Hi, Anne. The best lard is rendered from the fat behind a pig's kidneys. It's slowly rendered and strained. In the grocery store, lard is usually found near the butter. There are two companies that manufacture lard: Armour and Snow Cap. Armour's box is white with red and green, and Snow Cap is blue. Both of these kinds of lard are now hydrogenated. The fat crystals in lard have a higher melting point than butter. The same is true for Crisco, which is made from vegetable oil. This higher melting temperature helps crusts hold their shape a little better in the oven. Hope this helps. Susan Reid

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