 Dash
Pinch	1/16 tsp
Dash	1/8 tsp
8 Dashes	1 tsp
1 Tbsp	3 tsp	0.5 oz
1/8 cup	2 tbsp	1 oz
1/4 cup	4 tbsp	2 oz
1/3 cup	5 tbsp + 1 tsp	2.6 oz
1/2 cup	8 tbsp	4 oz
2/3 cup	10 tbsp + 2 tsp	5.3 oz
3/4 cup	12 tbsp	6 oz
1 cup	16 tbsp	8 oz

🧪 Liquid Measure Conversions

American Standard	Equivalent	Ounces
1 pint	2 cups / 32 tbsp	16 oz
1 quart	2 pints / 4 cups	32 oz
1 gallon	4 quarts / 16 cups	128 oz
8 quarts	1 peck
4 pecks	1 bushel

🔥 Oven Temperatures (Traditional Terms)

Traditional Term	Fahrenheit	Celsius	Notes
Cool Oven	200–250°F	93–121°C	Used for slow baking or drying
Slow Oven	300–325°F	149–163°C	Breads and low-temp roasting
Moderate Oven	350–375°F	177–191°C	Most cakes, cookies, general baking
Hot Oven	400–450°F	204–232°C	Quick roasting, pies
Very Hot Oven	475–500°F	246–260°C	Flash cooking, puff pastry

🍬 Candy Stage Temperatures (Detailed)

Stage	Fahrenheit	Celsius	Description
Smooth	215–220°	102–104°C	Used for crystallizing creams, gum goods, and liqueurs
Thread	230–235°	110–112°C	Forms threads between finger and thumb, used for liqueurs
Pearl	226°	108°C	Longer threads form, finger and thumb separate fully
Blow	230°	110°C	Small air bubbles appear when blowing through skimmer
Feather	240–245°	115–118°C	More bubbles appear, used for fondants and rich creams
Soft Ball	240°	116°C	Forms soft ball in water
Hard Ball	248°	120°C	Forms firm ball that sticks to teeth
Ball	250–255°	121–124°C	Used for coconut candies and grain sugar
Soft Crack	252°	122°C	Cracks under pressure but reforms
Crack	260°	127°C	Cracks easily and doesn’t reform
Hard Crack	290°	143°C	Snaps like eggshells, used for clear goods and machine drops
Crack (High)	310–315°	154–157°C	Used for taffy, clear drops, stick candies

⚕️ Apothecary Weights & Measures

Unit	Symbol	Equivalent
Grain	gr	1/7000 lb
Scruple	ƒ (scruple)	20 grains
Dram	ʒ (dram)	3 scruples (60 grains)
Ounce	§ (ounce)	8 drams
Pound	℔ (lb)	12 ounces (5760 grains)

📦 Volume Conversions (US)

Volume	Equals
3 tsp	1 tbsp
2 tbsp	1 fl oz
4 tbsp	1/4 cup
1 cup	8 fl oz
2 cups	1 pint
4 cups	1 quart
4 quarts	1 gallon

🌡️ Temperature Conversion

Fahrenheit to Celsius: Subtract 32, multiply by 5, then divide by 9.
Celsius to Fahrenheit: Multiply by 9, divide by 5, then add 32.

🔁 Recipe Scaling

To scale a recipe up or down:

Determine the number of servings you want.
Divide by the recipe’s original servings to get a conversion factor.
Multiply every ingredient by this factor.

Example: If a recipe serves 6 and you need 12, use a factor of 2. If it serves 12 but you want 8, use 0.66.

⚖️ Common Weight ⇄ Volume Estimates

Ingredient	1 Cup ≈ Grams
All-purpose flour	120g
Granulated sugar	200g
Brown sugar (packed)	220g
Butter	227g (or 2 sticks)
Salt	300g

🔢 Quick Conversion Math

1 lb = 16 oz
1 qt = 32 fl oz
1 cup = 16 tbsp
1 cup = 8 fl oz
1 tbsp = 3 tsp
1 gal = 4 qt = 16 cups

🧠 Kitchen Abbreviation Key

tsp = teaspoon
tbsp = tablespoon
oz = ounce
lb = pound
pt = pint
qt = quart
g = gram, kg = kilogram
ml = milliliter, l = liter

More detailed breakdown? Download this Culinary Measurement Guide PDF.

Kitchen Adventures – Harleian MS. 4016, (~1450) Guisseƚƚ.

Harleian MS. 4016, (~1450) Guisseƚƚ. Bread Dumplings

Baronial 12th Night

Guisseƚƚ.-- An interesting dish which makes very thrify use of bread that has been turned into bread crumbs, eggs and broth flavored with parsley and sage and colored with saffron. Sounds a lot like dressing, yes? My recipe creates many small, irregularly shaped "curds", or dumplings. Bonus? The broth thickens as the bread cooks leaving you with a gravy that you can use elsewhere. I do not recommend using it with your dumplings. They become very sticky and unappetizing! The instructions can be found in Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin. Harleian MS. 4016, ab. 1450 A.D.

