Re: vegetable shortening substitute

[Guest guest]

Wanita-

>Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but I'd think coconut butter would be

>the better choice.

Coconut oil and coconut butter are the same thing, actually.

I haven't tried mixing it with butter, but I'd imagine that would be a good

solution -- and MUCH healthier than vegetable oil!

-

[Guest guest]

At 11:05 AM 3/29/02 -0700, you wrote:

>I make and decorate my kids' birthday cakes, and figuring that it's only

>once a year, I've always used the recipe for the " good " frosting (1/2

>vegetable shortening, 1/2 butter) for the smooth spreading stuff that

>doesn't melt, and that decorates easily. I tried all butter one year,

>and it's too soft - melts in room temperature. Would coconut butter

>substitute well for the 1/2 shortening? I know my c butter is much more

>solid at room temp than the butter, so I'm thinking it would. Has anyone

>tried this?

>

>~ Carma ~

Coconut oil is solid at room temperature but I'd think coconut butter would be

the better choice.

Wanita

[Guest guest]

> Would coconut butter substitute well for the 1/2 shortening?

I would think it would help...but it still has a lower melting point than

vegetable shortening, I think. You might be able to make up the difference

in consistency by increasing the ratio of sugar to fat though. For example

try adding an extra 1 tbsp of pwd sugar at a time and see if you get the

extra firmness without sacrificing too much creaminess. Also, if you do

lose too much creaminess, try stirring it a bit longer to break down the

sugar a little more before you give up.

[Guest guest]

Carma:

WOW -- you got me curious and I just tried it, with virgin coconut oil. It

is delicious! (and I don't usually like buttercream frosting). It's not

melting at our house temp (75 degrees) though I don't know that I'd trust

it on a hot summer day. The virgin coconut oil leaves a bit of coconut

taste, which tastes pretty good to me in a frosting. I get the impression

it would be really excellent with chocolate chips melted into it too (or

maybe just cocoa powder). To 'harden it up' at higher temperatures, if

needed, one could use a bit of paraffin I guess (I hesitate to say that in

this group: I don't know about the health aspects of paraffin, just that

it's used to make chocolates).

I've heard that coconut oil (butter, whatever) was used in the 50's as a

shortening substitute fairly commonly and was considered good to cook with.

Works well for me, even to fry tacos in, though this is my first foray into

this realm.

-- Heidi

At 01:33 PM 3/29/2002 -0500, you wrote:

>At 11:05 AM 3/29/02 -0700, you wrote:

> >I make and decorate my kids' birthday cakes, and figuring that it's only

> >once a year, I've always used the recipe for the " good " frosting (1/2

> >vegetable shortening, 1/2 butter) for the smooth spreading stuff that

> >doesn't melt, and that decorates easily. I tried all butter one year,

> >and it's too soft - melts in room temperature. Would coconut butter

> >substitute well for the 1/2 shortening? I know my c butter is much more

> >solid at room temp than the butter, so I'm thinking it would. Has anyone

> >tried this?

> >

> >~ Carma ~

>

[Guest guest]

> I get the impression it would be really excellent with chocolate chips

melted into it too (or

maybe just cocoa powder).

Hmm. Partially flamed-off (to remove some of the alcohol) dark rum and

either lime zest or cocoa strikes me as sounding yummy too especially with

the coconut flavor...

> To 'harden it up' at higher temperatures, if needed, one could use a bit

of paraffin I guess

> (I hesitate to say that in this group: I don't know about the health

aspects of paraffin, just that

> it's used to make chocolates).

Maybe beeswax instead? Adding cocoa or any other powder to lower the ratio

of oil to solids will also firm frostings up.

> I've heard that coconut oil (butter, whatever) was used in the 50's as a

> shortening substitute fairly commonly and was considered good to cook

with.

Not only that. Coconut and palm oil were *THE* popcorn oils of choice (for

the popcorn maker not as a topping) for theaters and so forth until sometime

in the 80s if I remember correctly.

