How to use shortening: essential baking tips and popular applications
Shortening is an indispensable ingredient in baking, especially when making pastries, breads and biscuits. It can give food a unique layered texture and crispy texture. This article will combine the hot topics on the Internet in the past 10 days to analyze the usage, precautions and current popular application scenarios of shortening.
1. Basic characteristics of shortening

Shortening is a hydrogenated vegetable or animal oil with a high melting point and good plasticity. The following is a comparison of its core features:
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
| melting point | Usually 40-50℃, suitable for high temperature baking |
| Plasticity | Easy to spread, suitable for making multi-layer puff pastry |
| Stability | Strong antioxidant properties, extending food shelf life |
2. Popular shortening usage scenarios (search trends in the past 10 days)
According to data monitoring across the entire network, the following are the most popular shortening application directions in the near future:
| Ranking | Application scenarios | heat index |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egg yolk cake making | ★★★★★ |
| 2 | Hand cake family version | ★★★★☆ |
| 3 | Portuguese egg tart crust | ★★★☆☆ |
| 4 | Croissant layer processing | ★★★☆☆ |
3. Tips for using shortening
1.temperature control: Keep the ambient temperature below 20℃ to avoid melting of grease.
2.Layering techniques: The dough needs to be refrigerated for 30 minutes after each folding to ensure clear layers.
3.alternative: Vegetarians can use vegetable shortening, but they need to pay attention to the difference in melting point.
4. Frequently Asked Questions (recently searched frequently)
| question | solution |
|---|---|
| What is the difference between shortening and butter? | Shortening has no moisture and is more suitable for making a crispy texture |
| How to judge shortening quality? | Observe the color (milky white) and smell (no rancidity) |
| Can shortening be reused? | Not recommended, harmful substances will be produced after high temperatures |
5. Innovative usage (recent internet celebrity recipes)
1.Pastry mooncakes: In conjunction with the recent popularity of the Mid-Autumn Festival, using shortening to make snow-skin mooncakes has resulted in a 120% increase in search volume.
2.Air Fryer Pastries: Using the quick combination of shortening + air fryer has become a new hot topic in Xiaohongshu.
6. Safety precautions
• Store in a cool place away from direct sunlight
• Hydrogenated shortening contains trans fatty acids, it is recommended to choose unhydrogenated products
• For professional baking, it is recommended to use special shortening powder for easier operation.
It can be seen from the above structured data that the application of shortening is developing in the direction of family and health. Master these techniques, and you can make crispy snacks that rival professional bakeries!
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