Kitchen

[Desertdi]

I used to use Crisco for high-heat frying.........but gave that up years ago.

[Pook]

I've noticed that crisco doesn't last as long before breaking down.  While I use butter for most cookies I bake (and I bake a lot), there are some cookie recipes that do not turn out well without crisco.  My raisen filled cookie recipe needs equal amounts of butter, margarine and crisco to roll out nicely and not spread out or be hard when baked.  No other raisen filled cookie recipe even compares.  I also make several others that need crisco to come out right.    @AnikaBrodie Thanks for the freezing tip.  

[151949]

My Mom always used Crisco to make pie crusts and potato pancakes. Gosh , the awful stuff we ate back then!

[peachesncream]

Insomniac, I feel your pain. I have a few old recipes that use shortening. Butter is not a perfect substitute for shortening; the two perform differently in baking. Butter makes for more fragile cookies, for example, especially cut out cookies. Butter adds flavor, but I feel that it overwhelms other flavors in some recipes.

The new Crisco performs differently since almost all of the transfat was removed. I find that it leaves streaks in baked cakes, and toughens the texture. 

For piecrusts and biscuits, lard can be used. I haven't tried using it in other recipes, though. 

I've mostly moved to all butter cakes and cookies, but I can't say I'm happy about it. 

I've heard that Spectrum Shortening is both healthy and very good in recipes. I've been meaning to try it. It's not cheap, but if it works well, it would be a solution. 

[suzyQ3]

Professional bakers often recommend half butter and half shortening for the flakiest pie and best-tasting  crusts, and according to my chef/baker/husband, they are spot-on.

We buy the sticks and always check the expiration date because he makes pies no more two or three times a year.

[chickenbutt]

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proudlyfromNJ wrote:

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chickenbutt wrote:

I seldom use it either, mostly just to season cast iron (way better than using oil!), but even if I buy one of those really small cans it will go old with 90% of it still in the can.

I think it goes old faster than it used to, like a lot of food products.  If the environment is at all warm, it will go down super fast.

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@chickenbutt Do you season your cast iron with each use? Mine loses its seasoning when I use it so I use oil on the stove for awhile but it doesn't work. Should I use Crisco in the oven to season?

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To be honest, I haven't used my regular cast iron for a while now but when I was using it I would do the Crisco in the oven and it worked beautifully.

When I first got cast iron (Lodge I believe, none of mine is vintage), I got a paper with it that said to use oil so I did that but it just left it tacky and it was kind of awful.   Somewhere I had read that using shortening would be better and it really was.

I think I was doing this with every use, right after washing and drying it.  I don't cook as much now.  

[VanSleepy]

As to why someone would use Crisco instead of butter?  Some people cannot eat dairy and they'd like a cookie once in a while, too. 

[sabatini]

Hi @proudlyfromNJ!

Yes, do use Crisco to season your cast iron pan.

Since you said that it's lost its seasoning, do this:

1. Line the bottom rack of your oven with foil or a large, foil lined baking sheet to catch any drips.

2. Heat the oven to 125, and put the skillet on the middle rack of your oven, positioned over the foil. Let it heat up for 15 - 20 minutes, just to warm it & remove any moisture.

3. Turn the oven to 300, remove skillet, and wipe thoroughly inside & out with Crisco. It'll be slippery, so be careful not to drop it!

4. Put the skillet back into the oven upside down and bake for about an hour & a half.

5. Turn off the oven & let the skillet stay in there until it cools. Remove it and wipe as much of the remaining Crisco off of it.

That's it!

[PA Mom-mom]

In my experience, Crisco makes the best pie crusts. I buy the sticks and throw them out after a few months. I make about 8 pies per year, so I don't waste too much.

[Kachina624]

@PA Mom-mom  Why don't you try freezing your Crisco as another poster suggested?  Beats throwing it away.  I've heard lard makes mighty good pie crust but can't bring myself to buy it.