what is shortening?

Question

i was going thru recipes and again and again i come across this ingredient,plz tell me what it is ! i need the answers fast!

can i use butter instead of shortening?

in the same quantity?

Answer 1

It isn't lard (which is animal fat) it's hydrogenated vegetable oil. It's sold under the brand name Crisco.

Sometimes it's acceptable to substitute butter or lard although it'll change the nutritional value.

Answer 2

Gotta 24 hour Farmer Jacks or Krogers? Crisco makes it still. It comes in a can and is simply "cooking oil" ...that's hardened. That's what we started using in place of lard, now of course we use vegetable oil. Back then, we used to plop it in the skillet, cut the fire on underneath, let it melt and fry chicken. Poor arteries. Have you every cooked ground beef and let the oil sit and harden? Think of that in a can. They have butter flavored as well (for baking) but you should be able to use butter. Check out the other responses.

Answer 3

Shortening is a fat used in food preparation, especially baked goods, and is so called because it inhibits the formation of long gluten strands in wheat-based doughs, giving them a "short" texture (as in shortbread). Shortening can be made from animal fat (lard), but is more commonly a hydrogenated vegetable oil that is solid at room temperature. Shortening has a higher smoke point than butter and margarine, and it has 100% fat content, compared to 80% for butter and margarine. ...

Answer 4

If it is vegetable shrtening then it is hydrogenated vegetabl oil, usually soybean. If it is not vegetable shortening it is usually lard. All are used as substitutes for butter.

Answer 5

Another word for Lard

EDIT: Sarah W - That's VEGETABLE SHORTENING, not SHORTENING.

The original Shortening, as Americans call it, IS LARD

Answer 6

crisco in a can