The Joy of Fat

Whether you're making a flaky pie crust, a mouthwatering cookie, a fluffy pastry, or a decadent cake, your culinary creation is going to require a healthy dose of fat. Choosing the right fat for the right dessert can make all the difference between a delectable dessert and a disappointing disaster. Today's post will explore the seven most common fats found in baked goods and help you choose the perfect one for any recipe.

The Solid Fats

Butter

Butter is the ultimate staple baking ingredient. It plays a key role in giving baked goods body, texture, and flavor. Butter's main function is to give a batter or dough structure by creating pockets of air. That's why many cookie recipes begin with creaming the butter: Creaming incorporates air into the butter, creating tiny bubbles. Leavening agents such as baking soda or baking powder will later expand these bubbles, giving the finished product a light, fluffy texture. For best results, experts recommend creaming your butter for at least three minutes to ensure that it is adequately aerated.

One quandary faced by cooks when choosing butter is whether to buy the salted or unsalted variety. While salted and unsalted butter can generally be used interchangeably, there are a few differences between the two to keep in mind. Salted butter will obviously add more salt to your recipe, so you may have to reduce the amount of salt the recipe calls for so the flavor of the end product isn't affected. Although salted butter has a longer shelf life, it contains more water than the unsalted version which means it can't hold air pockets quite as well. Therefore, when you're making delicate pastries that depend on achieving the lightest, fluffiest texture, unsalted butter will probably give you the best possible results.

Shortening

Shortening is a relatively new addition to the culinary world. Unlike butter, which has been used for hundreds of years, shortening was created in the 1870's by hydrogenating vegetable oils to create a solid fat. Crisco, the most popular brand of shortening in the United States, began commercially producing shortening in 1911.

Shortening has a much higher melting point than butter which allows it to help cookies and other baked goods develop volume. Many cookie recipes call for using a combination of butter and shortening because while butter provides excellent flavor, cookies made only with butter may turn out a little flat due to butter's low melting point. Because shortening doesn't melt until after the cookies have already risen and set, it helps them hold their shape. Another distinct trait of shortening is that it doesn't contain any water. As a result, gluten in the flour isn't able to expand as much, and this gives baked goods made with shortening their signature tender texture.

Because shortening is made from hydrogenated oils, it has received negative attention in recent years as studies have highlighted the health risks posed by trans fats created during the hydrogenation process. In response, all major shortening companies have changed their formulas to reduce the amount of trans fat in their products. A few specialty brands have managed to create a shortening that contains no trans fat at all, so shortening has actually become a somewhat more healthy way to add fat to recipes.

Lard

Before shortening became a common household ingredient, lard was the main alternative to butter when it came to baking. Lard and shortening serve almost identical purposes in baking. However, lard lost popularity over the years as shortening became cheaper and more readily available. However, some cooks insist that only lard should be used in pie crusts or biscuits to give them a perfect, light, flaky texture. Lard and shortening can be used interchangeably, although there is a slight flavor difference between the two. Shortening is unflavored, but lard will add a subtle meaty or nutty flavor to baked goods.

Margarine

Margarine is made by hydrogenating vegetable oils, similar to the process used to create shortening. Unlike shortening, margarine does not have a high melting point, and it still contains a fair amount of trans fat. Margarine is not a good substitute for shortening or butter because it lacks shortening's volume-preserving properties and butter's rich flavor. Unless a recipe specifically calls for margarine, it's generally best to avoid using it in baking.

The Liquid Fats

Liquid fats are used in baking to reduce stickiness, retain delicate flavors, and provide a moist texture. While liquid fats can't hold air like their solid counterparts, liquid fats are frequently used in cakes, muffins, brownies, certain breads, and other baked goods that don't necessarily rely on aeration. Liquid fats come in an enormous variety of forms, but the three most commonly used in baking are canola oil, vegetable oil, and olive oil.

Canola Oil

Canola oil is a very popular all-purpose oil. It has a bland flavor, so it won't interfere with the flavors of other ingredients in baked goods. This is especially important with delicate flavors like vanilla that can easily be overpowered.

Vegetable Oil

"Vegetable oil" typically refers to soybean oil. Like canola oil, soybean oil has a neutral flavor that won't affect the taste of the finished product. Overall, vegetable oil is extremely similar to canola oil, although canola oil does contain more potentially beneficial compounds like omega-3 fatty acids.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is quite a bit less common in everyday baking than canola or vegetable oil due to its much stronger flavor. While some cooks enjoy the olive aroma in cakes and cookies, most prefer to use more neutral oils in baked goods. However, certain breads are excellent candidates for being made with olive oil. Olive oil gives bread a denser texture than other liquid fats and can provide a more complex flavor.




Fat is an essential component to almost all baked goods, and by understanding the subtle differences between commonly used fats, you can alter the texture and flavor of your recipes to suit your tastes. Whether you use butter, shortening, lard, or your choice of liquid fat, with a little background knowledge you can create treats that are simply divine.