Oils, Fats, and Shortenings. Wow! What a title!

It’s like we just ran to the edge of the “Everything Unhealthy Pool” and jumped into the deep end. Are oils, fats, and shortenings really a shoestring pantry essential? Yes. In fact, I think they have a place in every pantry, regardless of how healthy or unhealthy your eating habits are. Let’s take a look.

A good chef knows to keep some oil, fat, and shortening on hand because:

1. A lot of recipes call for small amounts of each of these items
2. They can help prevent food from sticking to pans
3. They can actually help your food cook better than raw heat and metal alone

The first thing to understand is that not all oils are created equal. Olive oil is generally considered healthier than vegetable oil.  And “shortening” is really something different from oil altogether.  So let’s break it down.

1. Shortening refers to semi-solid forms of grease.  This can include everything from butter and margarine to lard, but when you get down to it, we’re talking about fats.  Generally speaking, if a recipe calls for “melted shortening,” what they really mean is melted butter; if a recipe instructs you to grease a pan with “shortening,” butter will work, but what most mean is “smear some lard–or in our case, Crisco–on the insides of a pan.”
2. Oil is obtained from a variety of sources.  Most of the oils we deal with come from vegetables, and of those oils, olive oil is my favorite–both becaue it tastes good and because it’s healthier than other oils.  Olive oil is also the most expensive, so using very much of it can be cost prohibitive.

It’s important to know how to use oils, fats, and shortenings properly. Yes, a lot of recipes call for melted butter or a few drabs of oil, but there’s more to it than that.  Shortening and butter can be used to grease any every type of dish or pan you use to cook food.  Spreading a light coat of Crisco inside a cake pan will keep your cake (or cornbread) from sticking to the inside of the pan.

Oil can be heated to a temperature well above the 212 degrees at which water boils.  That’s why boiling in oil was considered such a brutal form of execution back in the day: Boiling oil is HOT! We can use this to our advantage when we’re cooking food.  A light glaze of hot olive oil in a skillet or wok full of vegetables will both grease the pan–preventing our food from sticking–and warm to temperature hot enough to help cook our food.

When using shortenings and oils, moderation is key. Occasionally eating a recipe high in fat won’t prove very detrimental to your health.  Doing it regularly sure will.  Keep in mind how much butter, oil, and Crisco you’ve used this week.  If it seems like a lot, back off for a few days.  Eat some celery, or grab a bowl of oatmeal.  Oils and fats can be tasty, but you don’t want to overdo it.

Buy name brand Crisco. Normally, I’m all about the off brand.  Some off brand products are actually manufactured by the same companies that produce the name brand versions.  Off brand is great when it comes to just about everything except shortening.  Don’t skimp on the shortening. Get a tub of Crisco. Crisco will practically last forever, and it’s going to take you a long time to go through a tub, so you’re really not out that much money.  Off brand shortening just doesn’t cut it, in our experience. Bite the bullet, and fork over the extra quarter or two that the tub of Crisco costs.  You’ll live.

Conclusion
Oils, fats, and shortenings may not be too popular in our health-conscious society that shuns fat as unhealthy (except Omega-3 fatty acid–that kind of fat is OK…because everyone leaves the “fatty acid” part out of the name when they bring it up).  However, a good cook knows to keep a little bit of these items on hand because they’re an integral part of many recipes and they’re so useful in producing good meals.  Yes, their use needs to be tempered by moderation, but at the end of the day, it’s just a good idea to keep some around.  You never know when it might come in handy.

Filed under: Saving Money

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