Shortening

[Infidel]

Kaiser- these were the recipes I was looking at. Am no chef, just a home-cook who gets hungry late at night.

http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/Authe...anTortilla.asp
http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/Tortillas.asp
http://bread.allrecipes.com/az/TortillasII.asp

Not sure if they're good recipes or not, but that same site yielded me some killer crepes and yummy pikelets.

Kuan- Don't think rice-paper would be thick enough, I wanna stuff these bastards full of meat and chilis.

Skilletlicker- Great username. Crisco sounds like an interesting product and we do get a lot of imported goods here, so will look for it. I already have Canola and Olive oils, perhaps one of these would work. Thanks for the recipe. I have baking powder.

Will stop asking dumb questions now, burn one, and then get to work on my tortilla dough experimentation.

[Pete]

I disagree that lard is "barbaricaly unhealthy". It really isn't that much more unhealthy then any other fats. There is even major concerns now about about the artificial fats such as margarine, solid "shortening" etc. They are finding that they are as unhealthy as butter and lard. The key is moderation. A few tortillas, containing a few grams of lard, now and then is not that unhealthy. Besides, there is a world of difference, in taste, between tortillas made with lard and tortillas made with other fats. I really prefer the tortillas made with lard.

And, Infidel, no question is ever dumb. We are always here to help with any cooking question you might have, whether it is complicated or simple.

[Infidel]

Yeah, you're right. I needn't worry about a lickle bit of lard, and it'll be much easier to find than ******* shortening.

Considering all the other unhealthy pastimes I have the last thing I should be concerned with is my tortilla's fat content.

Thank you for all the advice. I like this forum, and so much less fighting than in other forums where I post.

[foodnfoto]

Actually, and surprisingly, lard is better for you than either shortening or butter. It has fewer saturated fats than butter, and about the same level of cholesterol. However, it has fewer of the properties that cause your body to produce more of the bad cholesterol in response to digesting it than either shortening (really, really high levels of bad cholesterol producers) or butter.

I'm not suggesting you go out and eat a pound of lard for lunch, just don't freak out if you find it as an ingredient in some foods.
Try making flakey pastry dough with it instead of Crisco or butter. Work's great, makes the flakiest dough, and lends better flavor!

[gonefishin]

I think lard has just gotten a bad reputation...much like Crisco has as well. People are throwing these (and many more ingredients) under the train. Setting aside the fact that when they buy pre-made pie crusts (and other foods), They seem to have NO regard of the ingredients or what goes into the "food" they're buying.

Quality (where I live at least) seems to take a back seat to what is popular. I'd much rather eat a nicely prepared dinner with quality ingredients which may include some lard, bacon drippings, duck fat or ??? instead of some prepared meal from the grocery store. I look at it as a form follows function thing. Good food will follow good ingredients. But through marketing campaigns and ease of use...good food does not always follow the current trends in home cooking (or restaurant cooking)

have a nice day

[skilletlicker]

I make flour tortillas with lard, but have also used shortening (Crisco), bacon grease, soybean, corn and canola oil.
Infidel, It's OK use lard, it's also OK to abstain.

[Jock]

The most popular brand of lard here in the Bay Area is called Manteca and it, like Crisco, is partially hydrogenated. And we all know that regardless of any other quality the fat may have, hydrogenated fats are really bad. I avoid them as much as possible.
This is no help to Infidel out there in Bangkok but Whole Foods and other health food stores sell a non hydrogenated shortening made by a company called Spectrum. It looks like Crisco but has a slightly less creamy texture. Works for me!

Jock

[AprilB]

Like Crisco (which is just a trade name)

I've found Crisco in Japan, Guatemala and Australia...

It doesn't behave like oil in a recipe.

Lard in a naan, flatbread or tortilla recipe would be my second choice.

You can't use oil in a recipe calling for shortening.

It just doesn't work.

I'm certain that somewhere in Bankok there is an establishment that carries something similar.

April

[Infidel]

I came across a tub of Crisco here today. Seems I can find pretty much everything in Bangkok now (plus a lot of "interesting" stuff that's not available elsewhere).

I no longer fear lard so will try that in the future. I eat and drink all sorts of fattening crap, foie-gras, scotch, brownies, etc, so it'd be foolish to worry about a little lard in my tortilla mixture.

All I need now is a rolling-pin and it's tortilla time.

Thank you all.

[Pete]

All I need now is a rolling-pin and it's tortilla time.

Rolling pins work fine, but if you are planning on making them often, you should look into buying a tortilla press. You can find them through the internet and are usually pretty cheap.

[skilletlicker]

Thanks to Infidel for starting this conversation. It’s caused me to experiment a little and to my surprise I’ve discovered that not withstanding AprilB’s assertion that it just won’t work, I prefer tortillas made with white whole wheat flour and extra virgin olive oil to my old AP and lard variety.

[Infidel]

Peter- I don't need a tortilla press.

This is just an odd phase I'm going through. I'll probably make them once or twice then forget all about them.

Skilletlicker- What is AP?

[skilletlicker]

Originally Posted by Infidel

Skilletlicker- What is AP?

Sorry, I meant all-purpose flour.

By the way you said earlier;

I no longer fear lard so will try that in the future. I eat and drink all sorts of fattening crap, foie-gras, scotch, brownies, etc, so it'd be foolish to worry about a little lard in my tortilla mixture.

To my way of thinking,healthier tortillas make it OK to drink more scotch.

[Infidel]

Originally Posted by skilletlicker

To my way of thinking, healthier tortillas make it OK to drink more scotch.

That's for sure!

[Pete]

Scotch with tortillas? Are you a barbarian???? The only thing to drink with tortillas is a great tequila like Patron or Don Juilo, or maybe a good mexican beer like Dos XX or Negro Modelo!