Real Butter Versus Crisco - Flavor, Cost And Useage ??
Decorating By berryblondeboys Updated 24 Oct 2006 , 3:15pm by lemoncurd
Generally, I'm such a "natural is better" kind of gal. We eat lots of whole grains and fruits and veggies and I only use organic eggs and meats that are the equivalent of organic. Even the snacks we get I try to make them "less" evil and try to get baked versus fried and so on.
So, I cringe every time I open a container of crisco. I use it exclusively for my cakes as it doesn't require refrigeration and it's how I learned and it's what I've stuck with (for now for American cakes - I use butter and eggs for my European cakes - but those usually aren't decorated). I even use it for my pies as they taste good and are less complicated than the butter recipe I tried once.
I know Crisco works... but... natural probably tastes better, but how do you keep butter from melting? and doesn't the cost of using pure butter make it expensive? and will it pipe and crust and do everything as well as working with crisco does? I know several people use a combo of crisco and butter probably to get the benefits and flavor of butter but the less tempermental behavior of the crisco, but what about pure butter?
Lastly, do butter frostings no matter if all butter or 1/2 butter and 1/2 crisco need to be refrigerated?
Probably been asked a gazillion times, but I'm teetering back and forth here and just don't know if I should dabble into real butter. I'm pretty sure, in the past, that pie crusts were made from lard and frosting???? don't know...
Melissa
I use all butter Swiis Buttercream Icing. I do refridgerate. As far as cost a pound of butter runs about $3.29. Yes much more expensive but worthe every penny. My belief is that the body knows butter and knows how to rid your body of it.
I do use organics but not with butter. I do try to buy from well known distributors though. The store brands are made of pasturized cream. I notice a difference in those that use just cream.
Pound for pound, they cost about the same in my area (PA).
I use Crisco mostly for greasing my surfaces before rolling pastes, but I also use it when I make a batch of class decorator buttercream for practice.
I use French buttercream (all butter) for the base icing for my cakes, but it's not the only icing I use for cakes. I have a different recipe for my peanut butter icing.
It is a matter of your or your client's taste. If you plan on being in business, I suggest you offer both. Here, it would be a standard practice, whereas in larger cities you may not get a response to a Crisco-based icing.
Theresa 
I use the all-Crisco recipe for frosting if it's hot, or I need a solid frosting. (Use the Viva/paper/roller smoothing for this.)
I use half&half butter/Crisco if I can get away with a little softening.
I use all-butter if the taste is more important than a perfect finish. (Use the hot water smoothing for the all-butter.) This icing will smoosh...
If you live in a place you can keep butter out on the counter, you can keep the butter frosting out on the counter.
Hope this helps! 
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