I am new at making cakes for other people, so I have only recently started to think about different kinds of frosting. Before I only used 100% butter in all my products. Now, I am wondering about different kinds of fats.
Basically, in your opinion what are the reasons for using one over the other.
Does using shortening in your icing have any benefits other than stability?
Will an all butter icing hold up in the summer heat, as long as it does not have to be outisde. Meaning, will it not melt as you move it from air-conidioned car to location, assuming you will be outside unloading and loading the car, etc.?
Why do people use high ratio? Texture - taste? stability?
lastly, do you care about trans fats -do you feel any obligation to avoid serving them?
Obviosly people don't have to answer all the questions, these are just some things that have been on my mind, and I was curious to see what other people thought.
Here's an overview of the different types of frostings:
(Doesn't cover hi-ratio, however.)
http://tinyurl.com/7h44gu
Here's a thread on hi-ratio, American B/C made with hi-ratio, and a comparison of the different meringue b/c's along with recipes, includes info on purchasing hi-ratio:
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-220591-.html
HTH
i use regular shortening because its always worked for me. i tried hi ratio a couple of times but to me it left a greasy feel in my mouth when i tried the frosting and left everything elsevery greasy so i never tried it again
1/2 butter and 1/2 shortening, keeps your frosting from melting at 80 degree weather. As far as trans fats go, if there's a shortening out there that will be 0 trans fat and hold up like a good shortening does, go for it. As to any obligation to avoid serving them, they'll be eating air, because there's no way that something soft, creamy, sweet, good tasting is fat or calorie free. That's my thought anyway.
I usually use at least 1/2 butter in my frostings. The taste is alot better and it won't stick to the roof of your mouth as much with butter as with shortening. If it were cool weather, I'd almost use all butter in the winter except that some people (including myself) think the butter taste is a bit strong then. I kinda like a little shortening to calm down that flavor.
I change the amount of butter/shortening ratio depending on the temperature outside. Right now, we're having killer hot days here (100'+) and so I've been using more shortening than butter so it will hold up. I'd hate to see or hear about a one of my cakes melting in the heat 
I personally like the idea of the trans-fat free shortening. I haven't tried it with the Wilton buttercream frosting yet. I think that type of frosting is the one that has problems with the new crisco. My whipped frosting seems to hold up quite well with the new crisco.
I've never tried hi-ratio shortening before. I'd kinda like to try it just to see what it's like but I haven't seen it in the store around here and don;t really want to order it online or anything so just haven't gotten around to that.
i never use butter or margarine. i use crisco and whip my icing for at least 5 to 10 minutes. it comes out tasting like whipped cream.
What recipe do you follow? I follow the Wilton recipe and when I beat it longer then 5 minutes, the frosting starts to crust in the mixing bowl.
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