What's the Difference Between Lard and Shortening? (2024)

FAQs

What's the Difference Between Lard and Shortening? ›

The difference between lard and vegetable shortening is that lard is made of pure animal fat and shortening is made of vegetable oil. When vegetable shortening was invented in 1911, it was very appealing because it was affordable and shelf stable. It could also be used in place of lard with very similar results.

Generally, lard and shortening are interchangeable cooking fats with similar smoke points, fat content, and melting points. However, they're slightly better suited for different uses. Lard: Lard typically works best when deep-frying food, baking flaky pie crusts, or making masa dough for tamales.

By the late 20th century lard began to be considered less healthy than vegetable oils (such as olive and sunflower oil) because of its high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.

Is lard the same as Crisco? In a word, no, but they can be used for similar purposes. Lard is made from rendered pork fat, while Crisco is vegetable shortening made from palm oil and soybean oil. Crisco can be used in pie crust recipes and for frying.

The best choice of fat depends on the situation! If you're making a food that can use olive oil, then go with the olive oil to get the most unsaturated fats. But if the choice is between lard and a vegetable shortening (like in the case of tamales or baked goods), lard may be the healthier choice.

Similar to the shortening crust, the lard also produced a flat, crumbly pastry with noticeable greasiness. This one fared slightly better in the test because the lard provided more flavor than the shortening, with just a hint more richness. Still, we were unimpressed by the old-fashioned ingredient's performance.

Bacon grease can also be repurposed as a homemade lard. Traditionally, lard is made by rendering the fat from pigs. By saving up and rendering it, you can create a homemade lard that can be used in baking and cooking as a substitute for other animal fats or vegetable oils.

Lard also has cholesterol, she notes, as do all animal fats. And that 45 percent fat can still be a lot, depending on how much you eat. Add to this that lard sold in supermarkets is often hydrogenated, to make it shelf stable, and you've got a product with cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fat, too.

In fact, cooking with lard has many benefits, and more chefs are choosing lard over other traditional cooking oils or shortening.

If you do find high-quality lard, Cayaban said, it “offers more flavor compared to Crisco” and other shortenings. Additionally, “lard gives you a nice color,” said Charles Trexel, the executive chef at Baker's Cay Resort Key Largo in Florida.

Can I buy lard at the grocery store? ›

Supermarkets: Processed, or shelf-stable, lard is available at most large grocers. Look for it in the baking aisle, near the shortening. You're most likely to find it in paper-wrapped blocks or in buckets. Local butcher: This is your best option for finding rendered lard, maybe even leaf lard.

The main difference between suet and lard is that suet is the hard white fat we obtain from cows and mutton while lard is the semi-solid we obtain from pigs. Suet has not undergone rendering while lard has undergone rendering.

There is a pervasive myth that animal fats increase the risk of heart disease. Our great, great grandparents consumed lard and butter and experienced extremely low rates of heart disease. There is no evidence that saturated fat consumption raises the risk of heart disease.

Choosing between shortening and lard comes down to personal preference. Both create a flaky, tender crust, are semi-solid, and are 100% fat. Swap one for the other in recipes. If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice.

Lard doesn't have to be refrigerated after opening, but it will last longer if it is. It will last up to a year or even more in the fridge and about 4 to 6 months at room temperature. It's important to close the lid tightly when you store lard, though.

If you don't have lard, vegetable shortening is an ideal substitute. Made from hydrogenated vegetable oil, vegetable shortening has the same congealed, gel-like consistency and white hue as lard and emulsifies just as easily into corn masa.

Shortening is made from solidified vegetable oil. When it comes to cooking applications or frying savory items such as stir-fries, you can absolutely use shortening instead of oil by simply allowing it to melt in the pan before adding the ingredients.

To make lard, start by cutting pork fat into 1-inch cubes and grinding them into small pieces using a food processor. Next, fill a heavy pot or dutch oven with 1/4 inch of cool water before adding the fat. Then, cover the pot and place it in a 225° Fahrenheit oven for several hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Just when you thought shortening couldn't get any more useful, we made it into easy-to-measure baking sticks. Crisco^® All-Vegetable Shortening is ideal for baking and frying.