Ursprünglich eigentlich festes Pflanzenfett, aber im Zweifel ist es für das Backergebnis nicht übermäßig relevant, ob Du Butter oder Pflanzenfett einsetzt. Höchstens, wenn Du vegan backen willst.

http://www.onelook.com/?w=shortening&ls=a&loc...

Edit: Wie Du im Prinzip auch LEO hättest entnehmen können, dort findest Du als Übersetzungen u.a. Schmalz, Butter und Backfett

It's called 'shortening' because it makes the pastry 'short' (mürbe).

While I suppose any solid fat can be called shortening, it does make a difference whether you use one that's 100% fat (e.g. lard (Schmalz) or ghee (Butterfett)) or rather less (e.g. butter, which has a substantial water content). And of course it tastes different too. If the recipe says 'shortening', you'd be safest using Schmalz or a solid white vegetable fat.

The English Wikipedia entry says '"shortening" has come almost exclusively to mean hydrogenated vegetable oil.' 

 

I normally associate hardening with hydrogenation.

I had noticed that, too, MikeE. Odd. The products in Germany that I consider similar to shortening in the US very much appear to be hydrogenated, but I haven't looked at their ingredients recently.

#5: I wouldn't say that that is at all the case in US recipes. If they mean oil, they say oil. If they mean butter, they say butter (which can often be substituted with margarine). If they mean shortening, they mean a solid white vegetable fat. At times, they will tell you possible substitutions.

Contrary to #1, the choice of butter, shortening, oil or lard can sometimes make quite a difference in the results. While pie crust was traditionally made with pure white lard in the US, shortening (the solid white vegetable fat type) has come to replace it for many people, and the results do differ somewhat -- but both work similarly. Butter or oil can also be used in pie crusts, but the proportions of the recipe differ, and, in the case of oil, the way in which the dough is mixed together differs.

I do have a pancake recipe, though, that calls for melted shortening to be added to the liquid ingredients before adding them to the flour. I usually simply add oil to the liquid ingredients since it's easier.

@hbberlin: In Germany, we typically use butter or margarine for baking and not "shortening". There may be some exceptions where "Palmin", i.e. coconut fat (not coconut oil) is used, but that's about it. Thus, if I read "shortening" in an American recipe, I will typically substitute butter (I don't usually have margarine in the house). Since I will only rarely have tasted the "original" made with shortening I can't say whether there is a huge difference, but I can say that the results have always been more than satisfactory. Maybe the pastry is even flakier if you use lard or shortening, but I quite like mine as it is.

Oil is obviously going to be different because it is liquid - note that in #1 I wrote that the fat had to be solid. I would never attempt to make shortcrust pastry with oil since I guess that would just be a sticky mess. Rather, I use cold butter straight from the fridge, and when I have to handle the pastry I wash my hands with cold water beforehand so that it doesn't get too warm. Oil thus seems counter-intuitive.

@Dragon: I'm very much aware of what forms of "Fett" are used in German cooking, thank you. My comments were discussing how the various forms of fats are specified in US recipes.

Regarding Palmin -- I believe that I have found a brand that is a closer substitute to US-type shortenings here in Germany, but I'd have to head to the store I regularly shop at to find it.

Of course you're free to substitute shortening with butter if you find the results satisfactory, but sometimes such blind substitutions using that which is familiar can have "interesting" results -- such as when an acquaintance said to my German husband that the American recipe (already translated into German) for some canned-pumpkin-based baked good was awful. He was surprised, since he very much likes things like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bars made from US recipes, and he had an idea what when wrong. She read "canned pumpkin" and figured it meant that with which she is familiar -- the pickled, spiced pumpkin pieces in jars that are sold here. She drained the liquid and mashed the pumpkin. She had no idea that what was meant was a canned, unseasoned pumpkin puree that is sold throughout the US and is sometimes available here as an import item in certain stores (especially in the fall -- which reminds me: I have to keep an eye out for that. I believe that my stock is running short. Since we're likely hosting the family Christmas here in Berlin, pumpkin pie is called for. I suspect my husband will want me to make the ice cream based version, but I have to find an appropriate substitute for ginger snaps, which make up the crust. The pepparkakor from IKEA taste about the same, but may be a bit too thin.)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shorten - read the 3rd definition - add fat to make pastry tender and flaky.

In the US, Crisco is a brand-name product sold as shortening.

It looks like lard or Schmalz or Pflanzenfett https://www.google.com/search?q=pflanzenfett...).

The web site below gives advice for substituting the the Crisco-type white, butter-like, hydrogenated vegetable oil.

@Dragon, butter is the best substitute for shortening because it adds tremendous flavor. Shortening has a neutral taste, but does have properties that may be more suitable for certain recipes.

First, butter is 15% to 20% water (or milk) which browns during baking. So baked goods might have a darker color.

Also, cookies will tend to spread more because butter melts at a lower temperature, making the cookie dough "looser / more liquid" so the dough will spread out as the butter melts while baking.

Re #12: shortening is any fat - butter, lard, hydrogenated vegetable oils like Palmin, cocoa butter, palm kernel oil, etc - that is used in baking to keep baked goods "short" or flaky and tender.

That may be fine for a technical, theoretical definition of shortening, but in reality, when US recipes call for shortening, they typically mean a product like Crisco. Otherwise, they wouldn't occasionally say something like "1/2 shortening or butter."