In some restaurants, to achieve an ideal color, specially rendered lard (fat from fried pork) is used as the cooking medium for fried foods, such as squirrel-shaped fish, chrysanthemum fish, and some candied dishes. Other restaurants also use lard to cook dishes either to adjust the color and enhance the aroma, or to make full use of fatty pork. These dishes are very easy to identify in winter; as the temperature of the plate drops, the fat can be observed in a semi-solid state.
Meat fillings and dishes made with meatballs often contain a large amount of hidden fat, which is easily overlooked.
Some people do not normally eat fatty dishes, but when hot pot, they enjoy fatty lamb, fatty beef, lamb tail, and other meats high in animal fat. Some even believe that while fatty pork is unhealthy, fatty beef and lamb are harmless. In reality, the dangers of excessive intake of various animal fats are similar; all lead to higher intake of cholesterol, saturated fatty acids, and more calories than lean meat.
Additionally, Chinese cooking techniques can often render fatty meat rich but not greasy, enticing people to eat more of it. Although some fat may be rendered out during the longer cooking time, these dishes are still high in fat. Poultry skin is also high in fat, which is why it is enjoyed by many, such as in roast duck and roast chicken.
It is especially important to remind people that when controlling the intake of animal fat, especially those with hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, attention should be paid to controlling the intake of hidden fat.