What is the Difference Between Lard and Shortening

The main difference between lard and shortening is that lard is a semi-solid cooking fat extracted from pork fat, whereas shortening is a semi-solid shelf-stable cooking fat made with vegetable oils such as palm oil, cottonseed oil, or soybean oil.

Lard and shortening are cooking fats we use to replace butter and cooking oils. Both lard and shortening share similar smoke points and melting points.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Lard  
     – Definition, Features, Uses
2. What is Shortening
     – Definition, Features, Uses
3. Similarities Between Lard and Shortening
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Lard and Shortening
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Lard, Shortening

Difference Between Lard and Shortening - Comparison Summary

What is Lard

Lard simply refers to a semi-solid white-colored fat product extracted from pork fat. Manufacturers produce lard either by boiling, dry heating, or steaming the pork fat. There are two main types of lard available in the local market: fresh lard and shelf-stable lard. Fresh lard usually includes only rendered pork fat, unlike shelf-stable lard that contains a certain amount of hydrogenated fat, which is added to preserve the freshness. If you are looking for a healthier option, it is always better to go for fresh lard.

Lard has the ability to retain its quality for a period of six months at room temperature and a year if it is refrigerated. When it comes to the health benefits of lard, it is a favorable source of fats that helps to keep your heart healthy. Lard contains 48% of monounsaturated fats, which is the highest next to the monounsaturated fat content of olive oil, and these monounsaturated fats help to reduce the blood cholesterol levels in the human body.

Compare Lard and Shortening - What's the difference?

Furthermore, lots of chefs prefer to work with lard rather than using cooking oils or shortening, as lard has many benefits. For instance, pure and fresh lard comes with a neutral taste and contains no pork flavor or any trans fats. Compared to butter, saturated fat and cholesterol percentage available in lard are quite low. Chefs find it the perfect option for frying food due to its high smoke point.

What is Shortening

Shortening is a semi-solid shelf-stable cooking fat made with vegetable oils such as palm oil, cottonseed oil, or soybean oil. Simply put, in contrast to lard, which is made of pure animal fat, shortening is a fat extracted from vegetable oil.

Invented in 1911, chefs all around the world were very happy with shortening due to its affordable price and shelf-stable nature. They could use it to replace lard, and it gave a quite similar output for a cheaper cost. It is true that shortening functions quite similar to lard, especially when it comes to baking, and creates flaky layers. Nevertheless, it is not possible to achieve the richness and flavor lards bring to a dish with the use of shortening.

Shortening can be used instead of cooking oils in baking cakes, cookies, and pie crusts in order to make a more tender and flakier output. However, keep in mind that, unlike lard, shortening often comes with a significant amount of trans fat. This is extremely harmful to your body’s health as they cause body LDL levels to rise up and HDL levels to go down.

Similarities Between Lard and Shortening

  • Lard and shortening are cooking fats we use to replace butter and cooking oils.
  • Both lard and shortening share similar smoke points and melting points.

Difference Between Lard and Shortening

Definition

Lard is a semi-solid white-colored fat product extracted from pork fat, while shortening is a semi-solid shelf-stable cooking fat made with vegetable oils such as palm oil, cottonseed oil, or soybean oil.

Fat Content

Lard includes less trans-fat than shortening and therefore is considered the healthier option.

Health

Shortening is less healthy than lard and can be harmful to your health as shortening contains artificial trans-fat that results in the rise up of your LDL levels and a decrease in HDL levels.

Price

Shortening is cheaper than lard in the local market.

Flavor

It is not possible to achieve the richness and flavor of lard with the use of shortening.

Conclusion

The main difference between lard and shortening is that lard is a semi-solid cooking fat extracted from pork fat, whereas shortening is a semi-solid shelf-stable cooking fat made with vegetable oils such as palm oil, cottonseed oil, or soybean oil.

Reference:

1. Ferguson, Michale. “What Is Lard?” WebstaurantStore.
2. “What Is Shortening in Baking?” Bob’s Red Mill Blog.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Strutto” By Paoletta S. – originally posted to Flickr as strutto (CC BY 2.0) via Commons Wikimedia

About the Author: Anuradha

Anuradha has a BA degree in English, French, and Translation studies. She is currently reading for a Master's degree in Teaching English Literature in a Second Language Context. Her areas of interests include Arts and Literature, Language and Education, Nature and Animals, Cultures and Civilizations, Food, and Fashion.

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