In some cases yes, it is made from hydrogenated fats. However it does depend upon the brand.
Yes, but trans fats and hydrogenated fats are really bad for you--watch out!!
Yes, you can. Lard (pork fat), tallow (beef fat) and other rendered animal fats (including bacon fat) originally, until the introduction of vegetable shortening, were called "short fats" or shortening. A result of the rendering process is that the portions of these fats that cannot be rendered are removed, leaving the fat 'short' of these [originally supposed] nutrients. So, yes, any rendered fats can be used in place of vegetable shortening. Keep in mind that the hydrogenation process that produces shortening also produces trans-fats [liquid fats that are processed to mimic the qualities of saturated fats] which are just as bad if not worse than the saturated fats [fats that are solid at room temperature]. You could, if you wanted, use oil in place of the shortening, (never do this for pastries, though) since the shortening melts into the recipe anyways.
The Crisco brand now makes several product including oils and shortening. The original Crisco product in the can (shortening) was a fat that was hydrogenated to give it a cream/paste consistency that gave better results in baking. Hydrogenated fats are also called trans fats and health wise are now considered more unhealthy than saturated fats. Crisco and other fats contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Hydrocarbons contain only hydrogen and carbon in some combination so Crisco is not a hydrocarbon. I know it as shortening, a fatty substance used in bakery products like cake. The more 'oily' it is the more UNsaturated, more 'fatty' says more saturated. Maybe the manifacturers label gives more information than I can (don't know the brand).
Yes, shortening is typically made from hydrogenated vegetable oils, which are high in saturated fats because of the hydrogenation process used to solidify the oils. However, some newer varieties of shortening may contain less saturated fat or be trans-fat free.
Solid fats, shortening
foods such as shortening, butter, oil, cream, and meat containing fat.
Saturated fats--these are solid at room temperature--butter, shortening, bacon greaseMonounsaturated fats--liquid at room temperature, solid in the refrigerator--olive, peanut, canola oils.Polyunsaturated fats--liquid at room temperature and in the refrigerator--sunflower, safflower, corn and soy oils.Hydrogenated fats--usually vegetable oils chemically altered to be solid at room temperature--shortening and margarinePartially hydrogenated fats--similar to hydrogenated but can have a variety of textures. Has been shown to exacerbate heart disease. Banned in Denmark and New York City.
No, it does not. The FDA allows food products to be labeled 0 grams trans fat if there is less than 0.5 grams of trans fat. A way to double-check that there is no trans fat is by checking the ingredients list. If is says "shortening", "partially hydrogenated oils", or "hydrogenated oils", then there is trans fat in the product.
Shortening
There might be miniscule amounts of trans fats in pork, the result of feeding the pig a ration which includes trans fats. Trans fats are normally only produced by hydrogenation.
Trans fats are unsaturated fats which have have same/simlar stucture to saturated fats therefore act as saturated fats. Trans fats are present in foods which contain vegetable fat which has been hydrograted partly to me soild. Pizzas can contain trans fats due to how the fat in the pizza base is made or trans fats naturally found in cheese. Trans fat levels should not go over 2g per person per day therefore having some trans fats is not too bad however you should limit the amount of trans fat you from.
Trans fats are hydrogenated unsaturated fats and they are supposed to be the worst fats there are for your health. Unsaturated fats are healthy fats and saturated fats and trans fats are unhealthy fats. Trans fats are often added to processed foods to extend the shelf life. There are no such fats as cis fats. There are certainly cis fatty acids and trans fatty acids and the difference between the two is in the hydrogen atoms positions and one could be regarded as an isomer of the other. All fats are basically triglycerides which means glycerol triesterified with 3 fatty acids.