While doing my grocery shopping this week, I decided to check out the store brand of shortening.
It listed the trans fats as 2grams per serving size (1T). Does this qualify it as hi-ratio? If not...does anyone know how many grams of trans fat per serving qualifies a shortening as hi-ratio?
I'm not getting good results from Crisco since it took the trans fats out and I'm desperate for a good replacement. I really don't want to have to order it and pay high shipping costs.
As always, I appreciate your help 
Good question. I've been using a store brand (WM) that is 2 grams of trans fat & it seems to work just fine. However, I am curious as to what a difference the "real" stuff might make.
Good question. I've been using a store brand (WM) that is 2 grams of trans fat & it seems to work just fine. However, I am curious as to what a difference the "real" stuff might make.
Hi-ratio has nothign to deo with trans-fat.
Emulsified/High-ratio shortening, also known as cake or icing shortening, is a micro-emulsified product that can absorb more sugar and liquid than regular shortening. It gives a finer and smoother texture to cakes and help keep them moist, as well as keeps icings stable. It gets its name because it is used by bakers in recipes where there is a high sugar to flour ratio.
Where can you ge hi-ratio shortening, can you only get it from cake supply stores ?
[quote="PinkZiab"]Hi-ratio has nothign to deo with trans-fat.
Oh, o.k. thanks. I just kept reading so many posts about crisco removing the transfats from it's product and how people were purchasing store brands because they still have transfats, that I figured that was the difference between a hi-ratio and regular shortening.
So I guess I wasted my $5 on the store brand that I bought yesterday with 2grams of transfats in it. It'll probably taste like pooh
Well, I'll keep searching for that local supplier of hi-ratio.
I have been wanting to know this myself. I saw that Walmart has a store brand that as 2 grams of trans fats too. Does this qualify as hi ration? If not, how many of grams per T. makes it qualify as hi ration? Please, someone help!
Amy, read my post above... trans fat content has no relation to whether or not a shortening is hi-ratio. Hi-ratio/high ratio shortening will be explicitly labeled as such. Some cc'ers have been able to find it in local supermarkets, but it's generally only available through foodservice/cake/bakery suppliers. Many online retailers also carry it but may not ship until the fall due to the heat.
I bought the Great Value brand at Walmart and it has 0 trans fats. What brand did you guys buy there?
Although hi ratio and shortening with trans fats may not be the same, if you can still buy regular shortening with trans fats, you're one up on those who are stuck with Zero trans fats vegetable shortening!
There are just so many posts about 0 trans fats icings breaking down easily. It makes sense that the "sturdier" trans fats help an icing emulsion hold together better. With 0 trans fats, the emulsion breaks down more readily, especially when it's warm. The liquids and other fats just have good bindings in place so that they stay together.
No reason that a store brand with trans fats should "taste like poo". It'll be fine!
I switched to hi ratio because I have easy access to a wholesale supplier---it's actually cheaper for me than Crisco. If it turns out that I ever can't get it--I'll find a store brand with trans fats in it like that!
Rae
Thanks Rae,
After reading so much on CC about trans-fats store brands verses Crisco, I figured there had to be some advantage to having trans-fats in the shortening.
I made a cake yesterday and iced it using the store brand trans-fat shortening in my icing and it did hold up better and didn't have that "glisten" that my bc with Crisco has been having lately.
So I'm very happy about this 
And, you're right it didn't taste like POO 
LOL!!!
So can anyone suggest what we can do with all the cans of Crisco sitting in the pantry waiting to be made into buttercream? I made 2 batches a few weeks ago and it was like whipped topping. Not good for icing my cakes. Where or who now has shortening with trans fat in it other than buying a hi-ratio shortening.
So can anyone suggest what we can do with all the cans of Crisco sitting in the pantry waiting to be made into buttercream? I made 2 batches a few weeks ago and it was like whipped topping. Not good for icing my cakes. Where or who now has shortening with trans fat in it other than buying a hi-ratio shortening.
If you use indydebi's recipe, found on this site, the 0 trans fat crisco should work fine
Someone on here uses a package of dream whip powder topping mix added in with the Crisco to replace the fats. I switched from Crisco and went with a high ratio. It's hard to get though, I have someone who orders it from a resturant for me. It makes me mad that we have to keep adding more ingredients such as dream whip to have stuff turn out and each thing we add ups the cost to make it. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......... Does the recipe I hear mentioned on here butter dream or something is that it? Maybe check the recipe archives. But Indydebi still uses Crisco with no problem maybe check how she does it.
debster, the recipe I think you are referring to is called Indydebi's Crisco-based Buttercream icing. It's in the recipe section of this site (if I were computer smart I'd be able to copy the link here, sorry still learning)
I tried it last week (the recipe), at first I had a problem with it having a Gritty or Grainy consistancy to it. I think it was the Dream Whip, it was as if it wouldn't "melt" into the icing. I followed her recipe exactly. The next day approx. 30 hrs after I made the icing and frosted the cake, I tried a piece and it was better. For some reason the texture was more smooth than it was when I first mixed it.
I liked indydebi's icing very much, however to me it is more of a "whipped" consistancy, not a buttercream like I'm used to. I'll use it as another type of icing but not as a replacement for my regular BC.
I made my usual half shortening/half butter BC with the shortening with 2grams transfat per serving that I bought, and the results were better. No oily, glistening look like with the Crisco.
I keep trying all sorts of things, I've ordered Brite White Icing Base, which is an icing stabilizer, when that comes in I'll try that. It's supposed to make the icing less oily.
dkelly27................. I hope you find something that works, I know I loved Crisco and it was available it's cheaper and easy to get but truthfully not as good as the high ratio. I'm wondering now cause someone said that Crisco"had" to get rid of the trans fat and if that's so how much longer before the high ratio and the cheaper brands get rid of it. What a mess trying to play with recipes. I feel for you for I know what I went through. And if they mess with what I'm using now I'll be back in the boat with you. I hope you find a GREAT result for I may need it one day.
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