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Home > Taste of Home Community > Community Forums > Ingredients > What is shortening?

What is shortening?

Last post Sep 12, 2002 4:55 PM by Honest_April . 5 replies.


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    • Not Ranked
    Joined: Aug 2002
    Posts: 50
    Posted: Sep 10, 2002 9:03 PM in Ingredients
    Post # 1
    What is shortening?
    I know...I know...you all probably are laughing at me but I have this recipe I want to try in the TOH Country Cooking mag that requires shortening and I have no idea what that is. What is it? Is it some kind of oil maybe? Where can I find it? I would rather ask here than at the grocery store and be embarassed in person. Thanks anyone for helping me.

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    • Top 25 Contributor
    Joined: Jul 2001
    Posts: 40,744
    Reply Posted: Sep 10, 2002 10:36 PM in Ingredients
    Post # 2
    RE: What is shortening?
    It's Crisco.
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    • Not Ranked
    Joined: Apr 2002
    Posts: 1,739
    Reply Posted: Sep 10, 2002 11:28 PM in Ingredients
    Post # 3
    RE: What is shortening?
    It is a solid cooking substance , sometimes called Lard,, Crisco Solid, and they have other brands,, as said before Crisco solid is the most well known,,, when You go to the store find the cooking oil section find the crisco, and see which others are there, keeping in mind that the Standard to live up to "crisco"
    Loosenut M In
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    • Not Ranked
    Joined: Mar 2002
    Posts: 1,556
    Reply Posted: Sep 11, 2002 6:01 AM in Ingredients
    Post # 4
    RE: What is shortening?
    HI Amber! Don't be embarrassed, we all have things we don't know--that's why we come here! Shortening is fat, basically--edible and solid at room temperature (that's what differentiates it from oil). In most stores, it is on the bottom shelf or two under the cooking oil. It can be made from animal fat (lard is the most available example) or vegetable fat. Lard is wonderful for pie crust, but for other stuff, it is considered healthier to use vegetable shortening.

    The way vegetable shortening is usually made is that the manufacturers take vegetable oil and hydrogenate it (chemically, this means adding hydrogen atoms to the molecules of the oil), which makes it solid at room temperature and/or melt at a higher temperature. I'm telling you this because if you buy a generic brand rather than a national brand (the most obvious is Crisco), your recipes might not turn out exactly the same, as the shortening might have a higher/lower melting point.

    The other important thing to watch for is flavoring--a popular thing these days is 'butter-flavored shortening'--essentially shortening to which the manufacturer adds butter flavoring. It is fine for recipes that are enhanced by the butter flavoring, but I don't use it in recipes that also call for butter (I believe it interferes with enjoyment of the 'real' taste).

    For measuring shortening, pack it with a rubber spatula into a measuring cup, being sure to get all the air pockets out--if I'm measuring a larger quantity, I prefer to do it twice in smaller cups to make really sure it is accurate.

    Hope all this helps! Enjoy your recipe.
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    • Not Ranked
    Joined: Aug 2002
    Posts: 50
    Reply Posted: Sep 11, 2002 1:14 PM in Ingredients
    Post # 5
    RE: What is shortening?
    Thank you all so much. I am going to buy Crisco so I can make this recipe. Thank you thank you thank you! I don't have a mom to call and my dad only knows how to cook hamburger helper! :-) Thanks!
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    • Top 150 Contributor
    Joined: Jul 2001
    Posts: 10,332
    Reply Posted: Sep 12, 2002 4:55 PM in Ingredients
    Post # 6
    RE: What is shortening?
    When you take just a leetle off the ends... :o)

    Sorry, you left the door WIDE open! But you definately came to the right place for answers! I thought I'd never figure out what the heck oleo was!!!
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