I am just curious. In my class I was told to buy the generic because it has the transfat, but I want to try the zero transfat.

I have used both to experiment and it seems like the one with transfats made a smoother bc...not sure why. I'm sure there are folks on here who can explain the science of it though

I just figure...more fat=more good

I have yet to find a shortening with transfat, not even the store brands. Everyone says no transfat.

Super Target's house brand has transfat. I've tried the ones without it, and that results in a much looser consistency for me.

I use shortening very rarely, but when I do I use the no transfats. I haven't had any problems, so it's not worth searching for the with-transfats brands.

I almost never use shortening. I prefer butter. But this does depend on what you are using it for and where it will sit. As posted here before, if it is outside or hot weather, Indydeb's recipe works well. You don't need a shortening with transfat (or partially or fully hydrogenerated shortening) because the Dream Whip you put into the frosting for flavor has this ingredient in it. I had someone on this board swear that it is not the Dream Whip that causes it to crust, but I don't get a crust on my Wilton icing. So I don't know if it the icing crust because of transfat or not. Hopefully someone who makes this kind of icing more can chime in and help.

Spectrum brand has no trans fat. It is pricey and can be found in the organic or natural food section. At least in my area it can. I have not tried it yet, but will soon. I am going to see if I can get the same results as Indydeb's without adding the transfat I'll be using the Wilton recipe instead (basically does not add any meringue powder or dream whip). Otherwise, I am going to have to use the transfat shortening when needed. I personally won't eat it and rarely need to worry about something sitting out in the high heat, being a hobby cake person myself. But sooner or later we all run into that one instance where it is needed, so it's good to have a plan when the need arises.

After I posted I remembered the time I did need this. I was taking the Wilton class and it was a hot day with barely no AC in the room. On my first class I made SMBC for me and Indydeb's recipe for my DD. Mine was a bear to work with and practically melted off the cake. My DD's held up fine. I am taking the last class with Wilton in September and I'll be using Indydeb's or the Wilton recipe with shortening in that class. I am not going to take the risk of melting frosting in a learning environment ever again. I'll go for stability over ingredient preference every time.

As a relative newcomer, I've been trying different buttercreams and approaches to see what works. While I LOVE the butter/crisco buttercream best of all for taste, it's not the most stable or workable for every application in every season.

I tried the Cub Foods generic shortening, because it has transfats - but it gave my icing a yucky taste (vs. Crisco) and I couldn't see much difference. I threw the can of shortneing away. My favorite stable icing is one with a blend of CK hi-ratio shortening and Crisco. The texture is incredible and so different from anything else that I've made or used. It is perfectly smooth and goes on like a dream. It is not a crusting buttercream. I only use it under fondant.

In summary - the high ratio shortening definitely produces a different result. It's not that you can't make a fantastic icing without it. I just comes down to personal preference and the performance characteristics that you're after.

Here's my understanding --

More transfats allow more sugar to be absorbed creating a smoother texture. That's why everyone sings the praises of the high-ratio shortenings. I use a store brand (Food Lion) shortening and it works fine for me.

Crusting occurs when the sugar to fat ratio is correct. One cup fat (butter or shortening) to 1 lb sugar.

I use Crisco..no trans fat of course. It works fine with Indydebi's buttercream recipe. I remember reading a post that Indydebi made saying that when everyone started complaining about the removal of trans fat from shortening and how they were having trouble with their icing she was puzzled ( may not be the exact word she used..) but anyway she said that she never noticed ANY difference in her recipe with OR without trans fat in the shortening. May be the Dream Whip but her recipe IS NOT affected by it..or the absence of....I do use half in half in the recipe which does has more fat than regular milk but I've also used 2% milk and even with less fat from the milk her recipe does fine without trans fat shortening. Why I believe it may have something to do with the Dream Whip...I could be wrong but the DW is what is different about her recipe as far as ingredients.

I follow Sugarshack's recipe but with 1/2 butter, 1/2 crisco (no hi-ratio available), and it is soooo smooth and crusts very well.

I used to do wilton also and it crusted great just not as smooth. I just wanted to test out the recipes with transfat to see if there was a difference, but sadly cannot find any.

I know that the transfat is what keeps things solid at room temp. That is why I thought my instructor told us to use it. I have not tried making icing with the non-transfat version, that is why I was asking what experience people had with the non-trans fat version.

As for mine...everyone loves the way it tastes and the texture seems good to me as long as I don't over beat it.