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SUBSTITUTE FOR CRISCO?

100K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  Iceman 
#1 ·
A lot of the food sites I follow and read are based in America, and I see Crisco used in recipes.  I have tried looking on the internet for advice for a substitute for Crisco, but thought I would ask here as well. 

What do you think is the best substitute for Crisco? 

Thanks.
 
#5 ·
Keep in mind, Kimmit, that crisco is itself a substitute.  It was originally a substitute for lard, but also butter.  It is used in "buttercreams" especially when they use a simple method like beating fat (crisco) with powdered sugar so they come out very white.  But the flavor is zero, it's like pure grease, no taste, so really, do you want buttercream not to taste of butter?

If you're making a cake, i would use butter. 

If you're making pie crust, you can use lard or butter - i always use mostly butter, but partly lard - lard makes the crust flaky but this is if you're making a brisee type crust, where you rub cold fat into flour and add water at the end.  You don't say where you live so i don't know what culinary tradition you're coming from. 

If you're making american biscuits, apparently lard is wonderful, but i rarely make biscuits, and always have used butter.  (But these are not british biscuits, which are what we call cookies, and with cookies, use butter)

In frying you can substitute oil. 
 
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#6 ·
Crisco is a brand name for an all-vegetable shortening.  If your store does not carry that brand, I would look for any other all-vegetable shortening available.  For pie crust, I would use lard. For cake frosting, I would use high-ratio shortening, if you can find it, and butter together for a more stable and creamier result. So, it depends on what you are making.
 
#9 ·
#11 ·
QUESTION:

When substituting butter for Crisco are the proportions 1 for 1?

And when a recipe calls for butter flavored Crisco, can you put in half

butter and half Crisco, or Crisco with butter flavoring added in?

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/img/vbsmilies/smilies/rollsmile.gifThank you!
 
#15 ·
Render it yourself. Maybe a little thicker then Crisco. Tends to be solid at room temp. Buy a block of leaf lard cut it into pieces lightly freeze and grind it. Then pop it in the oven at 215 degrees. The fat will render out. Strain it and store it. I use lard for a lot of things. Chicken fat is nice too. Duck fat is great as well. All depends on the application. Biscuits for biscuits and gravy I use lard. Biscuits for strawberry shortcake I use butter. Or ghee.
 
#22 ·
I'm not busting anyone out here ... but why use words/names like "pate brisee" and/or "pate sucree"?!? What regular home people are familiar with that type of vocabulary? "French pie crust" - "French tart crust" gets the point across a little easier I'm thinking.
Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart, quiche or pie. It does not puff up during baking because it usually contains no leavening agent. It is possible to make shortcrust pastry with self-rising flour, however. Shortcrust pastry can be used to make both sweet and savory pies such as apple pie, quiche, lemon meringue or chicken pie. Many shortcrust pastries are prepared using vegetable shortening, a fat food product that is solid at room temperature, the composition of which tends to create crumbly, shortcrust-style pastries and pastry crusts.
Now if you've just gotta know this stuff ... here:
Pâte à foncer is French shortcrust pastry that includes egg. Egg and butter are worked together with a small quantity of sugar and salt before the flour is drawn into the mixture and cold water added to bind it.
Pâte brisée is similar to pâte à foncer, but is lighter and more delicate due to an increased quantity of butter - up to three fifths the quantity of flour.
Pâte sucrée (sweetcrust pastry, sweet dough, or sweet paste) is made with the addition of sugar, which sweetens the mix and impedes the gluten strands, creating a pastry that breaks up easily in the mouth.
Pâte Brisée
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

Pâte Sucrée
Adding egg yolks, cream, and sugar transforms a standard crust into something almost cookie-like. Freeze the second crust for later use.
Ingredients:
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preparation
Whisk egg yolks and cream in a small bowl; set aside. Pulse flour, butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor until a coarse meal forms. With machine running, gradually add cream mixture; blend just to combine (do not overwork dough or crust will be tough).
Transfer dough to a large work surface. Knead just to incorporate, 4-5 turns. Divide dough in half; shape each half into a 1-inch-thick disk and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD Crust can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling out. Crust can also be frozen for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before rolling out.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Gonna bust your chops right back.... when you are looking up the recipes it is easier to type in and find the pate style crusts rather than a long drawn out name for one and two, when one looks those recipes up they find out what type of pastry they are and learn something new! (now as a person who is on a show to teach people things.....you should appreciate the logic) hehe Also, if you see the @BrianShaw link that I referred to you will see that you just repeated what he said and thanks for the wiki quotes!

Being a long time pastry chef trained in ol' France I will post the easiest crust recipes I learned French style:

Pate Sucree Makes one 8-10" tarte crust or one 9" pie base

250g flour (use siktet hvete mel flour is a perfect all purpose for these recipes)

100g confectioner sugar

A pinch of salt

110g unsalted butter, chilled

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Make sure butter is well chilled. Weigh the dry ingredients in a bowl, grate butter into dry ingredients and toss to coat the butter with flour. Form a well in the middle and add your eaten egg. Toss by hand to form a loose dough that is crumbly and just coming together. Press onto lightly floured surface, use rolling pin to roll to desired thickness.

Pate Brisee

250g flour

A pinch of sugar

A pinch of salt

125g unsalted butter, chilled

1 large egg yolk

Same method as above.

The crusts above are less rich yet just as good! Whatever recipes you chose, I would recommend to use siktet hvete mel flour as it is a perfect all purpose for these recipes.

The pastry you are talking about sounds a lot like a Frasier. Did it look somewhat like these?:

 
#24 ·
Thank you all so much for your replies as I cannot find Crisco here for pies . I don't really even want to use it I would rather have something more natural or relative to the pie making experience . I love baking and want to make the best pie possible . I have always used my grandmothers recipe . The recipes you have supplied will be enjoyed and all will be tried by me ! Thank you so very much ! Additionally , there is one more thing I have always wanted and have never been able to achieve . It is a cake that I always purchased for my birthday at a French pastry place . The cake layers were vanilla. Not very sweet but succulent and moist . The icing was also not too sweet and rather thin but slightly almond. The cake was layered with berries . I have been searching for such a cake for years . If anyone has an idea of such a cake please please let me know the bakery went out of business 10 years ago :( it was my birthday cake for 15 years .
 
#25 · (Edited)
OOOOKKKKKKKK ... I gotta run out right now and pick up a 'script for my wife. But let me tell you ... You (Fablesable) and I are throwin' down but good when I get back.
 
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