Cover of original Crisco cookbook, 1912

Crisco, a popular brand of shortening, was first produced in 1911 by Procter & Gamble and was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil. As such, Crisco is appropriate for both kosher and vegan (however, as Proctor and Gamble tests on animals, some may argue that it is not necessarily Kosher, and that it is not vegan, as even though there are no animal products in Crisco, the parent company funds activities that involve stress, harm and death to animals) diets as it contains no animal products.^[1] Image File history File links Crisco_logo. ... Image File history File links Crisco_Cookbook_1912. ... Image File history File links Crisco_Cookbook_1912. ... Shortening is a semisolid fat used in food preparation, especially baked goods, and is so called because it inhibits the formation of long gluten strands in wheat-based doughs, giving them a short texture (as in shortbread). ... Procter & Gamble Co. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with cooking oil. ... The circled U indicates that this can of tuna is certified kosher by the Union of Orthodox Congregations. ... Hens kept in cramped conditions — the avoidance of animal suffering is the primary motivation of people who become vegans A vegan is a person who avoids the ingestion or use of animal products. ...

When William Procter and James Gamble started the company Procter & Gamble, they hired chemist Edwin C. Kayser and developed the process to hydrogenate cottonseed oil, which ensures the shortening remains solid at normal storage temperatures. The initial purpose was to create a cheaper substance to make candles than the expensive animal fats in use at the time. Electricity began to diminish the candle market, and since the product looked like lard, they began selling it as a food. This product became known as Crisco, with the name deriving from the initial sounds of the expression "crystallized cottonseed oil". William Procter (1801-1884) was a US-based English candlemaker and industrialist. ... James Gamble (1803-1891) was a US-based Irish soapmaker and industrialist. ... A chemist pours from a round-bottom flask. ... A trans fatty acid (commonly shortened to trans fat) is an unsaturated fatty acid molecule that contains a trans double bond between carbon atoms, which makes the molecule less kinked compared to cis fat. Research suggests a correlation between diets high in trans fats and diseases like atherosclerosis and coronary... Cottonseed oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the cotton plant after the cotton lint has been removed. ... Shortening is a semisolid fat used in food preparation, especially baked goods, and is so called because it inhibits the formation of long gluten strands in wheat-based doughs, giving them a short texture (as in shortbread). ... For other uses, see Candle (disambiguation). ... Animal fats are fats obtained from animal sources, including: blubber cod liver oil lard (pork fat) tallow (beef fat) schmaltz (chicken fat) In human nutrition—as far as regions where heart disease is a more common cause of death than starvation are concerned—animal fats are often claimed to be... This article is about the fat. ...

Further success came from the marketing technique of giving away free cookbooks, with every recipe calling for Crisco. Crisco vegetable oil was introduced in 1960. In 1976, Procter & Gamble introduced Puritan Oil, an oil made with sunflower oil, which was touted as a lower cholesterol alternative. In 1988, Puritan Oil became 100% canola oil. Sunflower Oil is the non-volatile oil expressed from sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds. ... Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). ... For the figure in Celtic mythology see agriculture, canola are certain varieties of plants from which we get rapeseed oil, or the oil produced from those varieties. ...

Procter & Gamble divested the Crisco (oil and shortening) brand (along with Jif peanut butter) in a spinoff to their stockholders, followed by an immediate merger with The J. M. Smucker Co. in 2002. [1] Procter & Gamble Co. ... In finance and economics, divestment or divestiture is the reduction of some kind of asset, for either financial or social goals. ... Jar of creamy Jif. ... Spin out refers to a type of spin off where a company splits off sections of itself as a separate business. ... A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or company (including a corporation), that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a joint stock company. ... The phrase mergers and acquisitions or M&A refers to the aspect of corporate finance strategy and management dealing with the merging and acquiring of different companies as well as assets. ... The J. M. Smucker Company is a manufacturer and market leader of fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, health and natural foods beverages, and natural peanut butter in North America. ...

