SHORTENINGS

Shortening refers to the fat and oils that are used in food production to make the food
products soft and juicy They are made up of fatty acids and glycerol, and are also regarded
as triglycerides. Fats tend to remain solid at room temperature and on heating them they melt
and turn into liquid. Lard (kidney region fat), suet (beef, mutton or any other animal fat),
butter, margarine and hydrogenated fat are some of the examples of fats and oils used in
professional cookery Coconut oil, peanut oil, mustard oil, sunflower oil, etc. are commonly
used oils.

Composition: These consist of glycerol and fatty acids. Glycerol is a syrupy liquid that is
more heavy than water and tastes sweet. Specific glycerol density is higher than water, with
shortenings less than water. The weight ratio of 01 gm of substance and the same weight of
water is the specific density. Shortening is insoluble in water and emulsification will be
required if these two are to be mixed. Emulsification is the process wherein two immiscible
liquids are mixed together by applying mechanical or manual force

Types of fats or oils

1. Butter. It is made from churning of cream and may be salted or unsalted. Is a good source
of vitamin A, D, E and K

2. Ghee: it is made by heating butter which is known as clarification process wherein the
butter is cooked till the milk solids gets separated which is later removed. It is not suitable for
baked products due to bigger crystals and is only used to add flavour to food

3. Margarine: it is made by emulsification of vegetable oil or animal fat, which is hardened

by addition of hydrogen which gives it a higher meting point and more stability. Is used in
baked products especially the ones made by creaming and lamination method

4. Lard: this is animal fat and is obtained from the pork, but due to health reasons the use of
this fat is restricted in professional kitchens

5. Suet: this fat is obtained from beef and is used in short crust pastries, but as of today the
products are made from butter rather than suet

7. Vegetable fats: It is produced from sunflower, soyabean, almonds, sesame seeds, cotton
seeds, olive, groundnuts, hazelnuts etc. and shortenings which are liquid at room temperature.
These have very high fat content & are good sources of energy. Olive oil is considered as the
best owing to its flavour. Herbal oils are produced by putting thyme, oregano basil etc. in the
oil and leaving them for 3 weeks so that the flavour from hem can be infused in the oil.

Smoke point: the temperature of the oil at which it starts to emit the smoke from it when
heated is called smoking point.

Storage of fats and oils

 ! Oils should be stored at room temperature
! Avoid storing among strong smelling foods
! Shortenings containers must be kept closed.
! Should not have water/moisture or else they will splatter on heting which may lead to
fire and burns

Roles of shortening
! Improves the nutritive value of foods.
! Improves the flavour of dishes.
! Helps to retain moisture in food
! They increase the volume of products
! They improve the appearance of the dish.
! Acts as food preservative.
! Fats give elasticity to dough.