Margarine in place of shortening

Margarine in place of shortening - Photo of Led Signage on the Wall

According to the Wikipedia article on shortening, it seems as though margarine is considered shortening.

Has anyone substituted margarine for shortening in any recipes, and can you report your results?



Best Answer

Margarine is essentially 80% hydrogenated vegetable oil, the rest being mostly water and a touch of coloring and flavoring.

Shortening is essentially 100% hydrogenated vegetable oil.

That means that to truly substitute shortening versus margarine, you would need 5 units of margarine, versus 4 units of shortening plus one unit of water.

However, in many, many applications substituting 1:1 is well within the tolerance of recipes. This applies to almost all savory cooking, and most baking including breads, quick breads, cookies, and cakes.




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Quick Answer about "Margarine in place of shortening"

Just be sure to add an extra tablespoon of margarine for every cup of shortening: Margarine contains water and has a lower fat content, so using a little more will yield a better result. You might not think to reach for lard often, but it is actually a great substitute for shortening.

What is the best substitute for shortening?

The Best Substitute for Shortening for Frying or CookingVegetable oil, cocount oil, peanut oil, avocado oil and grapeseed oil all have high smoke points and can be used for frying - although vegetable oil will truly be your best bet because it's inexpensive and flavorless.

Can I use margarine instead of Crisco?

If you are using butter or margarine instead of Crisco, then you will need to add slightly more to the recipe. So, for every cup of Crisco, you should add 1 cup of butter/margarine plus an extra 2 tablespoons. So if you have no Crisco available, both butter and margarine are great substitutes.

What can I substitute for 1/2 cup of shortening?

If your recipe calls for 1/2 cup of shortening, you could substitute 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon of margarine instead. It's pretty simple, just remember to add a little extra margarine to give you the most similar results. If you're baking, using margarine as a substitute is our closest recommendation.



Butter vs Margarine vs Shortening In Cooking




More answers regarding margarine in place of shortening

Answer 2

I do not use margarine in any cookie recipes since the margarine is not what it used to be. The cookies that have margarine in them do not hold their shape and spread all over the cookie sheet. I use real butter.

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