What is shortening means in baking?
shortening, fats and oils of animal or vegetable origin used in most doughs and batters to impart crisp and crumbly texture to baked products and to increase the plasticity, or workability, of doughs. Important commercial shortenings include butter, lard, vegetable oils, processed shortenings, and margarine.
What is shortening method?
Shortening is created from liquid oil by hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is the process of adding extra hydrogen atoms to the vegetable fats, consequently turning them into solids from a liquid state. In short, turning previously unhydrogenated oil into a partially-hydrogenated oil (PHO) with trans fatty acids.
What is shortening made of in baking?
Shortening is a type of fat used in cooking and baking. It’s typically made from hydrogenated vegetable oil and has a long history of use in American kitchens that dates back to the early 1900s. However, shortening has fallen out of favor in the past few decades because of its high trans fat content.
What are the examples of shortening?
A shortening is defined as a fat, solid at room temperature, which can be used to give foods a crumbly and crisp texture such as pastry. Examples of fat used as “shorteners” include butter, margarine, vegetable oils and lard.
What use instead of shortening?
Margarine and butter can both be used as a substitute for shortening, though their moisture contents should be taken into consideration before making the swap. While shortening is 100% fat, margarine and butter contain a small percentage of water (so, shortening adds more fat, thus more richness and tenderness).
Can I use margarine instead of shortening?
Which shortening is best for baking?
Lard, what was originally shortening before hydrogenated vegetable shortening was invented, is the best option for producing flaky results. It should be used in lesser amounts, however, removing 2 tablespoons from every cup for 1 cup of shortening.
Is butter healthier than shortening?
Butter is slightly more nutritious than shortening. Using fat in your baked goods helps keep them moist and tender. While butter and shortening have similar nutritional profiles, you’ll be better off using butter since it provides more vitamins and doesn’t contain trans fats.
What are the types of shortening in baking?
Margarine. Margarines are made primarily from vegetable oils (to some extent hydrogenated) with a small fraction of milk powder and bacterial culture to give a butter-like flavor.
What is the purpose of shortening in baking?
The function of shortening in baking is to give tenderness to the baked product. Without shortening, a dough of flour and water is tough when baked. Shortening coats the flour particles, so that they do not stick together, thus shortening provides tenderness, improved texture, better eating quality, and also increases the nutritive value of foods.
What to substitute for shortening in baking?
The best substitute for shortening is butter. You just have to keep in mind that butter has a lower melting point than shortening, so what you’re baking may spread a bit more.
What can you use instead of shortening?
Shortening can be used instead of butter, but it may change the texture and flavor of food or baked products. Shortening produces higher, lighter-textured baked goods, while butter produces flatter, crispier products.