Shortening
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shortening is a semisolid 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). The term "shortening" can be used more broadly to apply to any fat, such as butter, lard, or margarine, used in baking, but as used in recipes it refers to 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. Crisco, a popular brand, was first produced in 1911. In Ireland and the UK Cookeen is a popular brand.
Despite its worldwide usage and availability, vegetable shortening is believed to be damaging to human health since it generally contains trans fats in the form of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. After the oils are hydrogenated they become solid at room temperature, but the type of trans fat generated in this process has adverse health effects. Shortening containing no trans fats has grown in usage, notably with the 2007 reformulation of Crisco such that it contains less than 1g of trans fat per 12g serving. Cookeen was reformulated in Autumn 2006 to remove the trans fats [1]. Non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening can be made from palm oil.
[edit] Regulation
Denmark became the first country to introduce laws strictly regulating the sale of many foods containing trans fats in March 2003, a move which effectively bans partially hydrogenated oils, and as a result shortening that contains it.
[edit] References
Guardian Unlimited [1]
| Edible fats and oils | |
|---|---|
| Fats | Butter • Cocoa butter • Ghee • Lard • Margarine • Salo • Schmaltz • Shea butter • Suet • Tallow • Vegetable shortening |
| Oils | Almond oil • Canola oil • Coconut oil • Corn oil • Cottonseed oil • Grape seed oil • Olive oil • Palm oil • Peanut oil • Pumpkin seed oil • Rapeseed oil • Safflower oil • Sesame oil • Soybean oil • Sunflower oil • Walnut oil |
| See also: | List of vegetable oils |