[Guest guest]

Would we dare to try the 100% organic vegetable shortening put out by

Spectrum for the summer months. It is all palm oil.. I don't know what kind

of flavor it will give, but it might be worth a try.

Kareemah

[Guest guest]

>> WOW -- you got me curious and I just tried it, with virgin coconut

oil. It

is delicious! (and I don't usually like buttercream frosting). <<

Cool, thanks, Heidi! Great to know! Now I won't chicken out and use the

shortening instead when the birthdays roll around. (I'm too lazy to make

a practice cake and icing batch - only special occasions get that kind

of effort!) I *love* buttercream frosting and it's a challenge not to

" taste " it all before it gets onto the cake (another reason I only tempt

myself on those special occasions), but I'll bet the coconut flavor

makes it even better.

>> You might be able to make up the difference in consistency by

increasing the ratio of sugar to fat though.

Thanks, , I'll probably try that. The next birthday is in high

summer here in the southern Arizona desert heat - so I'm sure the

melting point will be a big factor!

~ Carma ~

To be perpetually talking sense runs out the mind, as perpetually

ploughing and taking crops runs out the land. The mind must be manured,

and nonsense is very good for the purpose. ~ Boswell

Carma's Corner: http://www.users.qwest.net/~carmapaden/

[Guest guest]

> >> WOW -- you got me curious and I just tried it, with virgin

coconut

> oil. It

> is delicious! (and I don't usually like buttercream frosting). <<

> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>snip<<<<<<<<<<<<

Carma

So did you try it with the coconut butter? Did you ever make it with

milk,cream,butter,sugar and flavoring? What recipe did you end with?

TIA, Dennis

[Guest guest]

>

>

>Not only that. Coconut and palm oil were *THE* popcorn oils of choice (for

>the popcorn maker not as a topping) for theaters and so forth until sometime

>in the 80s if I remember correctly.

>

>

Sad, isn't it? (or is it S.A.D.?) I discovered that Canola oil " might " be

bad after I started getting sick from movie popcorn, and my own, when made

it with Canola. Now I use coconut oil, and it works great. You sure can't

buy it in a store though, and when I asked a popcorn maker about it, he

said " Oh, no, coconut oil is VERY BAD for you! " .

-- Heidi

[Guest guest]

> >--- In @y..., " Carma Paden " <carmapaden@q...>

wrote:

> > > >> WOW -- you got me curious and I just tried it, with virgin

> >coconut

> > > oil. It

> > > is delicious! (and I don't usually like buttercream frosting).

<<

> > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>snip<<<<<<<<<<<<

> >Carma

> >

> >

> >So did you try it with the coconut butter? Did you ever make it

with

> >milk,cream,butter,sugar and flavoring? What recipe did you end

with?

> >TIA, Dennis

>

>

> I have a jar of coconut oil (e.g. butter: it is solid but they call

it

> coconut oil when you buy it). I mixed that half and half with some

> semi-soft butter that happened to be on the counter (about 1/4 cup

of each)

> and stirred in some powdered sugar (about half a cup) til it seemed

creamy.

> Sorry I didn't think to use a recipe: the only buttercream frosting

I've

> seen made was mainly Crisco and powdered sugar with maybe some

butter too

> and we never measured. And I haven't made it since I discovered

cream

> cheese frosting -- my interest in it now has to do with having kids

who

> want to play with frosting decorating. I never heard of adding milk

or

> cream: I would not think you would want any water-based stuff in it

for

> bacterial and separation reasons, also because it would be runny?

>

> I'm not sure the butter part is really needed either: probably

coconut oil

> and powdered sugar would be decent. I like the idea of adding

chocolate though.

>

> -- Heidi

We always make frosting for cinnamon rolls and chocolate cake with

milk,butter,powdered sugar and generally vanilla flavoring. It's so

much better than commercial stuff which is only water and powdered

sugar. The high concentration of sugar keeps the frosting made with

milk and butter from spoiling.It would probably show mold in 7 or 8

days but cake and rolls usually don't sit around that long. They

become chicken feed by day 7 or 8.