Wednesday, August 5, 2009

It's a matter of ......Shortening Powder

(Image courtesy of www.foodsubs.com/Fatsoils.html)

I am continuing our discussion on Food Storage "Powders". In previous posts, we have looked at Cheese Powders and Butter or Margarine Powder. Today's lucky winner is Shortening Powder.

You may wonder what it is made of. Well, here is a list: Partially hydrogenated soybean oil, nonfat dry milk, mono and diglycerides, whey, sodium caseinate, BHT. Now, can you really tell me that you know what all of these ingredients are? Unless you have a significant background in their field, I would venture to say that you don't.

How do these ingredients differ from the traditional ingredients of Shortening you can purchase every day at your local grocers? Well, the national Brand "Crisco" offers the following list: Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Mono-and Diglycerides. As we can see, several of the ingredients are similar

So, the next question that may come to mind is.....How do I use it? Well, if you choose to reconstitute it, following the directions on the package. Here are the directions for from "Preparedness Pantry":
To obtain optimum texture: Add 1/3 cup water to 1/2 cup Shortening Powder. Mix well. For moistness, add small amounts of water until desired texture is reached. For added flavor and texture, add about 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Walton Feed suggests the following: Add 1/2 cup water to 1/2 cup powder. For moistness add small amounts of water until desired texture. Add small amount of vegetable oil for added flavor and texture. May be used for baking.

Once it is open, it reportedly will not go rancid and lasts up to 5 years according to sources. Wow....5 years!
The LRH's sister reports the following: "Powdered shortening and powdered butter work very well for batter items like brownies and bar cookies. But when using this item for dough (i.e. drop cookies), the results were not satisfactory. There was not substance to them and they cookies came out thin and lacy".
Here is a recipe from http://www.beprepared.com/ that calls for Shortening Powder:

Ingredients :

1 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter or Dehydrated Peanut Butter Powder*

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Dehydrated Shortening Powder*

1 1/4 Cup Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp Dehydrated Whole Eggs*

2 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Ginger

1/2 Cup Water

(*Reconstitute before using.Follow directions on #10 can to reconstitute).

Preparation
Preparation1. Mix peanut butter, shortening, sugars, egg, and water in bowl until creamed.2. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.3. Mix well.4. Roll into 1 1/2" balls and flatten with a fork in a criss-cross pattern.5. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes.-Cookin' with Home Storage pg. 228


Get some today!

6 comments:

Lynness said...

I'm getting ready to try my shortening and butter powders from Walton Feed. The cans tell how to reconstitute, but do not give any equivalencies to regular shortening. Also, I plan to make dry mixes, so I didn't want to reconstitute before using, so the "go by texture" method won't help. Any thoughts? I've called Walton about this, they've called their supplier, no answer yet.

The Little Red Hen said...

I spoke with Leslie Probert at Education Week this past August...about this very thing. She reinterated that shortening powder is more suitable for cake-type baking. In my experience, I would suggest that you try it in your recipe first before making a great deal of mixes etc. That way you can see how much you might need by the recipe you are using. I hope this helps. Bestof luck

Anonymous said...

I use shortening powder every week in my bread making. I also make lots of different mixes once every other month or so. Shortening powder is by far on of my very favorite items. I use the same amount called for in a recipe, but I add it dry to the dry ingredients. I rarely notice a need for any additional water in my recipes.

The best thing about it is not having to measure the sticky substance and then wash a slimy utensil. I love the ease and economy of it as well. It really is cheap when you consider the "Crisco" type stuff going rancid fairly quickly. I seal mine up in my commercial vacuum sealer, but I am sure you could do it in a Food Saver or "Seal a Meal" type just as well. Hope this is helpful info - happy baking!!

The Little Red Hen said...

Thank you for your informative post Gabbybb. It's nice to hear from a "seasoned veteran" in using this product!

Anonymous said...

I'd like to know how to make my OWN powdered shortening. This is information that you'll never find by Googling. I know how to make my own gravy and other dry mixes but powdered shortening is an item that must be ordered online and pay high shipping for.

The Little Red Hen said...

I have not found any information on how to make your own shortening powder as it appears that it undergoes a special process in a manufacturing plant.

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