Lard / Tallow

Lard, which is the fat from swine, was the major shortening in use in the early 1900s. Tallow, like lard, is an animal fat but it is derived from beef cattle or sheep. Because both are from animal sources, they are primarily saturated fat. They cannot be used for their shortening power in food preparation without first being rendered (melted down); for commercial use, the rendered fat is then deodorized. Read more »

Process of Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation is a commercial process that makes fats and oils more solid, allows them to be heated to higher temperatures before smoking, and increases their shelf life or that of the foods coated with them. The process of hydrogenation is facilitated with the aid of a metal catalyst (nickel, copper, platinum, or paladium) and the presence of pressure and heat. Read more »

Winterizing

Some vegetable oils, when stored in the refrigerator, do not stay completely liquid. The cooler temperatures may result in cloudiness from the crystallization of certain fatty acids that have a higher melting point than their neighboring fatty acids. This cloudiness may be eliminated by winterizing the oil - a commercial process that lowers the temperature of the oil, allowing the fatty acids with higher melting points to crystallize so that they may be filtered out. Read more »

Tropical Oils

The higher amounts of saturated fats in coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil, popularly known as the “tropical oils”, made them popular in the past with the food industry for use in cereals, candy, baked items, chocolate coatings for ice cream bars, pressurized whipped toppings, dog and cat food, and other products requiring a long shelf life. Read more »

About Olive Oil

Olive oil, which is considered a specialty oil, is more expensive than most other vegetable oils. Despite its higher price, olive oil consumption has increased among health-conscious consumers because of its high monounsaturated fatty acid content (78 percent). Unrefined olive oil are also popular in Italian dishes and salad dressings for their full flavor. Read more »

Different Types of Oils

Many different types of oils are available for food preparation purposes, and the type of oil used depends on the desired outcome. The first factor to consider when selecting an oil is its flavor or lack thereof. The bland, mild flavor and heat stability of soybean, corn, and safflower oils make them ideal for frying. Read more »

Cooking Oils

The available vegetable oils are derived primarily from soybeans, rapeseed (canola oil), sunflower seed, corn, cottonseed, and safflower seed. Fruit oil sources include the avocado, coconut, palm kernel, palm, and olive. Oil differ dramatically in their taste, color, and texture, depending on their source and method of extraction. Read more »

What exactly are shortenings?

Shortenings are plant oils that have been hydrogenated to make them more solid and pliable. Soybean oil is the major source of hydrogenated shortening and serves as a common frying oil. In the manufacture of shortenings, the soybean oil is hydrogenated until it reaches a solid consistency and then whipped or pumped with air to improve plasticity and give it a white color. Read more »

The desirability of fat’s presence in foods and its multiple roles in food preparation have led to many different types of fats being obtained from both animal and plant sources through the years. At first, people probably used the fat rendered from animal carcasses. Butter was probably not far behind once milk from domesticated animals became available. Read more »

About Butter

Butter is made from the cream of milk, with 10 cups (2.5 quarts) of milk required to generate one stick (1/4 pound) of butter. Butter contains about 80 percent milk fat, no more than 16 percent water, and 4 percent milk solids. Salt and coloring additives such as extract of annatto seed or carotene may or may not be added. Read more »