This or that? I ask myself that question all the time when I’m looking at recipes that call for an ingredient that I don’t have, I’ve never heard of, can’t buy locally or there’s more than one type of it. I’ve decided to do a bit of research on different ingredients to learn about common substitutions and when and where to use them in different recipes.
photo credits: skrockodile, bagatelle, azama_d_shiro
I was looking at red velvet cake recipes last week and was surprised to find that a lot of them called for shortening. I don’t like to bake with shortening as it lacks the flavor that butter gives and I’m not too crazy about it… it seems fake and it’s really unappetizing to look at so I decided to look for substitutions.
Butter (commercially made) is generally 80% fat and about 20% water and milk solids. In cookies, it adds flavor and will produce a flatter, crispier cookie as it has a lower melting point than shortening. Butter also coats flour and prevents glutens from forming which helps prevent a tough chewy texture. In cakes, it helps the cake rise properly (when you cream the butter and sugar it creates air pockets which expand during baking in a reaction with baking soda/powder), it adds flavor and helps give cakes a nice golden brown color.
Shortenings are 100% fat made from partially hydrogenated oil such as soy, vegetable or animal fats. There are some shortenings that are now made without trans-fats now which is great but it’s still bad for you. Generally baked goods using shortening are lighter, puffier and more cake like. This is due to the higher melting point of shortening so it holds it’s shape better.
Vegetable Oil is 100% liquid fat. It is made with canola or nut oils so it’s more healthy for you than butter and shortening but it’s not very good for baking cookies as it doesn’t trap air when creamed with sugar. However, it is sometimes used in cakes to create a soft moist texture.
Substitutions:
Butter for Shortening (vice versa) can be used in equal parts for cookie/baked recipes. This substitution is a no-no for frosting recipes. Can you imagine the taste? Yuck!
Vegetable Oil for Butter in cake recipes. Keep in mind that vegetable oil is 100% fat and butter is only 80% so you may want to adjust the ratios accordingly. Do not substitute for cookie recipes as butter solidifies as it cools but vegetable does not.
*Notes: I’m not an expert. This is all just info I’ve found around the web.
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