The instructions are just vague enough that I wasn't very certain of what I would end up with once it had been interpreted and cooked. I was half expecting a wet mucky (and unappetizing) unbaked dressing. What I ended up with was something that closely resembled a dumpling. I wonder if it's the precursor to boiled puddings?

The process reminded me very much of making the "rivals" for potato soup with rivals. The difference being that you "pinch off" pieces of the rival dough and put it into the boiling soup, whereas here we are instructed to "cast the stuff to the broth into the pan". Rather than pinch off pieces of dough, I made the dough somewhat crumbly, and then dropped by handfuls into the boiling broth and cooked till they came to the surface. Then using a slotted spoon, I fished out the dumplings and went on to the next batch and the next...this made A LOT of dumplings. As mentioned previously, I made a slight mistake when cooking the very last batch and didn't drain them as well as I wanted to :-/ There wasn't a lot of the thickened broth left but there was enough that the entire batch became bit sticky and gummy. I thought I had ruined it--but guess what? Treating them like spaetzle, I cooked them up in some bacon fat (which makes everything better).

Harleian MS. 4016, ab. 1450 A.D. Guisseƚƚ. [supplied by ed.] *. [Taken from Douce MS. ] [folio 15.] ¶ Take faire capon̄ brotℏ, or of beef, And sette hit ouer the fire, and caste þerto myced sauge, parcelly and saffron̄, And lete boile; And streyn̄ the white and þe yolke of egges thorgℏ a streynour, and caste there-to faire grated brede, and medle hit togidre with thi honde, And caste the stuff to the brotℏ into þe pan̄; And stirre it faire and softe til hit come togidre, and crudded; And þen̄ serue it forth hote.

Guissell. (Note: Taken from Douce MS.) Take faire capon broth, or of beef, And sette hit ouer the fire, and caste therto myced sauge, parcelly and saffron, And lete boile; And streyn the white and the yolke of egges thorgh a streynour, and caste there-to faire grated brede, and medle hit togidre with thi honde, And caste the stuff to the broth into the pan; And stirre it faire and softe til hit come togidre, and crudded; And then serue it forth hote

Guissell. (Note: Taken from Douce MS.) Take faire capon broth or of beef, and set it over the fire and cast thereto minced sage, parsley and saffron, and let it boil; and strain the white and the yolk of eggs through a strainer, and cast thereto grated bread and meddle it all together with your hand, and caste the stuff to the broth into the pan; and stir it fare and soft till it come together, and curded; and then serve it forth hot.

Interpreted Recipe

2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs

4 cups water
1 tsp. sage
1 tbsp. parsley
Pinch of saffron

Put your breadcrumbs and salt (which was added for modern taste) into a bowl, create a well and add in your eggs one at a time until it starts to form lumps. Mean wile, heat up the water, sage, parsley and saffron till it comes to a boil and then lower the heat so that the water is simmering. Add the dough in small batches until the irregularly shaped, curded dough floats like delicious pillowy dumplings. Using a slotted spoon remove from the broth and let drain while you are cooking your next batch.

I imagine since these appear to be very similar to Spaetzle that you could, if you wish to prepare them in advance, put them on a sheet pan, freeze and then thaw and cook with a little bit of butter or bacon fat before serving, although that is cook's prerogative and has nothing to do with the original recipe.
Now I totally cheated and used leftover herb stuffing mix, so my bread crumbs taste a bit like ummmm ~whispers~ stuffing mix that has been made into crumbs in the blender (Hey! They were *on sale* and turning stuffing into crumbs requires very little effort). The dumplings were perfectly lovely until I didn't drain that last batch very well. What a happy mistake...fried up in bacon fat they are nothing short of magical.

In reality, these dumplings were very likely served *in* the broth, and not outside of it. So bear that in mind, you may need a lot more broth then I created. I am planning on serving these as a side dish with a roasted chicken, and therefore choose not to serve them in the broth at this time.

Similar Recipes

Forme of Cury (England, 1390)

Jusshell. XX.II. III. Take brede ygrated and ayrenn and swyng it togydre. do erto safroun, sawge. and salt. & cast broth. þerto. boile it & messe it forth

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak jusselle tak the swet brothe of a capon or of other good flesshe and set it on the fyere in a large vesselle colour it with saffron put ther to saige cut gret and salt it then tak eggs and drawe them through a strener and temper grated bread and eggs and stirre it to gedure till they be ronn and let the erbes be well mellid to gedur and when yt begynnythe to boille tak out the pot stik and turn the curd about with a scorner and let not the fyere be to hasty when it is throughe knyt tak it from the fyere and couyr it and serue it

Thomas Awkbarow's Recipes (MS Harley 5401)

Jussell. Recipe brede gratyd & egges & swyng þam togydere, & do þerto sawge & saferon & salt; þan take gode broth & cast it þerto, & bole it enforesayd, & do þerto as to charlete, & serof.

