Shortening vs Vegetable Oil

今注目を集めている Shortening vs Vegetable Oilについて、多角的な視点をご紹介しています。

Here’s the first big, funky difference: shortening is solid at room temperature, while vegetable oil is a liquid. Why? Shortening has been through a process called hydrogenation, which squishes its chemical structure into a stiff fat.

Think of shortening as a crowded dance floor where molecules are packed tight, unable to move. Vegetable oil, on the other hand, is a lazy river—all those molecules just slide around freely, making it a liquid. This tiny chemistry trick changes everything about how your food turns out.

Flaky vs. Crispy: The Cookie Showdown

If you want a pie crust so flaky it shatters like a dream, reach for shortening. Because it’s solid, it stays as little pockets of fat in your dough, creating those airy layers when it melts in the oven.

Vegetable oil just coats the flour, making a more uniform crumb—great for moist muffins, but not for that shattering crust. So, for a flaky biscuit? Shortening wins. For a tender, soft cake? Oil is your best buddy.