Mock Schmaltz

Mock schmaltz started turning up in Jewish kitchens in the 1970s—the result of a dual desire to reduce the cholesterol found in regular schmaltz and to create a flavorful cooking fat you could use in a fleischig meal. By frying onions in a mixture of margarine and canola oil, we create a schmaltzlike fat rich with flavor of browned onions that contains no cholesterol and only 1.5 g saturated fat per tablespoon (compared with 5 g in an equal amount of butter).