Kitchen Adventures – .lij. Gyngaudre. (Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430))

Illustration from The Book of Wonders of the Age” (St Andrews ms32)

This is one of several recipes that I will interpret but will not prepare. Eating fish offal is just a little bit more adventurous then I prefer. While eating offal is part of the new movement of nose to tail dining, where no part of an animal is wasted, eating specific fish offal carries with it particular risks related to toxins in our water. Cod liver is enjoyed in many parts of the world and if you cannot find it at your local fish market, it can be ordered through Amazon. The liver is described as being creamy and fishy and mild in the bitter offal flavor.

If you are feeling adventurous you can prepare the recipe below, and if you are not feeling so adventurous, you can prepare this using an assortment of fish fillets and omit the livers. Fish heads contain a surprising amount of meat, including the cheek and jowl and collar considered to be the tastiest and most succulent bits of meat on a fish. You can also eat the tongue, the area around the eye socket, lips and eyes.

There is a question about what a fish pouch is. I attempted to research this but to no avail. I then asked a Chef friend what he thought the fish pouch might be and he believes it might refer to the sack of roe. Alternatively "pouch" could be a misspelling of "paunch" referring to the fish belly. I have interpreted it to mean the roe sack. I will leave it to you to do your best guess.

.lij. Gyngaudre.—Take þe Lyuerys of Codlyngys, Haddok, Elys, or þe Hake hed, or Freysshe Mylweƚƚ hedys, þe Pouches, & þe Lyuerys, an sethe hem in fayre Water; þan take hem vp on a fayre bord, & mynce smal þe pouches; þan take gode freysshe brothe of Samoun, or Turbut, or of Elys, & cast þe mynced pouches þer-to, & pouder Pepyr, & let boyle; þan take þe brothe, þe pouches & þe lyuerys wer sodoun in, in a stipe*. [? meaning. ] or on fayre brede, & draw þorw a straynoure, & þan mynce þe lyuer in fayre pecys; & [leaf 13 bk.] whan þe pouches haue boylid, an þe licoure, caste þe leuer þer-to, an let boyle a whyle: þan caste þer-to þe lyuerys, Wyne, Venegre, Safroun, Salt, & late it boyle a whyle, and serue forth þat rennyng.

lij - Gyngaudre. Take the Lyuerys of Codlyngys, Haddok, Elys, or the Hake hed, or Freysshe Mylwell hedys, the Pouches, and the Lyuerys, an sethe hem in fayre Water; than take hem vp on a fayre bord, and mynce smal the pouches; than take gode freysshe brothe of Samoun, or Turbut, or of Elys, and cast the mynced pouches ther-to, and pouder Pepyr, and let boyle; than take the brothe, the pouches and the lyuerys wer sodoun in, in a stipe (Note: ? meaning) or on fayre brede, and draw thorw a straynoure, and than mynce the lyuer in fayre pecys; and whan the pouches haue boylid, an the licoure, caste the leuer ther-to, an let boyle a whyle: than caste ther-to the lyuerys, Wyne, Venegre, Safroun, Salt, and late it boyle a whyle, and serue forth that rennyng.

52 - Gyngaudre - Take the livers of Codlyngys (a young or small cod, possibly preserved in some way), Haddock, Eels, or the Hake Head, or Fresh Milwell (a kind of cod) heads, the pouches, and the livers, and boil them in fair water; then take them up on a fair board and mince small the pouches; then take good fresh broth of salmon, or turbut, or eels and cast the minced pouches thereto, and powder pepper, and let boil; then take the broth, the pouches and the liver were cooked in, in a stipe, or on fair bread and draw through a strainer, and then mince the liver in fair pieces; and when the pouches have boiled, and the liquor, cast the liver there-to, and boil awhile: then caste there-to the livers, wine, vinegar, saffron, salt and let it boil a while, and serve forth that running.

Interpreted Recipe Serves 1, 2 as a Side

1 fish head (Cod, Haddock, Hake preferred), livers and roe sacks or 1/4 pound fish fillets
3/4 cup fish stock
1/4 cup vinegar mix (1 tbsp each white wine, white wine vinegar and water)
Pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

Boil your fish heads, livers until cooked, remove from broth and allow to cool. Remove flesh from the head and mince the roe and the liver. Strain stock and return to pot. Add saffron, salt and pepper and return your fish to the pot. Bring to boil and serve.