What is shortening? in a recipe?

Question

im trying to make donuts from scratch and it says i need shortening? my local woolworths didnt know what it was and ive read on here that to use oil or butter instead, can someone tell me what will be the best thing to use if i dont have shortening? butter or oil in donuts? also im from Australia is there another name for shortening here? thanks heaps.....

Answer 1

lol shortening is basically butter...its just grease really

the brand crisco usually carries it but i dont think they call it shortening.....

just use butter.. i dont know if it will make it come out differently because shortening and butter are a little different but you should be fine..=)

mmmm donuts lol  

Answer 2

Shortening: Lard, animal fat

You can also fry doughnuts in peanut oil.  It has a low smoke temperature and will do better than other oils.  You can also use vegetable oil in a pinch but it's smoke level is higher, but not as high as olive oil.  

Answer 3

Shortening is basically solid vegetable fat just like lard is solid animal fat. Sometimes, butter (not margarine) is the best substitute for shortening because you can substitute it measure for measure. For example, 1 cup of shortening will equal 1 cup of butter. However, butter does have a higher water content than shortening. So if you decide to use butter for your donuts, you will get a different taste and texture. But NEVER substitute oil for shortening. They are two totally different types of fat.

Since you live in Australia, go back to your local market and ask if they have solid vegetable fat. More than likely, that will be the same as what we Americans call shortening. I have both vegetable oil and vegetable shortening in my pantry. The main ingredient in both is soybean oil but the shortening also contains cottonseed oil as well.

Answer 4

Shortening when in a recipe refers to a fat/lard product, such as crisco.  You can also use butter if you like.

I'm in culinary school right now and I checked in some of my books to make sure I was correct in my statement.  The actual definition from my textbook is:

-a white, flavorless, solid fat formulated for baking or deep-frying.

Hope your donuts turn out wonderfully!  Freshly made are the best.

Answer 5

Butter is a better substitute than oil, neither are as good at what they do as shortening or lard

Answer 6

lard is similar to shortening. its what youd use to deepfry the donuts in. if you cant find butter or lard, ask your grocer for something you can use for deep frying. Butter is not a good substitute as it burns fast at high temperatures.