Researching shortening

[Jean in Newcastle]

Because of allergies to corn, soy and milk we are having difficulty finding shortening to use in baking. For some recipes I seem to get away with using oil but in recipes that call for beating shortening and sugar together will that work? I recently got some "organic healthy" shortening at the health food store - it is palm oil. Is that really good for you?

[Doran]

I am not much of a baker, so I'm not the right one to ask about substituting coconut oil for other kinds of shortening. I just know that many do so successfully, so perhaps they'll reply. Meanwhile, you can search that online.

 

Like coconut oil, palm oil is high in saturated fat. Its production is more controversial, however, and my understanding is that the palm oil which is believed to have health benefits are the UNREFINED palm oil. I bought about a quart of unrefined palm oil about a year ago and found that I can use it only in a few ways. It has a strong (to me displeasing) flavor that doesn't partner well with many foods. But, again, I have not used it for baking.

 

Sorry -- I'm afraid I'm little help.

 

Doran

[percytruffle]

I try to avoid hydrogenated fats, so for the few recipes I have that call for shortening I substitute room temp butter. I have not had a problem yet doing this for pie crusts, cookies, cakes, etc. Often the final product has a richer taste which is a bonus. Breads are the recipes I would hesitate to substitute butter for the shortening because the flakiness of the crust could be jeopardized. I would try coconut oil (it is in solid form at room temp just like shortening) instead. It has virtually no flavor or smell. Good luck.

[Quiver0f10]

We almost never use shortening and use butter instead and we havenever had anything turn out bad. Pie crust is the only thing I can think of that we would use shortening, but I am going to try butter next time like the other poster said.

[Doran]

Jean mentioned that she has a milk allergy issue, so I don't think butter is useful for her/her family. :)

 

Doran

[Snickerdoodle]

Have you tried lard?

[Quiver0f10]

Jean mentioned that she has a milk allergy issue, so I don't think butter is useful for her/her family. :)

 

Doran

 

 

Whoops. Sorry! :001_unsure:

[percytruffle]

ooops!

[GailV]

If you can find a decent quality lard, that would work for pie crust. That's what my grandma always favored. These days most lard is partially-hydrogenated, as lard is actually low in saturated fat and not as shelf stable as shortneing. A friend whose kids were allergic to many things started using lard for a lot of her cooking a few years ago. She said her food actually tasted better.

 

Somewhere I have a piecrust recipe that uses oil and some milk. It was a pat-in-the-pan recipe rather than a roll-out recipe. I stopped using it when we realized that d was gluten intolerant, so I haven't seen it in years. Should I look for it? You might be able to sub something else for the milk.

 

Coconut oil will give a different texture to your baked goods. I tried making chocolate chip cookies once using butter and coconut oil, and they turned out very very very crisp (yes, that's 3 veries worth of cripsness there).

 

We have substituted canola oil in many baked goods. Other oils, like olive oil, tend to have too much taste, but canola is pretty bland. Sometimes I mix olive and canola. My mom makes yeast rolls with canola oil in place of shortening or butter. She noted that each oil (olive, canola, whatever) gives a slightly different texture to the finished product, and it was a matter of experimenting to find what gives the effect you want for the recipe you're using.

[Snickerdoodle]

You can always render your own lard too. I always buy the fat at the organic butcher.

 

I do have a egg and milk free zucchini bread recipe that comes out pretty good if you are interested. It's a bit dense but everyone here likes it.

[GailV]

You can always render your own lard too. I always buy the fat at the organic butcher.

 

 

I'd like to know how to do this, starting with the part about asking the butcher for the fat without sounding like an idiot.

[Snickerdoodle]

Scroll down this blog to the post titled "rendering lard". The butcher won't think you're weird. Just ask for some pork fat for rendering.

[RoughCollie]

I've read in several places that applesauce be used to replace the fat in baking.

 

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/low-fat-baking3.htm

 

I've not tried it yet though.

[Storm Bay]

Spectrum has one, and it's not the bad kind. It's non-hydrogenated, cholesterol free. We don't use it often, so I don't see any harm in using it. Not all palm oil is equally bad, I don't think. We don't use lard because of the preservatives, but perhaps someday I'll render my own, sew all my own clothes, run an organic farm, card and spin my own wool...;)

[Sara R]

Just call to the different butchers in your phone book. Mine sells rendered lard without any additives. I keep the bulk of it in the freezer and the container we are currently using in the fridge. Believe it or not lard has more unsaturated fat than butter. Not that it's a health food by any means, but I think it's a lot better than shortening, and very inexpensive (55 cents per pound from my local butcher).

