I need some advice and knowledge.  I use this cream cream frosting for my cakes, minus the shortening and it being all butter:

1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening 1 pound cream cheese, softened 1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract 3 1/2 pounds sifted confectioner’s sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt

As you may be aware of, butter and other dairy prices are going up.  I've heard of people using hi-ratio shortening for frosting cakes, but I've never tasted it.  A place near me sell the 50 lb container of Sweetex, so I don't have to worry about shipping.  The butter price per pound is about 1.5 times more than the hi-ratio shortening.  So my question is as follows:

1. How does hi-ratio shortening taste compared to butter for frostings?  Is it a good replacement?  Does it taste like Crisco (I hate the taste)?  Would I need to add butter flavor?
2. Can you freeze hi-ratio shortening?  I place my cake in the freezer during the icing process to harden and help with with straightening the icing and covering cakes with fondant.
3. What's the shelf life for hi-ratio shortening?
4. The recipe above crusts, can all hi-ratio shortening crust?
5. Does hi-ratio shortening work for SMBC?  I've never seen that though

Thanks!

Hi ratio has a different texture (more smooth, melt in your mouth) than regular shortening but does not have the taste of butter at all. The taste is similar to shortening.

You can freeze it.

Shelf life I would say is same as shortening.

What makes the crust is the powdered sugar.

There are several SMBC recipes using hi ratio. I'm sure you can find them on Google.

I use half unsalted butter and half high ratio in my frosting which crusts.  I freeze the high ratio for months and months and it's fine.  If you are getting a 50 lb. high ratio from a supplier nearby, it is probably "fresh" and should have a 2 year shelf life.  It should have a date of manufacture right on the box--check it.

Don't use SMBC, so can't address that issue.

How well does American buttercream frosting with hi-ratio shortening work under fondant?  Can it get firm in the fridge to get straight edges for the fondant?

How well does butter flavoring taste with shortening, never used it?  Is it a good replacement?