Can you add water to shortening to use in place of butter?
When I was younger I was in an honor camp for felons taking a culinary program and was taught that you can add water to shortening to make a butter substitute.
Best Answer
Shortening is all fat, while butter is fat with "other stuff":
Commercial butter is 80–82 percent milk fat, 16–17 percent water, and 1–2 percent milk solids other than fat. Source
Therefore, shortening plus water can provide a somewhat more accurate substitute than plain shortening. Even a major shortening brand recommends adding water when substituting for butter.
If you use shortening, but want an effect closer to butter, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons water for every 1/4 cup of shortening. Source
To get a mixture that tastes a bit more like butter, you could use milk instead of water.
In most baking applications, the additional liquid can simply be added when other wet ingredients are mixed in.
Alternatively, combining them in advance can be done with sufficient beating, although this will incorporate air and potentially affect texture. See below a picture of shortening whipped with water for a pie crust recipe:
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Quick Answer about "Can you add water to shortening to use in place of butter?"
Substituting Shortening for Butter This is how much shortening you'll need. Multiply the weight of the butter by 0.15, which gives you 34 grams (approximately 2 tablespoons) of milk or water that you need to add to make up for the water in the butter.Can you add water to vegetable shortening?
Measure shortening by packing it into a measuring cup and leveling it with a knife, or use the water displacement method: If you need 1/2 cup shortening, fill a measuring cup with 1/2 cup water, then add shortening until the water reaches the 1 cup mark, and drain off the water.What happens if you use shortening instead of butter?
Shortening traps more air bubbles and has a higher melting point than butter, so recipes that use shortening tend to produce an end product that will rise a little higher, holds its shape during baking, and has an interior texture that is softer or lighter.Can you use Crisco shortening instead of butter?
In general, you can substitute Crisco shortening for butter or margarine in equal amounts (1 cup Crisco shortening = 1 cup butter or margarine). Not only does Crisco shortening have 50% less saturated fat than butter and 0g trans fat per serving, it gives you higher, lighter-textured baked goods.How much shortening do I substitute for butter?
In general, you can use a 1:1 ratio when substituting butter in place of shortening. Making this substitution may slightly alter the texture of your baked goods.Can You Leave Your Butter On The Counter?
More answers regarding can you add water to shortening to use in place of butter?
Answer 2
Shortening is pure fat, while butter also contains milk particles and some water. While they sometimes can be interchanged, shortening doesn't have the same flavor profile as butter, and behaves somewhat differently. Some key properties which differentiate them, listed e.g. here are:
Shortening is 100% fat.
Butter has additional milk and water particles, and is not all fat.
Butter melts faster under heat.
Butter spreads thinner when melted.
Shortening retains a higher flexibility, and retains air, resulting in a higher rise.
Shortening products are softer.
Butter is used for flavor.
Shortening is used as a flavorless base.
Shortening can be exchanged for butter.
Butter cannot usually be exchanged for shortening.
Butter has uses in the kitchen beyond just baking.
While adding water to shortening might make it somewhat softer, fat and water doesn't in general mix well, so I doubt you'd have much luck with the method which was taught you.
Additionally even if you can get the consistency of the shortening similar to butter, it will still lack the milk particles which gives butter its flavor, making it unsuitable for many of the things you use butter for.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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