Okay, I know that crisco buckled and is made differnt now,
I have the choice between it and some cheap stuff at walmart.
The other stuff starts with an A and I'm pretty sure its first ingrediant is 'lard' (I'll go dig through the barn and see if I can find a container for it, we buy it when we are fatting up the 4-H broilers)
which is 'hi ratio'?? or should I try to find something else.
I am really not big on paying alot to order sweetex unless I have to. ?? I can try other stores..
Don't use lard...that's animal fat. You want vegetable shortening that has a trans fats (hard to find nowdays). I've heard that the cheap Walmart brand of vegetable shortening is good to use. I've used regular Crisco sticks and have not had a problem at all. I've also purchased CK Hi Ratio shortening and it is excellent for icing. Whatever i use, i beat the shortening for more than 5 minutes, until it is silky smooth.
Neither Crisco, or store brands of shortening you find in the grocery store will be Hi Ratio.
There is a difference between trans fat free, which is what Crisco has been for a good 3+ years and hi ratio.
Sweetex is hi ratio, I am sure there are other brands out there but I don't know the names off the top of my head. If you have a cake supply store in the area you may be able to find hi ratio there.
I use Crisco myself. I tried Walmarts Great Value brand, once. I didn't like the buttercream made with it. It was the first time I had the greasy mouthful and it was softer to work with. I actually threw the can of GV shortening out after making one recipe and went back to Crisco.
TexasSugar, do you use the crisco without the trans fat? Does it perform any different than the old did? Another name for the hi ration is Alpine.
Texas, I am using crisco, I just wonder if maybe that is why mybuttercream doesnt always crust.
I fiqure it has to do with the humdity and such here in East Texas.
Thats why I am trying to find something to use.
I do cream my crisco and butter for a long time before I start to make thefrosting.
and unfortunatly, I live in the middle of nowhere, no cake stores around. Basicly, if it doesnt come from walmart or brookshire bros, I'm screwed. LOL
I was going to try sugarshacks recipe, and wondered if I could buy anything around here in place of sweetex and honestly, I dont understand the whole lard/shorting/ etc thing.
And I'm a southern cook all the way. I fry EVERYTHING- including my vegtables.. LOL But I do use just good old Oil...
Donna, if you have bought Crisco in the last 2-3 years, you have been using the non trans fat Crisco.
I use it all the time with out a problem.
Chel, have you tried using all Crisco instead of adding the butter? I'd start with that before looking for the hi ratio. I've see posts on here about Sharon's recipe being made with out hi-ratio, so I'm pretty sure you can do it with just Crisco.
Have you tried Indy's recipe as well?
Texas I did try indy's, my husband said it tasted like divinity. I did like it, I might try it again. It crusted well, of course, I did a single layer, just a 9X13 cake with it, toted it to town, (had done a CUTE paper towell pattern on it that always baffles my friends and family.) and I drove it to town, and I guess I didnt have enough support and it cracked and looked awful. I really didnt even want to bring it in. 
But your right, I think I am going to forgo the butter altogether. It might be my biggest problem.
I too live in East Texas and the humidity is horrible! I used to use Crisco for my buttercream and did get mine to crust by putting meringue powder in it but when I started using Hi-Ratio (Sugarshack recipe) it was a complete difference. Hi-Ratio (Sweetex) is not greasy like Crisco. In fact, I just ordered 2 boxes (50 lbs. ea.) tonight! Wanted to get enough to last until cooler weather - some companies don't deliver when it gets too hot. I found a website that sells it alot less than competitors - fondant source dot com. Where I live you can't find anything either and it's 2 1/2 hours south to the cake supply store - I usually order off the internet now.
Wanda
Alpine and Sweetex are hi ratio shortenings.
Armour is one brand of lard (it's the brand I use for pie crust and biscuits) -- which is rendered pig's fat.
Pretty much all of the shortening in the grocery stores is trans fat free now. NONE of it is hi ratio.
Have you read the buttercream sticky? It has a lot of info in it that might help you. I know I add meringue powder and cornstarch to mine to help it crust and prevent bleeding (2T meringue powder and 4T cornstartch for 4 lbs. of powdered sugar). I know this isn't specific to the shortening issue, but I read your other thread. I don't use butter in my buttercream, I use all shortening. I don't have central air so warm/humid weather can make it nearly impossible for me to get my icing smooth.
Yep , Armour is what I feed the chickens..
cocobaby, I might just have to break down and buy it off the net. I'm not even sure if beaumont has a cake store, I know Lufkin doesnt.
cheatize, yeah, I read the sticky. and indy debs does have merangue powder. It took me forever to find that. LOL Luckly walmart started to carry it. and OH LORD, we couldnt live with out AC> LOL
Chelle,
There is a cake supply store- it's in Orange called Sweet Temptations. My daughter found it and bought me some Isomalt. She said it was small. I usually go to Cake Craft Shoppe in Sugarland. Sheila has a lot of stuff!! She does sell a hi-ratio shortening (Supra Preminum) in a 3 lb. bucket. It was 9.99 the last time I bought it - it's been awhile. I figured it would be more economical to get the 50 lbs. for $85.
Your right Lufkin has nothing but Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby. That's why I have to go to the "Big City" or order online.
Wanda
Has anyone heard of SuperHymo hi-ratio shortening? I found a website that sells it for $63.25 for 50 lbs. They also carry sweetex z for $86.15 for 50 lbs. The company is called foodservicedirect.com. Have you heard of this? I don't like to try new companies without advice for this much shortening. Any help would be appreciated. I also wonder what the "z" stands for in the sweetex. Thanks 
Last time I needed more shortening, I noticed that my store brand had switched to trans fat free. I dug on the back of the shelf and bought the last container that still had trans fat in it. Looks like I may need to buy high ratio from my local cake supply from now on. I'm a hobby baker who just does a few cakes a year, so it's not practical for me to buy or store 50 lbs of it at a time, so I'll have to buy their 1 lb packs, which are a lot more expensive per lb. First I'll check my other local stores to see if I can find some that still has trans fat, but I'm not holding my breath.
I have tried the trans fat free crisco, and it just doesn't work as well for me in my buttercream as the old stuff did.
Believe me....the difference between regular shortenings and hi-ratio shortening like Sweetex or Alpine is amazing! The cosistency, taste and handling of icing made with hi-ratio is so superior to regular shortenings.
Do you have any type of food service supply near you? Chances are they stock or can order hi-ratio shortenings for you. I get 50 pounds of Sweetex from Gordon's Food Service for about $85 and its worth every penny!
Hi-ratio shortening icings will also let you add a lot more in the way of add-ins such as fruit purees or liqueurs without noticeably thinning your icing….regular shortening icings not so much so!
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