Are shortening and butter the same thing?

SHORTENINGS / FATS & OILS

Fats are solid at normal temperature & melt when heated . For eg-Lard , Suet

,Drippings, Hydrogenated fat.

Oils are liquid at normal temperature but solidify at lower temperature. For eg:-

Coconut oil, Sesame oil, Cottonseed oil , Olive oil, Peanut oil ,Mustard oil ,Corn oil,

Sunflower oil.

Fats should be stored in a cold store or refrigerator in warm weather.

(A) BUTTER (LE BEURRE):- Butter must be kept away from strong smelling

foods. Butter is produced by churning fresh cream. 1 litre cream yeilds

approximately ½ kg butter.

Food value:- butter is an energy food as it has a very high fat content.

Quality:- The taste should be creamy & pleasant. The texture should be soft &

smooth. It must smell fresh. The colour of pure butter is almost white or pale yellow.

Fresh butter should be used quickly otherwise it goes RANCID (ACQUIRES AN

UNPLEASANT SMELL& TASTE) .

Uses:- Butter is used for most kitchen purposes where expenses have not to be

considered.

1. making roux for soups & sauces

2. Maitre d' hotel beurre -- it means creamed butter, chopped parsley , seasonings ,

lime juice mixed & put into a butter paper & then refrigerated. .M D H B is the

accompaniment for Pomfret Colbert.

3. Used for warm/ hot emulsion sauce Hollandaise.

4. Used for cakes.

5. Used for butter creams.

6. Used in vegetable preparations & pot roasting.

GHEE IS CLARIFIED BUTTER USED IN INDIAN COOKING.

(B) MARGARINE (LA MARGARINE):- Margarine is produced from milk & a

blend of vegetable oils emulsified with lecithin , flavourings , salt, colourings &

vitamin a &d.

Food value:-Margarine is an energy food & protective food . With the exception of

palm oil, the oils used in manufacture of margarine do not contain vitamin a&d ,

these are added during production . Margarine is not inferior to butter from the

nutritional point of view.

Compiled by Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji. 2

USE:- Margarine can be used in place of butter .The difference being that the smell

is not so pleasant & nut brown butter ( beurre noisette ) or black butter (beurre

noir) cannot be satisfactorily produced from margarine.

The flavour of margarine when used in the kitchen is inferior to butter , it is

therefore not so suitable for finishing sauces & dishes.

It should be remembered that it is equally nutritious & may be cheaper than butter.

ANIMAL FATS

Lard:- it is rendered fat from pig. It has almost 100% fat content.

Suet:- it is from the kidney regions of animals ( lamb ). Beef suet is the best.

Dripping:- it is obtained from clarified animal fats & is used for deep or shallow

frying.

OILS

EXAMPLES OF OILS:-

1) CORN OIL

2) SUNFLOWER OIL

3) SESAME OIL

4) ALMOND OIL

5) OLIVE OIL

6) ARACHIDE OIL ( GROUNDNUT OIL)

7) COCONUT OIL

8) SOYA BEAN OIL ----- LOW SHELF LIFE

HYDROGENATION OF OILS:- Whale oil, cottonseed oil , soya bean oil, peanut oil

etc are sold as SHORTENINGS of varying consistencies .The conversion of oil into

fat is brought about by a process known as HYDROGENATION. This consists of

treating oil under pressure & at a suitable temperature with hydrogen , in the

presence of a catalyst usually NICKEL.

Under these conditions the unsaturated fatty acids present in oil combine

with the hydrogen. This chemical process brings about a physical change , the liquid

oil becoming a solid fat. The varying consistencies are due to the process of

hydrogenation being stopped at different stages.

FATS ARE KNON AS SHORTENING AGENTS

THEY ARE USED AS A FRYING MEDIA.

THEY ARE ALSO USED TO ENRICH FOODS.

Collectively they are reffered to as shortening qualities . Their effect is to break

down or destroy the toughness of gluten.

So that the resulting product readily melts in the mouth .

Compiled by Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji. 3

THE FACTORS TO LOOK FOR IN SHORTENINGS ARE:-

1) Creaming value-it affects the cake volume .

2) Shortening value -- crispness in wafers.

3) Stability-keeping quality.

4) Consistency- hardness in puff pastry & softness in cake making.

5)Water absorption power- emusification.

RENDERING OF FAT :-

Rendering of fat is the process of melting to extract fat from fatty tissues .A good

supply of drippings can be obtained by rendering down suet, ( fat obtained from the

kidney regions of the sheep or beef).

THIS CAN BE DONE IN TWO WAYS:-

1)Cut the fat into small pieces & place in a baking tray / tin in a slow oven, until the

fat has melted & there are only crisp brown pieces of tissues left .Strain through a

fine cloth into a clean basin pressing the tissues to squeeze out all the fat.

2)Cut the pieces of fat as above method. Place in a pan without a lid & with very

little water .Boil until the water has evaporated & then heat gently , until the fat

melts & leaves only crisp brown pieces of tissue. Strain as before.

In both the cases the temperature should not be too high or else the fat will

decompose.

CLARIFICATION OF FAT---

This is a method of cleaning used fat . For this process put fat in a pan with enough

water to cover . Bring to a boil without covering . Strain & cool .Lift off the cake of

fat floating on the top, turn it upside down & scrape off any foreign particles

sticking to the bottom . The fat is then heated gently till it stops bubbling, to remove all water particles.

Scientific Food Center - Facts

Jordan-Amman

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