vegetable shortening? butter instead?

[StormySar]

For years I've stayed away from vegetable shortening completely. Any time a recipe called for shortening, i"d always use butter.

Is vegetable shortening (like crisco) really horrible and should I continue avoiding it, or is it alright to use? Is butter the correct substitute? I'm beginning to wonder if I've compromised the taste or texture of many foods ;0)

Can vegetable shortening be made any healthier by somehow making it myself?

[Mama2Kayla]

Yes, it really is horrible! It is hydrogenated veggie oil, the absolute worst kind of oil there is. I am sure someone will be along to give you some links.
Butter is a good alternative most of the time, but sometimes when you need something else, coconut oil or palm oil work as healthy shortening replacements.
Spectrum makes an organic shortening made entirely out of palm oil---or you can always just use lard.

[elanorh]

Most shortenings contain trans-fats, which are really bad for us. It's only in the past 4 decades or so that vegetable shortenings have become popular; before then, recipes used lard, butter, or oil as 'shortening.'

That said of course there are concerns from the cholesterols in lard or butter....

Personally I usually sub butter in recipes where it works. And, on the rare occasions that I think shortening would be better than lard or butter, then I use palm oil shortening. This is not common practice for me because I've read about the palm oil industry cutting down mangroves etc. in order to access more monocultured land. I use organic when I do have to use the palm oil shortening (I breastfeed, both my dds were allergic to dairy/soy for quite some time, so during that time palm oil shortening was what I had to use). Palm oil shortening is trans-fat free.

Personally I am more comfortable with the natural fats in lard or butter (or oil) than in "partially hydrogenated" etc. I figure our bodies developed digesting those fats, but transfats are a whole new beast.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032 (Mayo Clinic blurb about transfats).

Transfats have been linked to cancer, heart disease, etc. and they persist in our bodies for a long time (I've read that exercise can decrease the transfat load over time?).

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by StormySar

I'm beginning to wonder if I've compromised the taste or texture of many foods ;0)

IMO, butter gives a much, much better taste and texture than shortening in...everything.

[mumkimum]

What I've heard about the difference, usually, is that shortening will provide a lighter texture but butter almost always gives you a better flavor (and with extra work on your part like constantly putting things in the freezer while working, you can usually get the lighter texture you get with shortening with butter anyway). I'm thinking it's more of an issue in pie crusts and certain kinds of delicate cookies.

I ended up getting the organic shortening, but really don't use it often at all and tend toward using butter myself (and IMO, if you're really worried about affecting the texture/taste of something, I find that the really high quality butters don't give as much of a problem in either area.)

[treemom2]

We don't use shortening in our house. We prefer butter, lard, bacon fat, and coconut oil as a substitute.

[onelilguysmommy]

I don't use shortening, period. Just butter.