Shortening facts for kids

Strutto, a common (in Italy) shortening made from pork fat

Shortening is a special kind of semisolid fat that's often used when you're baking yummy treats like cookies, pies, and cakes. It's called "shortening" because it helps make baked goods crumbly and tender, instead of chewy or tough. Think of it like a secret ingredient that makes your cookies melt in your mouth! Unlike butter, which has some water in it, shortening is 100% fat. This means it can do a great job of making things crispy and light. It also doesn't need to be kept in the refrigerator, and it's usually cheaper than butter.

How Shortening Works in Baking

Shortening is amazing because it stops something called "gluten" from getting too stretchy. Gluten is a protein found in flour. When you mix flour with water, gluten forms long, stretchy chains. These chains are great for making chewy bread. But for cookies or pie crusts, you want something that breaks apart easily. Shortening gets in the way of these gluten chains forming. This makes your baked goods light, flaky, and crumbly.

What Shortening is Made From

Most shortening today is made from vegetable oils. These oils go through a special process called hydrogenation. This process changes the liquid oil into a solid or semisolid fat. It's what gives shortening its smooth, creamy texture. In the past, this process created something called trans fats.

Trans Fats and Health

For a long time, shortening contained trans fats. Scientists found that eating too many trans fats could be bad for your heart. They could increase the risk of heart attacks. Because of this, food makers have worked hard to create new ways to make shortening. Now, most shortening you find in stores has very little or no trans fats. This makes it a safer choice for baking.

Why Use Shortening?

Shortening has several cool benefits that make it a favorite for bakers:

• High Fat Content: It's 100% fat, unlike butter which is about 80% fat and 20% water. This means you get pure richness in your baking.
• High Smoke Point: Shortening can get much hotter than butter or many oils before it starts to smoke. This is great for frying or for baking at higher temperatures.
• Longer Shelf Life: Shortening lasts a long time without needing to be refrigerated. This makes it easy to store in your pantry.
• Cost-Effective: It's often cheaper than butter, which can save you money when you're baking big batches of treats.
• Texture: It's excellent at creating very tender, flaky, and crumbly textures in things like pie crusts and biscuits.

Images for kids

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  A 1918 advertisement for shortening

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  A triglyceride molecule, the main constituent of shortening

See also

In Spanish: Grasa alimentaria para niños