Yet, fat lovers take heart! Toronto cookbook author Jennifer McLagan says animal fat is not only one of the best ingredients too cook with, it's also healthier than the trans fats and refined carbohydrates that now crowd our diet.

"We need to rethink our relationship with fat," she writes. "After decades of low-fat propaganda, most of what we think about fat just isn't true."

Fighting words, granted, but McLagan makes a strong argument for her case, saying not all animal fats are saturated, eating animal fats does not necessarily make us fat, and that low-fat diets are not the end-all to our health problems. And unlike all those highly processed low-fat foods, fat, she says, is satisfying, so we eat less. Which reduces our urge to snack.

So with the guilt alleviated, somewhat, what's next? Indulge, as some of the most luxurious ingredients - marbled steaks, pork belly, and the king of all gourmet foodstuffs, foie gras - owe their flavour profile to fat. And what would gourmet cooking be without butter?

McLagan divides her book into four chapters: butter (worth it), pork fat (the king), poultry fat (versatile and good for you), and beef and lamb fats (overlooked but tasty).

Each chapter features pages of fascinating information on each fat including its history, storage and usage tips and more.

Best of all are the recipes, more than 100 in all, for dishes that each sound more scrumptious from the last, including puff pastry, duck confit, sautéed foie gras, rilettes, shortbread, butter chicken, cassoulet and traditional plum pudding made with grated suet that McLagan champions for its versatility and texture-enhancing properties.

The buzz: Toronto-based McLagan's debut cookbook, Bones, picked up the James Beard award for best single-subject cookbook in 2005. This, her second book, has already generated plenty of discussion in the food world and beyond for her bold take on this much-maligned yet essential ingredient.

The test: The BLT with bacon mayonnaise took a regular sandwich to gourmet fare, the risotto laden with butter and marrow was rich and satisfying, the suet pastry was easy to roll out and flaky when cooked, the duck-fat biscuits with crackling make an ideal dinner party bread offering, the shortbread is excellent, and the salted butter tart is dreamy.

Who is this book for? The recipes vary from simple to rather advanced, but there's nothing here beyond an experienced cook's reach. Even McLagan would agree that this isn't everyday cooking, but for the times you want to indulge, this is the book to help you discover something rich-'n'-delicious.

recipe: FAT, FAT-COOKED FRIES