Changes in fat content

In April 2004, Smucker introduced "Crisco Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving All-Vegetable Shortening," which contained fully hydrogenated palm oil blended with liquid vegetable oils to yield a shortening much like the original Crisco. As of January 24, 2007, all Crisco shortening products have been reformulated to contain less than one gram of trans fat per serving. The separately marketed trans-fat free version introduced in 2004 was discontinued. [2] Crisco now consists of a blend of soybean oil, fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils. According to the product information label, one 12g serving of Crisco contains 3g of saturated fat, 0g of trans fat, 6g of polyunsaturated fat, and 2.5g of monounsaturated fat. [3] It is claimed that this reformulated Crisco has the same cooking properties and flavor as the original version of the product. A trans fatty acid (commonly shortened to trans fat) is an unsaturated fatty acid molecule that contains a trans double bond between carbon atoms, which makes the molecule less kinked compared to cis fat. Research suggests a correlation between diets high in trans fats and diseases like atherosclerosis and coronary... is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Binomial name Glycine max Merr. ...

According to the FDA website, "Food manufacturers are allowed to list amounts of trans fat with less than 0.5 gram (1/2 g) as 0 (zero) on the Nutrition Facts panel." (Mathematically, this simply complies with the rules for "rounding to the nearest integer.") Rounding is the process of reducing the number of significant digits in a number. ... Not to be confused with Natural number. ...

Controversy

Many nutritionists are already warning that Crisco's formula change may be little more than a marketing move. They argue that fully hydrogenated oil may not be any healthier than trans-fat containing partially hydrogenated oil. [4] Fully hydrogenated oil contains another artificial fat known as interesterified fat. A recent study showed that interesterified fat increased volunteers' blood sugar by 20 percent while simultaneously lowering the body's "good" HDL cholesterol. [5] The rise in blood sugar is problematic since it increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, already a growing problem in the US. Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction in which unsaturated bonds between carbon atoms are reduced by attachment of a hydrogen atom to each carbon. ... Interesterified fats are oils (such as soybean oil) that have been chemically modified. ... Interesterified fats are oils (such as soybean oil) that have been chemically modified. ... In medicine, blood sugar is a term used to refer to levels of glucose in the blood. ... High density lipoproteins (HDL) form a class of lipoproteins, varying somewhat in their size and contents, that carry cholesterol from the bodys tissues to the liver. ... See diabetes mellitus for further general information on diabetes. ...

Non-cooking usages

Crisco has properties that allow for many uses beyond its currently marketed purpose of cooking.

As a household utility product it has many alternative uses, including:

• Removal of tar and lipstick from clothing.
• Removal of ink, grease and dirt from surfaces and hands.
• Revitalizing the surfaces of wooden utensils such as bowls and cutting boards.
• Shedding water and snow from weather gear such as galoshes and snow shovels.
• Preventing diaper rash.
• As a makeup base.
• As a hair grease.

In addition to wood utensils, Crisco can be used for seasoning Cast iron cookware.[6] Cast iron is non-toxic, has excellent heat retention and diffusion properties, and is easy to mold into a variety of shapes. ...

Historical battle re-enactors sometimes use Crisco as a lubricating agent for musket balls, to retard the effects of black powder residue. [7] Muskets and bayonets aboard the frigate Grand Turk. ...

As a sexual lubricant, it is long-lasting, cheap, and does not exude a strong odor. However, as with other oil-based lubricants such as Vaseline, it can degrade latex and is unsuitable for use with latex condoms.^[2][3] Personal lubricants are specialized lubricants which serve to reduce friction with the vagina, the anus, or other body parts. ... Petroleum jelly or petrolatum is a byproduct of the refining of petroleum, made from the residue of petroleum distillation left in the still after all the oil has been vaporized. ... This article is about the typesetting system. ... This article is about the male contraceptive device. ...

References

1. ^ Nut Pie Pastry [Archive] - The Vegan Forum - a vegan message board
2. ^ Managing Contraception: Choices: Disadvantages: Oil Based Lubricants
3. ^ AVI |

External links

• Crisco's homepage
• Crisco timeline
• Crisco Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving All-Vegetable Shortening
• Press release: Crisco Introduces Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving All-Vegetable Shortening
• Harvard School of Public Health's webpage on Trans-fat