[Jean in Newcastle]

I

 

Somewhere I have a piecrust recipe that uses oil and some milk. It was a pat-in-the-pan recipe rather than a roll-out recipe. I stopped using it when we realized that d was gluten intolerant, so I haven't seen it in years. Should I look for it? You might be able to sub something else for the milk.

 

Yes, please. I'd love the recipe if you can find it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Really? Lard is good for you? (in moderation I assume). Wow! I had this bias against even thinking about using lard. I'll have to rethink this.

[buddhabelly]

Are all these allergies in the same child? If so, he/she is going to have a hard time negotiating the larger world in the future.

 

My son was allergic to many, many things and we have solved the problem with something called NAET. You can Google "NAET allergies" to read more about it. I know it sounds goofy, but if your children's allergies are interfering with enjoyment of life or good health, it couldn't hurt to at least check it out. The practitioner could just talk to you and let you know if he/she could help. I'm sorry I don't know where "Newcastle" is (Britain?), but on the website there is a spot where you can check for practitioners in your area.

 

The way we found out about it is that the little girl next door was cured of her allergies (severe) to wheat and dairy, and now she can eat whatever she wants. I am hoping that my son will now choose a wider variety of foods, but I'm not holding my breath about that. ;)

 

Best of luck with finding solutions.

 

buddhabelly

[Sara R]

Really? Lard is good for you? (in moderation I assume). Wow! I had this bias against even thinking about using lard. I'll have to rethink this.

 

Lard in wikipedia

[GailV]

For Jean, from my mom:

 

Pat-in-Pan Pie Dough

for 2 9 inch Pie shells

 

Mix in bowl:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 t. salt

 

Mix in a cup until creamy:

 

2/3 c. cooking oil

3 Tblsp. cold milk

 

Pour the liquid mixture over the flour all at once. Stir these ingredients lightly with a fork until blended. Form into a crust right in the pan, patting it into shape. Or roll out between sheets of waxed paper.

 

(I never tried to roll this out, partially because I hate rolling things out.)

 

Regarding NAET: My friend who used the lard got NAET treatments for her sons. For whatever reason, they tended to "wear off" -- over time they needed to be re-treated. And for whatever reason, the mom didn't want to learn how to do the treatments herself, although the doctor kept suggesting it (really, it isn't rocket science once you have the vials and have a practitioner show you what to do). We moved from there, though, so I don't know how their life is turning out.

 

BTW, I'm not trying to hi-jack the thread with a pros-and-cons discussion of NAET. I was just ruminating on people I know with lots of allergies -- sort of a "hey, I know about that!" when I read buddhabelly's reply. I have the impression that the NAET treatments have been refined over the years to be less likely to wear off.

[Mamagistra]

These days most lard is partially-hydrogenated, as lard is actually low in saturated fat and not as shelf stable as shortneing. A friend whose kids were allergic to many things started using lard for a lot of her cooking a few years ago. She said her food actually tasted better.

 

Yes! I looked for lard today at the grocery store, and all of it contained some measure of partially-hydrogenated lard. :ack2: We are seeking it out elsewhere.

[Julpost]

I've used an oil pastry recipe for pie crusts, they turn out fine. I'm not a very good pie crust maker so I'm thankful for any crust that stays together in one piece! I do have a light banana muffin recipe that doesn't call for any butter or oil at all...it's incredibly good. I'd be happy to share it or you can google it or look it up on allrecipes.com.

[Doran]

Really? Lard is good for you? (in moderation I assume). Wow! I had this bias against even thinking about using lard. I'll have to rethink this.

 

 

I got it from an organic milk, meat, and produce vendor which is the only way I'd ever use it (I've read that toxins are stored in the fat, so I wouldn't want just any old lard, kwim?). Trouble was, I didn't love how it made the pie crust taste. It would be fantastic with a savory dish but with a sweet pie, I didn't care for it much. Probably would just take getting used to, and I didn't give it that long.

 

Doran