Shortening

Not all fats are bad for us, but too many saturated fats (ones derived from animals) can be bad news for your heart. Another fat on the naughty list are trans fatty acids. Commonly called trans fat, these are "the chemically-altered fats." Most trans fats are a side effect of partial hydrogenation of plant oils (companies use them to increase the shelf life of their products). Trans fat is neither required nor beneficial to our bodies, and eating trans fat can increase your risk of heart disease, miscarriages, and type 2 diabetes.

Some trans fats can occur naturally in small quantities in meat and dairy products such as beef, lamb, and butterfat. It's not clear whether these have the same negative effects on your cholesterol levels as the manufactured kind.

The American Heart Association recommends that less than one percent of your total daily calories should be trans fat. That means if you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, eat less than two grams a day.

There may be trans fat lurking in your foods without you even knowing. To find out why read more

Currently I'm obsessed with pie. Not only am I baking them, but I've also been researching the art of pie-making. The key to super wonderful flaky crust is very cold ingredients. Since most pie dough recipes have you add cubed butter or shortening to flour, I always make this my first step. I dice the butter or scoop the shortening and place it in a small dish. Then, I put this in the freezer while I prep the flour. It ensures that the fat is completely chilled.

Do you have a secret for making perfect pies? Please share it with us below!

While baking apple pie, I enlisted the help of my boyfriend, who took notice of the substantial amount of Crisco that was going into the pie dough. What exactly is shortening? he wanted to know. When I couldn't give him a solid answer (no pun intended), I decided it was time to find out.

The term shortening generically refers to any baking fat that's solid at room temperature, like butter and margarine. But more often, it describes a semi-solid fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oil that's used in baking to achieve a "short," or flaky, texture.

By adding hydrogen gas to vegetable oil at a high pressure and temperature, the flavorless substance goes from being a liquid to a solid at room temperature.

Although shortening has fallen out of favor in recent years because it contains trans fat, the ingredient remains a staple around the world for many reasons. It has a higher smoke point than butter or margarine, meaning it won't burn in a sauté pan. It also requires no refrigeration, and can lengthen the shelf life of baked goods. What do you use shortening for?

Source: Flickr User VirtualErn