Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. The shortening is also referred to as sweet tasting, probably to make it comparable to butter made from “sweat cream.” Margarine, made from partially hydrogenated oil, was originally formulated by a French pharmacist in 1869 as a replacement for butter, and was not the same as … When oils are fully hydrogenated, they are completely changed from unsaturated fats to saturated fats, so no trans fats are produced. It is easy to see the difference by comparing hydrogenated shortening to clarified butter. In baking, no steam will be produced with shortening, but it will be with butter, which creates a slightly different effect. Coconut oil may give foods a nutty or coconut flavor. This article reviews whether mayo is safe when…, Apples are highly nutritious, but you may wonder whether they can really keep the doctor away. I´m 83 and have been cooking for myself twenty years – always in butter. This is because the fat in vegetable shortening coats the flour, preventing water from activating the formation of gluten. It is true that the term was adopted by Crisco and others to denote those products that were promoted to get away from lard use, but these should be called vegetable shortening rather than just shortening. Thank you for the info. But it was not without its early competitors, with names like Snowdrift, Flake White, and Nyafat. I noticed Crisco dropped the 0% Trans Fat off the package of the shortening sticks. Butter can be used in place of shortening but you may have to use slightly more to make up for the extra water that is contained in the butter. Get your answers by asking now. Shortening is most commonly made from vegetable oils like soybean, cottonseed or refined palm oil, which are naturally liquid at room temperature. Traditionally, lard and butter were the two main shortenings, both of which are high in saturated fat. I use butter. It shortens the gluten and creates a tender, short, crumbly or flaky product. “The first heart attack happened about 10 years after shortening was introduced and about 50 years after margarine was introduced. All rights reserved. Anonymous . Pininyahang Manok sa Gata (Pineapple Chicken in Coconut Milk), Tokwa at Baboy Humba (Pork Humba with Tofu), Tipid Sarap Monggo na may Kangkong at Hibi. In South Africa you dont really get shortening so i suppose we will just stick to butter! This article tells…. You can … Shortening contains 100% fat, meaning there is no water in it, unlike butter, which in the United States must contain at least 80% fat and can contain up to 16% water. Palm oil is actually the second most common cooking oil in the world, only bested by soybean oil (eww), and is a shelf-stable oil with a high smoke point. Shortening is made from vegetable oil and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Therefore, butter is a suitable alternative to shortening in most recipes. 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Coconut oil is another excellent choice. This article takes a look at the research, explaining what shortening is and how it affects your health. Usually they died of other things (like cholera or the flu) before they could live long enough to die of heart disease. Most shortenings are now advertised as being trans-fat-free. However, the current labeling laws make it difficult to tell if a food still contains trans fats. However, several recent scientific reviews have not found that link. Boca Raton: CRC, 2009. I have made them 3 different times, including an occasion where I have made a large cookie cake so I can attest to them being soft and oozing with chocolate in the middle, a little crispy around the edges, and scrumptious. The FDA’s decision, as well as the public’s increasing awareness of the dangers of trans fats, has forced companies to find alternatives to partially hydrogenated oils. With shortening, whatever you bake comes out of the oven soft and crumbly. Flour made of wheat contains a substance called gluten, which makes dough sticky and chewy. Many people actually prefer butter because of the rich flavor it adds. 4. Technically, just about any fat can be used as a shortening. If you want to illustrate this, think of a tender southern biscuit and compare it to a piece of French bread. The lack of trans fats in newer recipes means that these shortenings do not carry the same health risks as traditional shortening that does contain trans fats. Required fields are marked *. Since it is 100%, as opposed to the 80% fat content of butter or lard, it results in a very tender baked good. You can also use coconut oil as a substitute for vegetable shortening as it is a solid at room temperature and high in fat. Or what sandwiches can I make with cottage cheese? Since it is all fat, it usually produces the most tender and crumbly results in a cake, cookie or pie crust, but it does not have the flavor of butter, nor can it impart the flakiness that butter can give to, for instance, a pie crust. But these options are not without drawbacks. To find out if your shortening contains trans fats, read the ingredients list. But in 1911 the company decided to expand the market for Crisco and introduced it to American cooks as a more healthy and digestible substitute for lard or butter. Shortening is a type of solid fat that is made from vegetable oils, such as soybean and cottonseed oil. It also has the fat soluble vitamins A and D as well as vitamin K2. Copyrights © 2017 Baking Bites &trade. Cans of vegetable shortening can be found in kitchen pantries across America. Along with vegetable shortening, it has the highest shortening power for producing flaky pie crusts and biscuits. So they are only a good choice for recipes that call for melted shortening. Allrecipes is part of the Meredith Food Group. Because of shortening’s unique characteristics, it is most commonly used in baking pastries and for frying. I am a big advocate of only consuming naturally produced and organic/local foods. The reason it is called shortening is that it makes the resulting food crumbly, or to behave as if it had short fibers. Add comma separated list of ingredients to exclude from recipe. It is also healthy. In regular cooking, I would stick with liquid vegetable or olive oil, or butter. I didn’t know they made trans-fat free shortening. However, vegetable shortening is cheaper and more shelf-stable than other types of shortening like butter or lard. Related: How to Deep-Fry Food Without Making a Hot Mess. Unfortunately, partial hydrogenation also creates artificial trans fats, which have serious negative health effects. The term “shortening” technically refers to any type of fat that is solid at room temperature. Although vegetable shortening holds its shape well and is great for achieving moist and fluffy dough, it's high in trans fats. Water is usually the first ingredient. It is frequently seen in baking recipes, although it is rarely used in other areas of cooking. Maybe there isn’t that great of a difference from the one at the grocery but I feel it is less processed and a better product and choose that. The whole trans-fat thing was blown out of proportion. © Copyright 2020, 20 Things to Cook This Month That Have Nothing to Do With Thanksgiving, 15 Vegan Muffin Recipes for Easy Breakfasts, 15 Comfort Food Dinners That Start With Creamy Alfredo Sauce, 2-Ingredient Snacks That Are Too Easy Not to Make, Use Your Stale Bread in These Savory Bread Puddings, 13 Spiked Apple Cider Cocktails to Celebrate the Season, 15 Comfort Food Casseroles Inspired by World Cuisines, 12 Recipes to Turn Extra Chicken into Healthy Main Dish Salads, 15 Ground Beef Soup Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners, Ground Turkey Slow Cooker Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals, 11 Top Chicken Casseroles That Lean to the Healthy Side, 12 Classic Italian Recipes Made Easy in the Instant Pot, How to Deep-Fry Food Without Making a Hot Mess. There is also some evidence that the natural trans fats found in dairy products may even have some benefits for metabolic and heart health (4, 9, 10). Coconut and unrefined palm oil are naturally high in saturated fat, which makes them solid at room temperature. Shortening is a type of fat used in cooking and baking. Although butter is solid at room temperature and is frequently used in making pastry, the term shortening seldom refers to butter, but is more closely related to [[margarine]ening}} In the earlier centuries, lard was the primary ingredient used to shorten dough.